Rivers and lakes of the Earth

In short: Rivers collect precipitation and flow to the sea or into lakes. The longest are the Nile and the Amazon (each around 6,500 km). Lakes are bodies of water enclosed in depressions; the largest lake on Earth is the Caspian Sea.

In more detail: The area from which a river draws its water is called the catchment area. The Amazon carries the largest volume of water of all rivers.

In detail

• Rhine: About 1,230 km long, one of Europe’s most important shipping routes.
• Danube: Flows through ten countries to the Black Sea.
• Source and mouth: A river rises at a spring and flows into sea, lake or another river, often as a delta or estuary.
• Lakes: Lake Baikal in Russia is the deepest (over 1,600 m) and holds about a fifth of the Earth’s fresh water. In Germany Lake Constance is the largest lake.
• Importance: Drinking water, agriculture, energy, transport (wasserkreislauf).
• Hazards: Floods and drought increase with climate change.