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30 Things You Didn't Know About Rivers
Jul 16, 2015
1. Rivers are some of the most diverse ecosystems on the planet. Rivers and lakes sustain more fish species than the sea even though they contain 600 times less water.
2. Rivers feed us. Freshwater fisheries currently sustain up to 550 million people on a fish-based diet.
3. Rivers are the cradles of our civilizations. Our most ancient cultures sprang up along rivers such as the Tigris and Euphrates, the Nile, the Indus, and the Yellow.
4. Dams have fragmented two thirds of the world's great rivers. They store about 7,000 cubic kilometers or one sixth of the water flowing in rivers.
5. Rivers shape our planet and have created some of its most beautiful landscapes. Think of the Grand Canyon, the Iguacu and the Victoria Falls!
6. We cry to Ol' Man River, dance By the Rivers of Babylon, and waltz along the Blue Danube. Rivers have inspired great music around the world.
7. With a length of 6,853 kilometers, the Nile is the world's longest river. With a mere 27 meters, the Reprua River in the Caucasus may be the shortest.
8. An estimated 10,000-20,000 freshwater species have been lost or are at risk. 37% of the world's freshwater fish species - including 24 of 26 sturgeon species - are threatened by extinction.
9. By depositing nutritious silt on floodplains and deltas, rivers have created our most fertile agricultural lands, from the Mekong Delta to California's Central Valley.
10. Rivers sustain fish populations offshore. Because of the nutrients they carry to the sea, 80% of the world's fish catch comes from continental shelves.
11. Rivers unite us. Some 276 rivers flow across more than one country, and their basins cover almost half the Earth's land surface.
12. At most, 64 of our 177 longest rivers remain free-flowing, and many of them are threatened by fragmentation.
13. Rivers have brought us great movies. Films like African Queen, Deliverance and Aguirre, the Wrath of God have become classics.
14. Rivers generate power. Hydropower accounts for some 16% of the world's electricity - often at great cost to river ecosystems and communities.
15. In the US, one sixth of all inland freight is transported on rivers and canals. Navigation is the most energy-efficient mode of transport, but has turned healthy rivers into highways.
16. Every year, rivers take 200 million tons of carbon out of the ground and the air and transport it to the sea. They also power the role of oceans in taking carbon out of the atmosphere.
17. Because of over-exploitation, once mighty rivers like the Colorado, Indus, Nile, Rio Grande and Yellow are struggling to reach the sea.
18. Rivers inspire us and give religious meaning. In India and other countries, many rivers are revered as gods.
19. With a depth of more than 220 meters - four Niagara Falls stacked on top of each other - the Congo is the world's deepest river.
20. Rivers create identity. At least 17 countries - from India to Nigeria - are named after rivers. Another 17 - from Saudi Arabia to the Bahamas - have no rivers at all!
21. Over-exploitation of rivers through dam building and pollution threaten the water security of almost 5 billion people around the world.
22. Have you read Huckleberry Finn, Heart of Darkness, and A River Runs Through It? Rivers have inspired great literature in many countries.
23. Rivers have created some of the world's most-treasured natural heritage. More than 30 riverscapes - from the Pantanal to the Okavango Delta - have been recognized as World Heritage Sites.
24. Freshwater species have lost 76% of their populations since 1970 - twice the loss which marine and terrestrial ecosystems have suffered.
25. The Amazon discharges 84 Olympic-size pools into the sea every second - more than all European and North American rivers combined. It is the biggest river on the planet.
26. Healthy rivers and their floodplains absorb rainfall and release it over time. They protect us against the floods and droughts which are getting ever more severe under climate change.
27. Rivers provide important services such as water supply and regulation for free. They have been estimated to be 10-15 times more valuable per hectare than land and sea-based ecosystems.
28. Another 3,700 hydropower dams are currently under construction or in the pipeline. Many of them are located in river basins with high ecological values such as the Amazon and Mekong.
29. Rivers are the arteries of our planet. By connecting lands, lakes and the sea, they enable the circulation of nutrients, sediments, and living beings.
30. Rivers contain only 0.003% of the water on Earth - one out of every 33,000 water molecules - but sustain much of her life. They deserve our protection!
