This is a list of rivers of the Americas, it includes major historical or physiological significant rivers of the Americas grouped by region where they are located (Central America, Northern America, West Indies and South Americas). The longest rivers in each country are included. Further details and references are provided in each river's separate article. Unusually significant tributaries appear in this list, under the river into which they drain.
The longest river in the Americas is the Amazon River. The length of the Amazon River is usually said to be "at least" , but reported values lie anywhere between . The length measurements of many rivers are only approximations and differ from each other because there are many factors that determine the calculated river length, such as the position of the geographical source and the mouth, the scale of measurement, and the length measuring techniques (for details see also List of rivers by length).
There are 11 countries in the Americas that do not have rivers: Anguilla, Aruba, Bermuda, Bonaire, Cayman Islands, Curaçao, Saba, Saint Barthélemy, Saint Martin, Sint Eustatius, and Sint Maarten.
North America
Central America
The water in rivers in Central America flows to either the Atlantic Ocean or Pacific Ocean. The RÃÂo Coco, locally known as the Wanks, runs along the border with Honduras and is the longest river flowing totally within Central America. The second longest river in Central America is the Patuca River.
Some of the significant rivers and their lengths in Central America include:
Northern America
Water from rivers in the Northern Americas flows toward either the Arctic Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, Pacific Ocean, the land-locked Great Basin in the western United States or the interior basin in Mexico.
The Missouri River is the longest river in North America and the United States (). The second longest river in North America and the United States is the Mississippi River (). The Rio Conchos () is the longest river in Mexico. The longest river in Canada is the Mackenzie River ().
Some of the longest or otherwise notable rivers include the rivers listed in the table below.
West Indies
The significant rivers in the West Indies include the following:
Rivers of North and Central America by discharge
South America
The following are some of the significant rivers in South America
- Aconcagua - Chile
- Amazon - Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Venezuela, Colombia, Brazil () (flows into the Atlantic Ocean)
- Solimões - name given in Brazil to the portions of the Amazon upstream of its confluence with the Rio Negro
- Ucayali - Peru
- Tambo - Peru
- Ene - Peru
- Mantaro - Peru
- ApurÃÂmac - Peru
- Urubamba - Peru
- Marañón - Peru
- Pastaza - Ecuador, Peru
- Huallaga - Peru
- Putumayo - Colombia, Peru, Brazil
- Juruá - Peru, Brazil
- Caquetá - Colombia, Brazil
- Purus - Peru, Brazil
- Rio Negro - Venezuela, Colombia, Brazil
- Casiquiare Canal - a large natural canal in Venezuela connecting the Rio Negro with the upper Orinoco River
- Vaupés - Colombia, Brazil
- Rio Branco - Brazil
- Madeira - Bolivia, Brazil
- Beni - Bolivia
- Madre de Dios - Peru, Bolivia
- Mamoré - Bolivia, Brazil
- Guaporé - Brazil, Bolivia
- Tapajós - Brazil
- Xingu - Brazil
- Tocantins - Brazil
- Araguaia - Brazil
- Apure - Venezuela
- Atrato - Colombia
- Baudó - Colombia
- BÃÂo-BÃÂo - Chile
- Malleco - Chile
- CaronÃÂ - Venezuela
- Catatumbo - Colombia, Venezuela
- Zulia - Venezuela, Colombia
- Sardinata - Colombia
- Cauca - Colombia
- CautÃÂn - Chile
- Chubut - Argentina
- Colorado - Argentina
- Elqui - Chile
- Essequibo - Guyana
- Itata - Chile
- ÃÂuble - Chile
- Loa - Chile
- Magdalena - Colombia
- Maipo - Chile
- Mapocho - Chile
- Maule - Chile
- Loncomilla - Chile
- Achibueno - Chile
- Ancoa - Chile
- LongavÃÂ - Chile
- Perquilauquén - Chile
- Purapel - Chile
- Putagán - Chile
- Melado - Chile
- MaullÃÂn - Chile
- Maroni - Suriname, French Guiana
- Mira - Colombia
- Orinoco - Colombia, Venezuela
- Apure - Venezuela
- Arauca - Colombia, Venezuela
- Meta - Colombia, Venezuela
- Guaviare - Colombia
- Meta - Colombia
- Tomo - Colombia
- Vichada - Colombia
- Parnaiba - Brazil
- Rapel - Chile
- Reñihue - Chile
- RÃÂo Bueno - Chile
- Rahue - Chile
- Damas - Chile
- RÃÂo de la Plata It is not really a river but the lower stretch of the Paraná and the estuary that forms after its confluence with the Uruguay
- Paraná - Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay
- Uruguay - Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay
- Palena - Chile
- PatÃÂa - Colombia
- Petrohué - Chile
- Puelo - Chile
- São Francisco - Brazil
- San Jorge - Colombia
- San Juan - Colombia
- Sinú - Colombia
- Toltén - Chile
- Trancura - Chile
- Valdivia - Chile
- Calle-Calle - Chile
- San Pedro - Chile
- Enco - Chile
- Llanquihue - Chile
- Huahum - Chile, Argentina
- Chapelco - Argentina
- Liquiñe - Chile
- Cau-Cau - Chile
- Cruces - Chile
- Cutipay - Chile
- Futa - Chile
- Yelcho - Chile
- Futaleufú - Chile
Rivers of South America by discharge
Related articles and lists
See also
References
General references