SCIENCE / GEOGRAPHY

List: Top Ten Longest Rivers in Europe

Date: 2007

Source: Various Sources

Base: All rivers in Europe (including Russian rivers west of the Ural mountains).

Notes: The Volga River is the longest river system in Europe. It rises in the hills northwest of Moscow and then flows 2,300 miles (3,700 km) to the southeast before emptying into the Caspian Sea. It has more than 200 tributaries, including the Kama, Samara and Oka, occupying a watershed covering about 560,000 sq. mi. (1,450,000 sq. km), which is almost 41% of the European landmass. The Danube is the second longest river and is perhaps the most significant commercial waterway on the continent. It begins in the Black Forest region of Germany, flows across central Europe and the countries of Austria, Hungary, Croatia and Yugoslavia, forms the border between Romania and Bulgaria, before turning north across Romania to eventually flow into in the Black Sea. Important European long rivers that did not make the top ten include: The Loire and the Tagus, draining into the Atlantic Ocean, the Rhone, draining into the Mediterranean Sea and the Po, draining into the Adriatic Sea.