Most standard reference works, including Encyclopaedia Britannica, list which river as the longest in the world?
- The Amazon
- The Yangtze
- The Nile
- The Mississippi–Missouri
Why C? And why not the others?
Correct answer: C. The Nile
The Nile, flowing about 6,650 kilometers through northeastern Africa, holds the top spot in most reference works — but the record is genuinely contested, and that contest is the real story. The Amazon is the tempting rival for good reason: it carries far more water than any other river on Earth, and a 2007 Brazilian expedition, tracing a more distant southern source, measured it at nearly 7,000 kilometers, which would edge out the Nile. Because a river's 'length' depends on which headwater and which mouth you choose, the two effectively share a disputed crown, with the Nile keeping the traditional title. The Yangtze is Asia's longest river and ranks third worldwide, while the Mississippi–Missouri system, North America's longest, sits fourth — neither contends for first.
Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica: 'Nile River' and 'How Long Is the Amazon River?' (britannica.com/place/Nile-River)