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Peter Bosshard
Peter Bosshard is Finance Program Director at the Sunrise Project. He formerly was the Interim Executive Director of International Rivers.
1. Rivers are some of the most diverse ecosystems on the planet. Rivers and lakes sustain more fish species than the sea even though they contain 600 times less water.
2. Rivers feed us. Freshwater fisheries currently sustain up to 550 million people on a fish-based diet.
3. Rivers are the cradles of our civilizations. Our most ancient cultures sprang up along rivers such as the Tigris and Euphrates, the Nile, the Indus, and the Yellow.
4. Dams have fragmented two thirds of the world's great rivers. They store about 7,000 cubic kilometers or one sixth of the water flowing in rivers.
5. Rivers shape our planet and have created some of its most beautiful landscapes. Think of the Grand Canyon, the Iguacu and the Victoria Falls!
6. We cry to Ol' Man River, dance By the Rivers of Babylon, and waltz along the Blue Danube. Rivers have inspired great music around the world.
7. With a length of 6,853 kilometers, the Nile is the world's longest river. With a mere 27 meters, the Reprua River in the Caucasus may be the shortest.
8. An estimated 10,000-20,000 freshwater species have been lost or are at risk. 37% of the world's freshwater fish species - including 24 of 26 sturgeon species - are threatened by extinction.
9. By depositing nutritious silt on floodplains and deltas, rivers have created our most fertile agricultural lands, from the Mekong Delta to California's Central Valley.
10. Rivers sustain fish populations offshore. Because of the nutrients they carry to the sea, 80% of the world's fish catch comes from continental shelves.
11. Rivers unite us. Some 276 rivers flow across more than one country, and their basins cover almost half the Earth's land surface.
12. At most, 64 of our 177 longest rivers remain free-flowing, and many of them are threatened by fragmentation.
13. Rivers have brought us great movies. Films like African Queen, Deliverance and Aguirre, the Wrath of God have become classics.
14. Rivers generate power. Hydropower accounts for some 16% of the world's electricity - often at great cost to river ecosystems and communities.
15. In the US, one sixth of all inland freight is transported on rivers and canals. Navigation is the most energy-efficient mode of transport, but has turned healthy rivers into highways.
16. Every year, rivers take 200 million tons of carbon out of the ground and the air and transport it to the sea. They also power the role of oceans in taking carbon out of the atmosphere.
17. Because of over-exploitation, once mighty rivers like the Colorado, Indus, Nile, Rio Grande and Yellow are struggling to reach the sea.
18. Rivers inspire us and give religious meaning. In India and other countries, many rivers are revered as gods.
19. With a depth of more than 220 meters - four Niagara Falls stacked on top of each other - the Congo is the world's deepest river.
20. Rivers create identity. At least 17 countries - from India to Nigeria - are named after rivers. Another 17 - from Saudi Arabia to the Bahamas - have no rivers at all!
21. Over-exploitation of rivers through dam building and pollution threaten the water security of almost 5 billion people around the world.
22. Have you read Huckleberry Finn, Heart of Darkness, and A River Runs Through It? Rivers have inspired great literature in many countries.
23. Rivers have created some of the world's most-treasured natural heritage. More than 30 riverscapes - from the Pantanal to the Okavango Delta - have been recognized as World Heritage Sites.
24. Freshwater species have lost 76% of their populations since 1970 - twice the loss which marine and terrestrial ecosystems have suffered.
25. The Amazon discharges 84 Olympic-size pools into the sea every second - more than all European and North American rivers combined. It is the biggest river on the planet.
26. Healthy rivers and their floodplains absorb rainfall and release it over time. They protect us against the floods and droughts which are getting ever more severe under climate change.
27. Rivers provide important services such as water supply and regulation for free. They have been estimated to be 10-15 times more valuable per hectare than land and sea-based ecosystems.
28. Another 3,700 hydropower dams are currently under construction or in the pipeline. Many of them are located in river basins with high ecological values such as the Amazon and Mekong.
29. Rivers are the arteries of our planet. By connecting lands, lakes and the sea, they enable the circulation of nutrients, sediments, and living beings.
30. Rivers contain only 0.003% of the water on Earth - one out of every 33,000 water molecules - but sustain much of her life. They deserve our protection!
