October 4, 2018
Amazon River
Although it seems like it would be easy to measure, knowing the length of the world’s longest river is not as straightforward as one might expect. Not everyone agrees on what is the source of every river, and others disagree on how to measure the mouth on the other end.
When people first started measuring the length of rivers, the Nile was considered the longest in the world. In recent years, however, researchers have found the Amazon to be longer. The primary difference is that measurements they now include a tidal canal that flows from the Amazon. Although it is not completely agreed upon, the Amazon is considered by many to be the longest river in the world.