The widest river in the world ... Where is it still located? And how much time will it actually take to overcome its course and find yourself on the opposite bank? In general, you must admit, if we are lucky to live on the shore of a reservoir, the width of which significantly exceeds our field of vision, we automatically put it in the category of world record holders. However, all this is nothing more than a figment of our imagination. Unfortunately, neither the Dnieper, nor the Volga, nor Lena are champions.
Section 1. The widest river in the world: La Plata or Silver River
La Plata (or the Silver River) located in South America is a whole river system that was once formed at the confluence of Paran and Uruguay. Its length is quite impressive and amounts to 290 km. The width - 220 km (at the confluence of the Atlantic Ocean) is practically not behind this figure.
By the way, only locals call it the Silver River . Latin Americans believe that this name is directly related to those ancient times, when real silver could be found in the pond almost without problems.
The modern name was given by the British. For those who speak a foreign language, it will not be difficult to trace that the River Plate is a “river plate”. Where did this strange combination of words come from? Everything is extremely simple: the widest river in the world has a bottom that actually resembles a vessel - it is flat with a huge number of coastal shallows. It was on them that British ships, recovering on a long journey, once sat down.
In principle, the local flora and fauna of La Plata is no different from the vegetation and wildlife of other nearby ponds. In addition, perhaps, to the fact that a rare species of dolphins and an endangered species of sea turtles live here.
Section 2. The widest river in the world (Russia)
Let's talk about our country now. What river can be called a champion? Probably, every student could answer this question by thinking and looking at the map. Well, of course, this is the West Siberian
Ob River.Created by the confluence of Katun and Biya, covering a distance of 5400 km, the Ob finally flows into the Kara Sea, while forming the famous Ob Bay. The confluence of two powerful rivers is really impressive. The fact is that the waters of Katun have a greenish tint, and Biya is white or dirty gray. Combining in a single unit, they in the summer and autumn periods form a kind of striped water surface.
What else distinguishes the Ob from hundreds and thousands of rivers and streams of the country? We name at least a few features:
- Losing only to Lena and the Yenisei, the widest river in Russia is also considered one of the most aquifers in the country.
- The Ob reservoir is a favorite vacation spot for both Novosibirsk citizens themselves and guests from the surrounding areas. There are many resorts, guest houses and recreation centers.
- About 50 different species of fish live in the reservoir, most of which are commercial. The most common and valuable are dace, crucian carp, muksun, burbot, nelma, perch, sturgeon, peled, roach, whitefish, sterlet, pike perch, teal, pike, ide.
Section 3. The shortest river in the world
Agree, it is difficult to imagine a river whose length is only 18 meters. “Well, what river is this? This is some kind of stream, ”many will try to argue, and lose the dispute.
Such a river actually exists, and its origins begin high in the bowels of the caves of the Arabica plateau. From Voronya, the deepest cave of the planet, the icy water of this reservoir falls into the Black Sea.