Two-thirds of our planet's surface is covered with water. Man is 80% liquid. It would seem that water is the source of life. Nevertheless, she can easily deprive you of this life. In our article we will talk about the most dangerous rivers in the world. All of them can seriously harm a person, and in the worst case, even kill. So, let's find out what these watercourses are and why they are so dangerous.
10 most dangerous rivers in the world
A river is a permanent or temporary stream flowing in the deepening of the earth's crust, worked out by it. Each of them has its own source and mouth, as well as a catchment area from which it collects water. No one knows for sure how many rivers there are on the planet. Their total number is in the millions! But there are a little more than fifty large rivers with a length of more than 1000 kilometers. Next, we will talk about the most dangerous rivers in the world.
The river is one of the most unpredictable natural objects. On the one hand, they provide cities with fresh water and cheap electricity. But on the other hand, rivers can destroy entire settlements, for example, during catastrophic floods.
Which river is the most dangerous in the world? There are a number of watercourses on Earth that pose a great danger to humans. Some of them have such a rapid current that they can take a human life in a matter of minutes. Others are teeming with dangerous predators like anacondas or piranhas.
We have compiled for you a list of the most dangerous rivers on Earth. It looks like this:
- Amazon.
- Congo.
- Yangtze.
- Yenisei.
- Ganges.
- Kali.
- Franklin.
- Rio Tinto.
- Potomac.
- Citarum.
Amazon
One of the most dangerous rivers in the world is, of course, the Amazon. Its basin is located in the northern part of South America. In modern geography, the Amazon is considered the longest river on the planet: from source to mouth, its length is 6,400 kilometers. Its channel contains about 20% of the entire river water of the Earth.
The Amazon is fraught with many dangers for humans. One of them is spring floods. Spilling, the river instantly covers vast territories, forming quite powerful and destructive sea-type waves.
The second danger is the fauna of the watercourse. In addition to sharks, alligators and water boas, two small fish live in the river and its tributaries - piranhas and candiru. The first, having the sharpest teeth, are able to deal with a large animal in just a few minutes, leaving only the skeleton of it. The latter penetrate into the natural openings of a person or other mammal and bite into the walls of the body.from within. Another nuisance that can be encountered in the waters of the Amazon is electric eels. When enraged, these electric fish can deliver shocks of up to 500 volts. In a word, you should think carefully before entering (at least knee-deep) into the dangerous waters of this South American river.
Congo
The Congo is also considered a dangerous river. It flows in central Africa and has one of the largest drainage basins on the planet. The river is considered the deepest in the world. In some places, the depth of its channel reaches 200 meters! Almost the entire length of the Congo is a noisy and bubbling cauldron with waterfalls, rapids and rifts. During rainy seasons, the river overflows its banks very quickly and behaves extremely unpredictably.
Yangtze
One of the longest rivers in Eurasia starts in Tibet and flows into the East China Sea. Translated from Chinese, it is called “long river”. The bed of the Yangtze is characterized by a fast current and numerous whirlpools. The river is also famous for its powerful floods, sweeping away everything in its path. Nevertheless, the Chinese have learned to use its strength and power to generate electricity. In the lower reaches of the river, Chinese alligators are found. Although they are considered rather calm representatives of their family, they can still bite a person in self-defense.
Yenisei
Yenisei flows smoothly through the territories of three states - Mongolia, China and Russia. At first glance, its channel seems quiet and calm. But the river carries a danger of a completely different kind. According toAccording to scientists, the waters of the Yenisei have been actively contaminated with radioactive particles of plutonium for several decades. Radionuclides were deposited in bottom channel sediments, on the floodplains and on the islands of the Yenisei. During floods, they are carried to the banks of the river.
Powerful radiation pollution of the river valley of the Yenisei has long been a big problem for hundreds of thousands of residents of the Krasnoyarsk Territory. According to doctors, the region has increased rates for diseases such as breast cancer and leukemia, as well as a high percentage of genetic abnormalities among newborns.
Ganges
Ganges is a sacred river for all Hindus. From 50 to 100 human bodies are lowered into it every day. It is believed that only in this way can a person achieve "eternal liberation." As a rule, bodies are cremated directly in the water. Those who cannot afford such a procedure simply dump the corpses into the river. Therefore, hundreds of bodies can float in the waters of the Ganges until they rot. Of course, this could not but affect the general sanitary condition of the water in the river. With all this, the inhabitants of India bathe in the Ganges, and even drink water from it. According to unofficial statistics, the river claims about 600 thousand human lives a year.
Kali
The Kali River, which flows on the border of India and Nepal, is known for the fact that the so-called "cannibal fish" (gunch) lives in large numbers in its waters. It is large (up to 1.5-2 meters in length) and incredibly dangerous. To drag a person or even a buffalo into the water is not for herproblem. And from the unfortunate victim, almost nothing remains. Experts believe that these predatory fish divorced in the waters of Kali is not accidental. The fact is that funeral rites are also performed en masse on the banks of the river.
Franklin
If we talk about rafting (extreme rafting or boating), then the most dangerous river in the world, perhaps, can be considered the Franklin River in Australia. It flows away from major cities, through the Gordon Wild Rivers National Park. According to the international sports classification, Franklin rafting has the highest category of difficulty. The riverbed very often changes its direction and winds a lot. In addition, the passage along the route is complicated by numerous rocky rapids, reefs and trunks of fallen trees. Nevertheless, the river is very popular among thrill-seekers and lovers of water recreation.
Potomac
Not far from the capital of the United States, the stormy Potomac River flows. Every year, a lot of different festivals are held on its banks. And every year the river takes dozens of lives of idle Americans. Once, a group of six vacationers died here in one day. After this incident, the authorities turned their attention to the killer river. Today, in order to raft along the Potomac, you must obtain a special permit from the local authorities.
Rio Tinto
The Rio Tinto River in Spain is known for its abnormally high levels of acidity, due to the high content of iron and other metals in its water. The pH value is 2-2.5, whichapproximately comparable to the level of acidity in the human stomach. Of course, no living creatures, except for individual bacteria, are found in it.
Citarum
Citarum - once a picturesque watercourse on the island of Java (Indonesia) today is one of the most polluted rivers on the planet. In the 20th century, about half a thousand plants and factories grew up on its banks. As a result, the Cytarum has become a filthy stream infested with debris and bacteria. Ecologists are sounding the alarm: in the coming years, the pollution of this river will reach a critical level, which will lead to the shutdown of Indonesia's largest hydroelectric power station.
