Each of us, studying geography, learned a lot about the most famous rivers in the world. Looking at the photos of some of them, you just want to go on a trip to enjoy the sound of fast waters. We offer you a list of the most beautiful rivers in the world, which you need to see at least once in your life.
Amazon
This river was discovered by the Spanish conquistadors in 1542. She was named so because of the meeting with the tribe of Amazon women and in honor of their courage. For centuries, scientists have searched for the mouth of this beautiful river. How many times the expeditions found new sources, later recognized as erroneous. Only in 1996, thanks to space technology, the true mouth of the Amazon was found - the small Apacheta stream, located in the Andes at an altitude of 5,170 meters above sea level. In addition to the status of the most beautiful river, the Amazon is also famous for its length - 7,100 kilometers. At the mouth, the river is about 100 meters deep.
The greatest Amazon river passes through countries such as Bolivia, Peru, Colombia, Ecuador and Brazil. ATIn the forests of the river, a large number of trees grow - more than 4,000 species, flowers and shrubs. There are very interesting plants like chocolate, cinchona, mahogany, hevea and papaya. The river itself was chosen by more than 2,500 thousand species of fish. This number is explained by the fact that the tributaries of the river begin in different areas and bring their inhabitants with them.
Cayo Cristales
This beautiful river, the photo of which can be seen below, flows in the Serrania de la Macarena National Park of Colombia. Its name translates as "crystal stream". And it's true: the waters of Caño Cristales are the purest, you can easily see the mosses and colorful algae growing at the bottom. There are practically no impurities, no minerals, no s alts in the water, so there are no fish here either. But various types of algae grow, for example, Macarenia clavígera turns the river bright red.
The channel of Caño Cristales resembles a rainbow and has a large number of round natural wells where tourists can bathe. The riot of colors here can be seen only in the dry season - from June to November - this is the best time to visit the river. Visitors are advised to choose light, light-colored clothing and comfortable, closed shoes for a comfortable climb up the rock ledges. Be sure to bring a swimsuit, hat, sunglasses and a flashlight.
Futaleufu
This beautiful river, like the previous one, is located in a national park, but already in Chile - Los Alerces. Many rafting enthusiasts come here from all over the world. River flowvery fast, because of which the Chilean government wanted to build a hydroelectric power plant. But environmental groups are worried that the dam could interfere with the free flow of the river. Argentina had already built one hydroelectric power plant in 1976 to power the aluminum smelter at Putro Madryn.
Due to the abundance of minerals in the waters, Futaleufu has a gorgeous green color, with some areas taking on a bright turquoise hue. Many extreme lovers come to beautiful places on the Futaleufu River. It offers several levels of difficulty for the descent. It's amazing that all this is created by nature. You can stop in a small town of the same name above the river.
Lena
The next river on our list is the largest in Central Siberia. It is interesting that Vladimir Ilyich Lenin came up with his pseudonym precisely thanks to this beautiful river. The Lena is the largest river in the world in the permafrost zone, which is quite fragile and subject to disturbance. The waters of the river are very clean and untouched by man. There is not a single dam, power plant or any other structures. The river itself is quite calm. Research by scientists from Alaska has determined that global warming has a very bad effect on the river. Over the past 40 years, the temperature has risen by 4 degrees. Severe floods destroy the coast, and the islands move downstream at a speed of 27 meters per year.
Zambezi
This beautiful river flows in Africa, flowing into the Indian Ocean. The main attraction of the Zambezi is a large number ofcascades and waterfalls, one of them is the famous Victoria Falls. Many rafters come here for extreme skiing.
Discovered the river for the first time by David Livingston in 1851. He was heading towards Victoria in the company of 300 local warriors. Only two were able to approach the waterfall itself, calling the explorer "a mad Englishman." In 1959, a large artificial lake Kariba was created here.
Yangtze
The Chinese believe that the most beautiful river in the world is located on the territory of their state. Many endangered species of animals live in the waters of this river. For example, Korean sturgeons and Chinese alligators. Once upon a time, river dolphins also lived here, which, unfortunately, are now completely extinct. In the 19th century, the Yangtze was called the "Blue River" by European sources, which is not at all suitable for its muddy waters. Many Chinese call it Chang Jiang - "Long River", Da Jiang - "Great River" or simply "Jiang". A walk along the river will help you feel the whole atmosphere of the country's past. The Yangtze is considered the birthplace of the South Chinese civilization, which is confirmed by many archaeological finds about 27 thousand years old.
A large number of bridges were built across the river by the Chinese. One of them - Sutunsky - the world's longest cable-stayed bridge. Its length is about 8 kilometers.
Volga
This is the most valuable river for Russia. At one time, the Greek scientist Ptolemy called her Ra. Even the coast of Africa then heard rumors about the Volga. Later, in the Middle Ages, it was called Itil. One version says that the river got its modern name thanks to the ancient Mari name Volgydo - translated as “bright”. Another argues that the basis was the Finno-Ugric word "Volkea" with a similar translation. The most truthful is the statement about the origin of the name of the river from the Proto-Slavic word "vologa", that is, moisture.
Volga is the longest river in Europe with the largest delta. But because of the reservoirs, the length of the river has decreased by as much as 160 kilometers. All the surrounding cities are provided with electricity only thanks to hydroelectric power plants built on the Volga. Pelicans and flamingos live on the river, which you can see with your own eyes if you try hard.
