The World's Longest River
Rivers are among the most important features on Earth, shaping the land and supporting life along their banks. The longest of them all is usually said to be the Nile River, a mighty waterway in Africa that has flowed through human history for thousands of years.
The Great River of Africa
The Nile stretches for thousands of kilometers, winding its way northward through northeastern Africa before finally emptying into the Mediterranean Sea. It passes through or borders many countries on its long journey. The Nile is famous as the river that gave life to ancient Egypt. Its waters and the fertile land along its banks allowed one of the world's greatest early civilizations to grow in the middle of a desert.
A Title That Is Debated
While the Nile is traditionally named the longest river, this is actually a subject of friendly debate among geographers. The main rival for the title is the Amazon River in South America. Measuring a river's exact length is surprisingly difficult, because it is not always clear precisely where a river truly begins. Some studies, using different starting points, have concluded that the Amazon is actually longer than the Nile.
Longest Versus Largest
There is an important distinction to keep in mind. Even if the Amazon's length is debated, one fact is clear: the Amazon is the largest river in the world by the volume of water it carries. It moves far more water than any other river on Earth. So the two giants hold different honors. The Nile is generally recognized as the longest, while the Amazon is undisputedly the largest by water volume.
Source
This article was written using information from Wikipedia.