From Your Site Articles
Peter Bosshard
Peter Bosshard is Finance Program Director at the Sunrise Project. He formerly was the Interim Executive Director of International Rivers.
1. Rivers are some of the most diverse ecosystems on the planet. Rivers and lakes sustain more fish species than the sea even though they contain 600 times less water.
2. Rivers feed us. Freshwater fisheries currently sustain up to 550 million people on a fish-based diet.
3. Rivers are the cradles of our civilizations. Our most ancient cultures sprang up along rivers such as the Tigris and Euphrates, the Nile, the Indus, and the Yellow.
4. Dams have fragmented two thirds of the world's great rivers. They store about 7,000 cubic kilometers or one sixth of the water flowing in rivers.
5. Rivers shape our planet and have created some of its most beautiful landscapes. Think of the Grand Canyon, the Iguacu and the Victoria Falls!
6. We cry to Ol' Man River, dance By the Rivers of Babylon, and waltz along the Blue Danube. Rivers have inspired great music around the world.
7. With a length of 6,853 kilometers, the Nile is the world's longest river. With a mere 27 meters, the Reprua River in the Caucasus may be the shortest.
8. An estimated 10,000-20,000 freshwater species have been lost or are at risk. 37% of the world's freshwater fish species - including 24 of 26 sturgeon species - are threatened by extinction.
9. By depositing nutritious silt on floodplains and deltas, rivers have created our most fertile agricultural lands, from the Mekong Delta to California's Central Valley.
10. Rivers sustain fish populations offshore. Because of the nutrients they carry to the sea, 80% of the world's fish catch comes from continental shelves.
11. Rivers unite us. Some 276 rivers flow across more than one country, and their basins cover almost half the Earth's land surface.
12. At most, 64 of our 177 longest rivers remain free-flowing, and many of them are threatened by fragmentation.
13. Rivers have brought us great movies. Films like African Queen, Deliverance and Aguirre, the Wrath of God have become classics.
14. Rivers generate power. Hydropower accounts for some 16% of the world's electricity - often at great cost to river ecosystems and communities.
15. In the US, one sixth of all inland freight is transported on rivers and canals. Navigation is the most energy-efficient mode of transport, but has turned healthy rivers into highways.
16. Every year, rivers take 200 million tons of carbon out of the ground and the air and transport it to the sea. They also power the role of oceans in taking carbon out of the atmosphere.
17. Because of over-exploitation, once mighty rivers like the Colorado, Indus, Nile, Rio Grande and Yellow are struggling to reach the sea.
18. Rivers inspire us and give religious meaning. In India and other countries, many rivers are revered as gods.
19. With a depth of more than 220 meters - four Niagara Falls stacked on top of each other - the Congo is the world's deepest river.
20. Rivers create identity. At least 17 countries - from India to Nigeria - are named after rivers. Another 17 - from Saudi Arabia to the Bahamas - have no rivers at all!
21. Over-exploitation of rivers through dam building and pollution threaten the water security of almost 5 billion people around the world.
22. Have you read Huckleberry Finn, Heart of Darkness, and A River Runs Through It? Rivers have inspired great literature in many countries.
23. Rivers have created some of the world's most-treasured natural heritage. More than 30 riverscapes - from the Pantanal to the Okavango Delta - have been recognized as World Heritage Sites.
24. Freshwater species have lost 76% of their populations since 1970 - twice the loss which marine and terrestrial ecosystems have suffered.
25. The Amazon discharges 84 Olympic-size pools into the sea every second - more than all European and North American rivers combined. It is the biggest river on the planet.
26. Healthy rivers and their floodplains absorb rainfall and release it over time. They protect us against the floods and droughts which are getting ever more severe under climate change.
27. Rivers provide important services such as water supply and regulation for free. They have been estimated to be 10-15 times more valuable per hectare than land and sea-based ecosystems.
28. Another 3,700 hydropower dams are currently under construction or in the pipeline. Many of them are located in river basins with high ecological values such as the Amazon and Mekong.
29. Rivers are the arteries of our planet. By connecting lands, lakes and the sea, they enable the circulation of nutrients, sediments, and living beings.
30. Rivers contain only 0.003% of the water on Earth - one out of every 33,000 water molecules - but sustain much of her life. They deserve our protection!
From Your Site Articles
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.