JON WHYTE: Keeper of Place

Rivers Information Sheet

The Bow River has its headwaters at Bow Lake, flows southeast through Banff National Park, and on past Calgary. It continues southeastward across the plains to its junction with the Belly River to form the South Saskatchewan River. The Bow is 507 kilometers long.

The South Saskatchewan is a prairie river, arising from small rivers flowing from the Great Divide. It first appears at the junction of the Oldman and Bow Rivers between Lethbridge and Medicine Hat, Alberta. The main branch continues its eastward journey through Manitoba and into Lake Winnipeg. It continues on to the Hudson Bay.

The Nile River is the longest river in the world, stretching for 4,187 miles. The Nile flows from south to north and is formed by three major tributaries: the White Nile, the Blue Nile and the Atbara. The Blue Nile has its source in the highlands of the African country of Ethiopia, by Lake Tana. The runoff from spring rain and melting snow caused the annual summer flood of the Nile that the Egyptians depended on for water to irrigate their crops, and deposit fertile topsoil. Just north of Khartoum the combined White and Blue Nile meet their final major tributary, the Atbara which also has its source in the Ethiopian highlands.

The Amur River (pronounced: uh MOOR) in eastern Siberia, is the largest river in Russia. It is formed by the joining of the Argun and Shilka rivers. The Amur-Argun river system is about 4,416 kilometers long. The Amur flows east along China's northern border and then turns north into the Khabarovsk Region of Russia. It empties into the northern Tatar Strait, a narrow band of water separating Sakhalin Island from the east coast of Siberia. The Amur becomes wide in the Khabarovsk Region, and it often floods there during the summer monsoon season.

The Lena River is also in eastern Siberia. At 4,400 kilometers long, it is the 11th longest river in the world, the second after the Amur River among all the rivers of Russia. The river Lena takes its beginning 20 kilometers from a legendary lake, the Sea of Baikal.

The Ganges is known as one of the world's greatest rivers. The Ganges is about 2,506 kilometers long. The river starts in an ice cave on the southern slopes of the Himalayas, some 3,140 meters above sea level. It flows eastward and empties into the Bay of Bengal. Its wide valley stretches across northern India and Bangladesh from the Himalayas to the Bay of Bengal. It is one of the most fertile of all agricultural regions. Its rice and other crops feed most of India and Bangladesh, where it is known as the Padma. The river is also an important trade artery. Millions of Hindus venerate the Ganges as a "life-giving river" because their crops depend on its waters. To them the Ganges is sacred. They believe that bathing in its waters washes away sin. To die on its banks assures eternal peace to the soul.

The Mississippi River is one of the world's major river systems in size, habitat diversity, and biological productivity. It is the longest and largest river in North America, flowing 3,705 kilometers from its source at Lake Itasca in the Minnesota North Woods, through the midcontinental United States, the Gulf of Mexico Coastal Plain, and its subtropical Louisiana Delta. Of the world's rivers, the Mississippi ranks third in length, second in watershed area, and fifth in average discharge.

The Ottawa River is the chief branch of the St. Lawrence River and one of the most important streams of Canada. The river begins in Quebec, about 257 kilometers north of the city of Ottawa. It flows west to the Quebec-Ontario border, and forms the border as it flows southeast. The city of Ottawa stands along the river. The river ends its 1,120-kilometer course north of Montreal, where it empties into the St. Lawrence River. Rapids and falls along the river make it unnavigable for large ships. But the rapids and falls develop 1.5 million kilowatts of electric power a year.

Jon Whyte: Keeper of Place || Whyte Museum