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Whilst it could be that the editor or author are technically wrong it’s also quite possible that they might be technically correct and were just arguing semanti

Whilst it could be that the editor or author are technically wrong it’s also quite possible that they might be technically correct and were just arguing semantics here. As far as geography/geology/hydrology goes rivers have a specific definition which the grand canal might not fit especially as one big system since afaik it extends and connects to multiple rivers and the water doesn’t flow in a single direction into a larger body of water.

MichaelZuo 4y ago
Each contiguous part of the Grand Canal only flows in one direction, it would be impossible for it to work otherwise. You do have a point though that this new river in Egypt may be the 'largest' on some other metric.
- deleted 4y ago
  [deleted]
- Retric 4y ago
  The issue isn’t direction but rather having multiple branches as a river only includes channel(s) going downstream from a single point. Without that definition a river’s length would be the length of every river connected to it. Thus the Mississippi and Ohio river are considered different rivers even though their waters mix and both flow downstream through the same channel. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ohio_River https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ohio_River, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mississippi_River https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mississippi_River
  - meitham 4y ago
    According to this definition then Iraq’s man-made river (Saddam’s river) is longer at 565 km. the official role of the river was to collect irrigation water from Mesopotamia fertile land all the way to the Persian Gulf, though the real reason Saddam built it was to dry the Arab Marshes as it was difficult to contain the rebels in the marshes. https://ar.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D8%B5%D8%A8_%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B9%D8%A7%D9%85?wprov=sfti1 https://ar.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D8%B5%D8%A8...
    - Retric 4y ago
      I thought most of that 565km distance was an existing waterway. In English: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Draining_of_the_Mesopotamian_Marshes https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Draining_of_the_Mesopotamian_M...
carl_dr 4y ago
I think the distinction the authors are making - correctly or not, I’m not sure, plenty of rivers don’t flow to the sea - is this artificial river flows into the sea, not into other canals or rivers. The grand canal connects the Yellow and Yangtze rivers, for example.

MichaelZuo 4y ago

Each contiguous part of the Grand Canal only flows in one direction, it would be impossible for it to work otherwise. You do have a point though that this new river in Egypt may be the 'largest' on some other metric.

deleted 4y ago
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Retric 4y ago
The issue isn’t direction but rather having multiple branches as a river only includes channel(s) going downstream from a single point. Without that definition a river’s length would be the length of every river connected to it. Thus the Mississippi and Ohio river are considered different rivers even though their waters mix and both flow downstream through the same channel. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ohio_River https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ohio_River, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mississippi_River https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mississippi_River
- meitham 4y ago
  According to this definition then Iraq’s man-made river (Saddam’s river) is longer at 565 km. the official role of the river was to collect irrigation water from Mesopotamia fertile land all the way to the Persian Gulf, though the real reason Saddam built it was to dry the Arab Marshes as it was difficult to contain the rebels in the marshes. https://ar.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D8%B5%D8%A8_%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B9%D8%A7%D9%85?wprov=sfti1 https://ar.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D8%B5%D8%A8...
  - Retric 4y ago
    I thought most of that 565km distance was an existing waterway. In English: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Draining_of_the_Mesopotamian_Marshes https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Draining_of_the_Mesopotamian_M...

carl_dr 4y ago

I think the distinction the authors are making - correctly or not, I’m not sure, plenty of rivers don’t flow to the sea - is this artificial river flows into the sea, not into other canals or rivers. The grand canal connects the Yellow and Yangtze rivers, for example.