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=Locate five major rivers in the world: the Mississippi, Amazon, Volga, Yangtze, and Nile.= Play the Longest Rivers in the World game here


 * Amazon River **

-The second longest river in the world at 3980 miles, the Amazon is also known for being six miles wide.

-Its water makes up 20% of the world's river water.

- The river has thousands of tributaries across South America, some of which are thousands of miles themselves. The system of rivers create a network spanning across the Amazon Rainforest.

-Ancient peoples used the river for irrigation and transportation. It is still being used this way today!

-Spanish explorer Francisco de Orellana was the first to call the river "Amazon," and was the first European to travel the length of the river. In 1541, he and his men encountered a tribe of fierce women who reminded him of the story from ancient Greece about Amazons, who were warrior women. -For more on the Amazons of Greek mythology, click here. Click here to watch a short clip that shows some wildlife from the river as well as scenes of people who live on the Amazon.

Click here to play "Amazon Explorer" from PBS. Requires Flash 4. Click here for a lesson plan on the Amazon.


 * Mississippi River **

- Longest river in the United States- estimated between 2,300 and 2,550 miles long. [|Go to National Park Service for more information]

-At different locations, the river ranges from twenty feet to eleven miles wide.

-The agricultural products and the huge agribusiness industry that has developed in the basin produce 92% of the nation's agricultural exports, 78% of the world's exports in feed grains and soybeans, and most of the livestock and hogs produced nationally.

When compared to other world rivers, the Mississippi-Missouri River combination ranks fourth in length following the Nile, the Amazon, and the Yangtze Rivers. Click here to watch a youtube video of the Mississippi River and the cities along it.

Click here, here , and here for lesson plans on the Mississippi River.


 * Yangtze River **

-At 3,964 miles, the Yangtze is the third largest river in the world.

-Historically, economically, and culturally important to China as its largest river.

-It acts as a natural divider between North China and South China

-The Three Gorges Dam on the river is the largest dam project and hydro-electric power station in the world.



Volga River
- Rising in the Valdai Hills northwest of Moscow, the Volga discharges into the Caspian Sea, some 2,193 miles to the south.

- It is made up of 200 tributaries spanning across European Russia.

-The river basin contains half of the entire population of the Russian Republic.

-The Volga is thought of as the life blood of Russia Click here for a Youtube video showing images from the Volga River.

**Nile River**


-The Nile River is the largest river in Africa and the world at 4,132 miles long.

-It begins in Burundi and flows northbound through Egypt and into the Mediterranean Sea.

-The river basin occupies one tenth of the continent of Africa.

- The Nile receives its name from the Greek word Neilos, which means "river valley."

-Much like the other major rivers of the World, the Nile's source of fresh water and the fertile soil along its banks created the perfect setting for the evolution of the civilizations that existed in the ancient world. The ancient peoples that lived along the river's banks cultivated the art of agriculture and were one the first to utilize the plow.

resources: http://library.thinkquest.org/16645/the_land/nile_river.shtml http://www.nps.gov/miss/riverfacts.htm