Today, I'll be talking about the major rivers of the world. The four longest are the Nile, the Amazon, the Mississippi, and the Yangtze.

The Nile River in Africa is the longest, at 4,145 miles in length. It flows north from the equator to empty into the Mediterranean and irrigates more than a million acres of land.

The Amazon River in South America is slightly shorter than the Nile at just over 4,000 miles in length. Though it is the world's second longest river, it carries more water than any other river.

Asia also has a massive river system. The Yangtze River in China is Asia's longest at 3,436 miles. Because the mountains at its source are at such a high altitude, the Yangtze flows more rapidly than other major rivers for most of its length.

The Mississippi River is the bestknown river system in North America, and it's the United States' chief inland waterway. However, it's not the longest river in North America; the Missouri River, at 2,340 miles in length, is slightly longer than the Mississippi.