EARTH’S ARTERIES

Which is the longest river in the world? Learn 10 cool facts about rivers

Image: Jamesthethomas5

Rivers are the arteries of our planet. By connecting lands, lakes, and the sea, they enable the circulation of nutrients, sediments, and living beings. And despite holding a very small percentage of the water on Earth, they sustain most of its life!

Here are 10 intriguing facts about rivers from across the world.

Image: Alex Shutin

Over millions of years, rivers have carved some of the most awe-inspiring landscapes on Earth. From the Grand Canyon at the Colorado River to the Three Gorges at the Yangtze River, waterways are powerful sculptors, shaping valleys, canyons, and deltas by eroding rocks at some points and depositing the resulting sediments further downstream. Without rivers, we would live on a very different planet!

Image: Xuan Nguyen

Throughout history, rivers have served as vital arteries for human civilization. The earliest human settlements first sprouted along river banks - like the Tigris and Euphrates, the Nile, the Indus, and the Yellow River - drawn by abundant food, fertile soil, natural resources, and access to water for drinking and agriculture. Currently, freshwater fisheries sustain up to 550 million people! Rivers also function as transportation routes, and borders between countries.

Image: Geranimo

Rivers are teeming with life, hosting a diverse array of plants, animals, and microorganisms. In fact, they are some of the most diverse ecosystems on the planet, sustaining more fish species than the sea! Rivers also serve as corridors for land-based wildlife, keeping animal populations healthy and helping preserve biodiversity.

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Rivers play a crucial role in the water cycle, transporting vast quantities of water from land to sea. Every year, 38 trillion cubic meters of river water flow into the oceans! Most of this is actually rainwater, created through the evaporation of ocean water. Along their way, they also replenish groundwater reserves, nourishing ecosystems and sustaining human communities during dry spells.

Image: Philipp Potocnik

Healthy rivers also act as natural filters, purifying water along their course and removing pollutants. Wetlands, floodplains, and riparian zones help trap sediment and absorb excess nutrients, safeguarding downstream water quality. This is why it’s so important to fight pollution and preserve rivers’ capacity for regeneration. When this filter fails, problems go downstream and end up in the ocean, silently accumulating and causing serious ecological imbalances.

Image: Cédric Dhaenens

Rivers are a potent source of renewable energy, driving hydroelectric dams that generate electricity. Nowadays, dams store one-sixth of the water flowing in rivers, and hydropower accounts for 16% of the world’s electricity. However, though they are considered a greener form of energy, if they are not adequately planned hydroelectric dams can come at great cost to river ecosystems and communities.

Image: Sneha Sivarajan

Rivers have long been cultural and spiritual symbols, revered by indigenous peoples and civilizations around the world. They feature prominently in myths, rituals, and religious beliefs, embodying concepts of life, renewal, and the divine. Rivers also create identity - there are at least 17 countries that are named after rivers, including India, Nigeria, Congo, and Belize! Moreover, they are hotspots for recreation, providing havens for birdwatching, camping, and hiking, drawing millions of visitors each year to their shores.

Image: Luke Oslizlo

Despite their importance, rivers face a myriad of threats, including pollution, habitat destruction, and overexploitation. It is currently estimated that at least 10,000 to 20,000 freshwater species have gone extinct or are on the brink of extinction. A staggering 37% of the world’s freshwater fish species are seriously threatened. Climate change exacerbates these challenges, leading to altered flow regimes, increased flooding, and habitat loss.

Image: Jordi Orts Segalés

Stretching over 4,130 miles, the Nile is not just the longest river in Africa but also the entire world. Originating from Lake Victoria in Uganda, it flows through eleven countries, including Egypt, where it empties into the Mediterranean Sea. From ancient times, the Egyptian and Sudanese kingdoms have heavily depended on the river and its annual cycles of flooding, and to this day most of the population and cities of Egypt lie along the valley of the Nile.

Image: Nareeta Martin

The Amazon River in South America carries more water than any other river, accounting for approximately 20% of the total freshwater discharge into the oceans - it is estimated that every second, 84 olympic-sized pools are discharged into the sea from its mouth! It also has a massive basin, covering over 2.7 million square miles, most of which is part of the Amazon rainforest.

Would you change your name?

Surely, Vin Diesel is not a real name, is it? 12 famous names explained

Image: Ainur Iman

A great name can take you a long way in show business—but alas, not everyone is blessed with a glamorous or even interesting birth name. These 12 talented individuals decided to change their real names to something that—at least to them—sounded better suited for their purposes. Did you already know any of these?

Image: Noah Näf

While it may surprise some that certain celebrities don’t use their real names, others are quite obviously fabricated. Lady Gaga’s parents gave their daughter the more traditional name Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta.

Her friends later nicknamed her "Gaga," inspired by a lyric from the Queen song "Radio Ga Ga," which reminded them of her musical style—and the name stuck.

Image: ZENG YILI

The West Coast rapper was born Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr., but he grew up in a family that called him Snoopy because they thought he bore a resemblance to the animated beagle cartoon character. When Calvin launched his music career, the nickname stuck.

Image: Chase Fade

Back in the early days of rap music, a young James Todd began calling himself LL Cool J —short for "Ladies Love Cool James"— in hopes of making a name for himself. As fame eventually found him, the name became his signature.

Image: Joey Banks

As you might have guessed, Vin Diesel’s parents didn’t name him that way but, instead, Mark Sinclair. Mark began going by his stage name while working as a bouncer at a New York nightclub, wanting a tougher-sounding name for his job.

Image: BRUNO CERVERA

Eric Marlon Bishop decided to change his name to a unisex one upon entering the stand-up comedy business. He thought that women performers got more chances than men, and if his name sounded female, his chances of being called were greater. Right or wrong, the strategy worked, and he became famous in the end.

Image: Johannes Plenio

When Alicia Augello Cook was searching for the perfect stage name, she turned to the dictionary for inspiration. She was drawn to the word "Keys" because it reminded her of her favorite instrument, the piano — and because keys open many doors.

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Nicolas Kim Coppola changed his name to avoid being associated with his famous uncle, director Francis Ford Coppola. He chose "Cage" as a tribute to two of his inspirations: Marvel Comics’ Luke Cage, a character he admired, and avant-garde composer John Cage.

Image: Janine Robinson

This one is pretty straightforward: the phonetic pronunciation of Marshall Mathers’ initials —"M.M."— is, you guessed it, Eminem.

Image: Madie Hamilton

Granted, the name does sound exotic to begin with—but the real meaning is even stranger. "Shia" means "praise God" in Hebrew, and "LaBeouf" means "beef." So, this actor’s name quite literally means "Praise God for beef."

Image: Gabriel Gurrola

Stevie may be a wonder when it comes to singing and playing the piano, but he wasn’t born with that name. His real name is Stevland Hardaway Judkins. When he signed with Motown in 1961, his surname was legally changed to Morris, an old family name.

He adopted the stage name Stevie Wonder because people were astounded by his talent and called him "a little wonder."

Image: Church of the King

As we’ve seen so far, some names are just too great to be real—and that’s certainly the case with Queen Latifah, who was born Dana Elaine Owens. In her own words, she chose her stage name because "Latifah" means "delicate and very kind" in Arabic, and she liked the juxtaposition of that softness with the boldness of "Queen."

Image: Rosa Rafael

Taylor Swift’s real name is, indeed, Taylor Swift—and it was chosen because her parents were big James Taylor fans. As James himself once said: "It’s hugely flattering and was a delightful surprise when she told me that. Obviously, it wasn’t her choice; it was her mom and dad, but a great connection, I think."