What Is The Longest River In Europe? Fun Facts For Curious Kids

Europe is known for its rivers.

People travel to Europe not just for the Eiffel Tower but also for the beautiful river system. There are over 150 trans-boundary rivers in Europe.

Danube, Thames, Elbe, Loire, and Seine are some of Europe's most popular rivers. All of them act as a bridge between several countries.

However, none of these rivers are long enough to make it to the top 10 longest rivers in the world. Traveling the long canals on a river cruise is an excellent opportunity to see many nations on a single trip.

A quarter of the continent is drained by three large rivers in Europe, the Volga River, the Danube River, and the Dneiper or Dnepr River.

Continue reading to know more about the longest river in the European continent. Once you have finished reading this article, take a look at longest living dog breed and longest toe nails here on Kidadl.

List Of Longest Rivers In Europe

The Volga is the longest river in Europe. The following rivers are some of the longest European rivers.

Volga River: The Volga is not just the longest river in Europe but also the largest river in the world that flows into the Caspian Sea. The length of this river is 2,194 mi (3,531 km).

The source of this river is the Valdai hills, located in the Volga-Verjovie town (north-west of Moscow). Kama, Samara, Oka, Sura, and Vetluga are its most important tributaries.

Danube River: The Danube River is 1,770 mi (2848.5 km) long. It is the second-longest river in Europe. The sources of Danube are Brigach stream and Breg stream.

It starts in the black forest region and ends at the Black Sea. It flows through 10 countries including Austria, Romania, and Germany. Poland also has a portion of this river.

It is the major source of drinking water and is linked to the North Sea through the Rhine-Main Danube canal. The Danube River is a well-recognized international waterway. It flows from west to east.

Ural River: The Ural River rises from the Ural mountain. A portion of this river forms a border between Asia and Europe.

The river flows through Orenburg and Kazakhstan, after which it continues to flow into its mouth, the Capsian Sea. The length of this river is 1,509 mi (2428.5 km). Initially, this river was known as the Yaik River.

Dnieper River: The Dnieper River is 1,400 mi (2,253.1 km) long. Herodotus, a Greek historian, stated that this river is the third largest river in the world. Valdai hills are the source of this river. It flows through Belarus, western Russia, and Ukraine before reaching the Black Sea. This is one of the most notable rivers in Ukraine.

Don River: This river, flowing from Novomoskovsk, runs to a distance of 1,162 mi (1,870 km). The Keating channel is the mouth of the Don River. Most of the time, this river is frozen. The Volga-Don canal connects this river with the Volga River. Krasivaya Mecha and Sosna are some of its major tributaries.

Pechora River: The Pechora River has its source at the northern Ural and is 1,124 mi (1,809 km) long. Just like the Don River, the Pechora River also remains frozen for a good eight or nine months. When it is not frozen, it flows to the Arctic Ocean. Most of the Pechora River is in the Komi Republic.

Belaya River: The Belaya River is a tributary of the Kama River that is 888 mi (1,429.1 km) long and flows through Bashkortostan, a Russian federation.

Elbe River: It is one of the primary rivers in Europe. It passes through the Czech Republic and into the North Sea. The Elbe River is 691 mi (1,112 km) long.

Rhine River: The Rhine River, flowing through Germany, Austria, France, and Switzerland, is 820 mi (1,320 km) long. It flows through several cities, like Strasbourg and Rotterdam. It begins in Switzerland and ends in the North Sea. This river is also known as the Old Father Rhine.

The Loire, one of Europe's major rivers, is also the longest river in France.

The Longest River In Europe

The Volga River is the longest river in the European Union. It flows near Ulyanovsk city in Russia.

The river rises at about 748 ft (228 m) above sea level from a town located in the northwest of Moscow. It flows through 11 largest cities in Russia and can be divided into three parts, namely the upper Volga, middle Volga, and lower Volga.

The upper Volga flows from the headquarters to the Oka River. The middle Volga is the continuation from the Oka River to the Kama River. The lower Volga is the region between the Kama River and the Capsian Sea. The Volga River drains in the Caspian Sea.

There are four geographical zones within the river's basin. The Volga has around 200 tributaries. There are 151,000 rivers and streams in Volga's River system.

All these rivers and streams flow through a total length of 357,000 mi (574,535.8 km). The river basin begins with Vadai hills and ends at the Ural Mountains. It covers an area of 533,000 sq mi (1,380,463.6 sq km).

The Volga delta is the 18th largest basin in the world. The steppe regions of southern Russia are irrigated by the waters of Volga.

Bakhtemir, Bolda and Kamyzyak are the branches of Volga delta. Apart from Samara, the Kama River is the most important tributary of the Volga River. One of the major tourist attractions in Russia is the cruises along the waterway.

Did you know the Caspian Sea is the largest salt lake in the world?

How long is the Volga?

The Volga River, Europe's longest river, is 2,194 mi (3,531 km) long. It is the longest river in Europe that passes through Russia entirely. The Volga River encompasses 41% of the European landmass.

A fun fact about the Volga delta is that it is the largest delta in Europe. The delta is found in the Caspian Sea depression and extends to Kazakhstan. The river has reduced by 99.4 mi (160 km) and is currently connected to the Baltic Sea.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for longest river in Europe then why not take a look at longest river in Asia or longest river in the world?