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I am surprised that the Nile is only at 105th, far below even the Danube and the Volga. It holds such prominence in Western history that I naively expected it t

I am surprised that the Nile is only at 105th, far below even the Danube and the Volga. It holds such prominence in Western history that I naively expected it to be in the top 5.

teruakohatu 4y ago
I am also surprised. This might be because the river is highly seasonal, and it is a source of significant irrigation, so its discharge into the Mediterranean is limited.
arethuza 4y ago
I remember taking a flight from Nairobi to Luxor which flew along the Nile for a long long way... It doesn't really surprise me - it is flowing through vast deserts for an awfully long distance.
HPsquared 4y ago
The Nile is pretty significant for Egyptians, that's for sure: https://commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Nile_River_and_delta_from_orbit.jpg https://commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Nile_River_and_del...
- redwood 4y ago
  Indeed to be explicit, there wouldn't be a large population center in Egypt without it
  - csomar 4y ago
    Sudan+South Sudan accounts for 55 millions. Roughly half of Egypt but still another significant population that depends on the nile.
csomar 4y ago
My understanding is that discharge is what's left once the river reaches the sea. I am actually surprised that there is anything left, and I don't think there will be in the future. (both from Egypt and Ethiopia leveraging the river more for their needs).
A_D_E_P_T 4y ago
The Nile is 2nd longest, for what it's worth, behind only the Amazon. And, to understate matters a little bit, it's in quite an arid region, so that its waters were quite literally the lifeblood of all Egyptian civilizations. The Yellow River -- which, for its part, is quite literally the cradle of Chinese civilization -- is in a very similar position. It's the 6th largest river by length, but 113th by flow rate. Perhaps, as others have just speculated, flow rate was once a lot higher, and now water is being diverted to agricultural and other projects, so that a much smaller fraction of it reaches the sea.
- GavinMcG 4y ago
  When you say “quite literally” you seem to mean “figuratively.” A river is not a cradle.
  - jamincan 4y ago
    The use of "literally" in this context is so pervasive that any English dictionary will include it in its definition. This nit-picking is so pervasive that Merriam-Webster includes an FAQ on the words use. "Can literally mean figuratively? One of the definitions of literally that we provide is "in effect, virtually—used in an exaggerated way to emphasize a statement or description that is not literally true or possible." Some find this objectionable on the grounds that it is not the primary meaning of the word, "with the meaning of each individual word given exactly." However, this extended definition of literally is commonly used and is not quite the same meaning as figuratively ("with a meaning that is metaphorical rather than literal"). Is the extended use of literally new? The "in effect; virtually" meaning of literally is not a new sense. It has been in regular use since the 18th century and may be found in the writings of Mark Twain, Charlotte Brontë, James Joyce, and many others. Is the extended use of literally slang? Among the meanings of literally is one which many people find problematic: "in effect, virtually—used in an exaggerated way to emphasize a statement or description that is not literally true or possible." Neither this nor any of the other meanings of literally is what we would consider slang. This sense has been in standard use by many esteemed writers since the 18th century." (https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/literally https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/literally)
muyuu 4y ago
it quite probably was, before being depleted by so many developments
adriand 4y ago
I was also surprised not to see the Niagara River on the list, which is the largest river near me and, when seen up close, clearly transports a staggering amount of water. Reviewing the Wikipedia article about the Niagara [1], it appears that this is an oversight, because with an average discharge rate of 5,796 m3/s, it should be #49 on this list. I went to edit the page to fix that issue, but it looks like doing so requires manually updating the "No" (number) column, which I don't have time for right now. 1: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Niagara_River https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Niagara_River
- mannykannot 4y ago
  That would treat it as a tributary of the Saint Lawrence, but arguably it is the main stream.
timeon 4y ago
I know it can't be compared to Nile, but Danube is significant for Europe.
- rendall 4y ago
  Definitely!

I am surprised that the Nile is only at 105th, far below even the Danube and the Volga. It holds such prominence in Western history that I naively expected it to be in the top 5.

teruakohatu 4y ago

I am also surprised. This might be because the river is highly seasonal, and it is a source of significant irrigation, so its discharge into the Mediterranean is limited.

arethuza 4y ago

I remember taking a flight from Nairobi to Luxor which flew along the Nile for a long long way... It doesn't really surprise me - it is flowing through vast deserts for an awfully long distance.

HPsquared 4y ago

The Nile is pretty significant for Egyptians, that's for sure: https://commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Nile_River_and_delta_from_orbit.jpg https://commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Nile_River_and_del...

redwood 4y ago
Indeed to be explicit, there wouldn't be a large population center in Egypt without it
- csomar 4y ago
  Sudan+South Sudan accounts for 55 millions. Roughly half of Egypt but still another significant population that depends on the nile.

csomar 4y ago

My understanding is that discharge is what's left once the river reaches the sea. I am actually surprised that there is anything left, and I don't think there will be in the future. (both from Egypt and Ethiopia leveraging the river more for their needs).

A_D_E_P_T 4y ago

The Nile is 2nd longest, for what it's worth, behind only the Amazon. And, to understate matters a little bit, it's in quite an arid region, so that its waters were quite literally the lifeblood of all Egyptian civilizations. The Yellow River -- which, for its part, is quite literally the cradle of Chinese civilization -- is in a very similar position. It's the 6th largest river by length, but 113th by flow rate. Perhaps, as others have just speculated, flow rate was once a lot higher, and now water is being diverted to agricultural and other projects, so that a much smaller fraction of it reaches the sea.

GavinMcG 4y ago
When you say “quite literally” you seem to mean “figuratively.” A river is not a cradle.
- jamincan 4y ago
  The use of "literally" in this context is so pervasive that any English dictionary will include it in its definition. This nit-picking is so pervasive that Merriam-Webster includes an FAQ on the words use. "Can literally mean figuratively? One of the definitions of literally that we provide is "in effect, virtually—used in an exaggerated way to emphasize a statement or description that is not literally true or possible." Some find this objectionable on the grounds that it is not the primary meaning of the word, "with the meaning of each individual word given exactly." However, this extended definition of literally is commonly used and is not quite the same meaning as figuratively ("with a meaning that is metaphorical rather than literal"). Is the extended use of literally new? The "in effect; virtually" meaning of literally is not a new sense. It has been in regular use since the 18th century and may be found in the writings of Mark Twain, Charlotte Brontë, James Joyce, and many others. Is the extended use of literally slang? Among the meanings of literally is one which many people find problematic: "in effect, virtually—used in an exaggerated way to emphasize a statement or description that is not literally true or possible." Neither this nor any of the other meanings of literally is what we would consider slang. This sense has been in standard use by many esteemed writers since the 18th century." (https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/literally https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/literally)

muyuu 4y ago

it quite probably was, before being depleted by so many developments

adriand 4y ago

I was also surprised not to see the Niagara River on the list, which is the largest river near me and, when seen up close, clearly transports a staggering amount of water. Reviewing the Wikipedia article about the Niagara [1], it appears that this is an oversight, because with an average discharge rate of 5,796 m3/s, it should be #49 on this list. I went to edit the page to fix that issue, but it looks like doing so requires manually updating the "No" (number) column, which I don't have time for right now. 1: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Niagara_River https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Niagara_River

mannykannot 4y ago
That would treat it as a tributary of the Saint Lawrence, but arguably it is the main stream.

timeon 4y ago

I know it can't be compared to Nile, but Danube is significant for Europe.

rendall 4y ago
Definitely!