Rivers in Africa Ranked by Length
Rivers recorded in Wikidata, ranked by Length. Figures for long rivers vary between sources, depending on where the source and mouth are measured. Only items Wikidata places in Africa (directly or through their country) are included. Source: Wikidata (CC0 1.0 (public domain)).
Summary
Nile ranks #1 with 6,650 km. Congo River is second with 4,700 km, 41.5% behind. The top five are Nile, Congo River, Niger River, White Nile and Kasai River. The median across all 50 is 1,200 km; Ruvuma River is last at 800 km.
- #1
- Nile · 6,650 km
- Median
- 1,200 km
- Coverage
- 50 rivers in Africa
- Data year
- As recorded in Wikidata
- Last updated
- 2026-11-14
Full ranking
| Rank | River | Location | Length (km) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nile | Egypt, Arab Rep., Ethiopia | 6,650 |
| 2 | Congo River | Angola, Zambia | 4,700 |
| 3 | Niger River | Mali, Benin | 4,180 |
| 4 | White Nile | Uganda, Rwanda | 2,620 |
| 5 | Kasai River | Angola, Congo, Dem. Rep. | 2,272 |
| 6 | Orange River | South Africa, Lesotho | 2,200 |
| 7 | Lualaba River | Congo, Dem. Rep. | 1,800 |
| 8 | Blue Nile | Ethiopia, Sudan | 1,783 |
| 9 | Kwango River | Angola, Congo, Dem. Rep. | 1,770 |
| 10 | Limpopo River | South Africa, Zimbabwe | 1,750 |
| 11 | Jubba River | Ethiopia, Somalia, Fed. Rep. | 1,658 |
| 12 | Okavango River | Angola, Botswana | 1,600 |
| 13 | Kafue River | Zambia | 1,577 |
| 14 | Volta River | Ghana, Burkina Faso | 1,500 |
| 15 | Chari River | Chad, Central African Republic | 1,400 |
| 16 | Benue River | Cameroon, Nigeria | 1,370 |
| 17 | Black Volta | Ghana, Burkina Faso | 1,352 |
| 18 | Aruwimi River | Congo, Dem. Rep. | 1,300 |
| 19 | Tshuapa River | Congo, Dem. Rep. | 1,300 |
| 20 | Lomami River | Congo, Dem. Rep. | 1,280 |
| 21 | Uele River | Congo, Dem. Rep. | 1,210 |
| 22 | Cunene River | Angola, Namibia | 1,207 |
| 23 | Awash River | Ethiopia | 1,200 |
| 24 | Sankuru River | Congo, Dem. Rep. | 1,200 |
| 25 | Yobe River | Niger, Nigeria | 1,200 |
| 26 | Bahr Salamat | Chad | 1,200 |
| 27 | Lulua | Congo, Dem. Rep. | 1,200 |
| 28 | Shebelle River | Ethiopia, Eritrea | 1,130 |
| 29 | Gambia River | Gambia, The, Guinea | 1,130 |
| 30 | Vaal River | South Africa | 1,120 |
| 31 | Atbarah River | Ethiopia, Sudan | 1,120 |
| 32 | Draa River | Morocco | 1,100 |
| 33 | Ubangi River | Central African Republic, Congo, Rep. | 1,060 |
| 34 | Senegal River | Mali, Mauritania | 1,050 |
| 35 | Bandama River | Côte d'Ivoire | 1,050 |
| 36 | Logone River | Chad, Central African Republic | 1,000 |
| 37 | Cuito River | Angola | 1,000 |
| 38 | Molopo River | South Africa, Botswana | 970 |
| 39 | Kwilu River | Angola, Congo, Dem. Rep. | 965 |
| 40 | Oti River | Ghana, Togo | 900 |
| 41 | Komoé River | Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire | 900 |
| 42 | Kotto River | Central African Republic | 882 |
| 43 | Chicapa | Congo, Dem. Rep. | 870 |
| 44 | Ganale Dorya River | Ethiopia | 858 |
| 45 | Bahr al Jabal | South Sudan | 850 |
| 46 | Ogooué River | Congo, Rep., Gabon | 850 |
| 47 | Bahr al-Arab | South Sudan, Sudan | 800 |
| 48 | Mbomou River | Central African Republic, South Sudan | 800 |
| 49 | Tana River | Kenya | 800 |
| 50 | Ruvuma River | Tanzania, Mozambique | 800 |
About the top 10
#1 Nile
Nile ranks #1 on this list with 6,650 km.
- Countries
- Egypt, Arab Rep., Ethiopia, South Sudan, Burundi, Uganda, Rwanda
- Length
- 2,850 km
- Flows into
- Mediterranean Sea
Also ranks #2 in length · #4 in drainage basin · #90 in average discharge.
#2 Congo River
Congo River ranks #2 on this list with 4,700 km.
- Countries
- Angola, Zambia, Congo, Rep., Congo, Dem. Rep.
- Length
- 4,700 km
- Flows into
- Atlantic Ocean
Also ranks #1 in drainage basin · #6 in length · #6 in average discharge.
#3 Niger River
Niger River ranks #3 on this list with 4,180 km.
- Countries
- Mali, Benin, Guinea, Niger, Nigeria
- Length
- 4,180 km
- Flows into
- Gulf of Guinea
Also ranks #10 in length · #11 in drainage basin · #40 in average discharge.
#4 White Nile
White Nile ranks #4 on this list with 2,620 km.
- Countries
- Uganda, Rwanda, Sudan, Congo, Dem. Rep., Tanzania, South Sudan
- Length
- 2,620 km
- Flows into
- Nile
Also ranks #27 in drainage basin · #35 in length.
#5 Kasai River
Kasai River ranks #5 on this list with 2,272 km.
- Countries
- Angola, Congo, Dem. Rep.
- Length
- 2,272 km
- Flows into
- Congo River
Also ranks #32 in drainage basin · #33 in average discharge · #46 in length.
#6 Orange River
Orange River ranks #6 on this list with 2,200 km.
- Countries
- South Africa, Lesotho, Namibia
- Length
- 2,200 km
- Flows into
- Atlantic Ocean
Also ranks #30 in drainage basin · #50 in length.
#7 Lualaba River
Lualaba River ranks #7 on this list with 1,800 km.
- Country
- Congo, Dem. Rep.
- Length
- 1,800 km
- Flows into
- Congo River
Also ranks #69 in length.
#8 Blue Nile
Blue Nile ranks #8 on this list with 1,783 km.
- Countries
- Ethiopia, Sudan
- Length
- 1,783 km
- Flows into
- Nile
Also ranks #72 in length · #95 in drainage basin.
#9 Kwango River
Kwango River ranks #9 on this list with 1,770 km.
- Countries
- Angola, Congo, Dem. Rep.
- Length
- 1,770 km
- Flows into
- Kasai River
Also ranks #74 in length · #93 in average discharge.
#10 Limpopo River
Limpopo River ranks #10 on this list with 1,750 km.
- Countries
- South Africa, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Mozambique
- Length
- 1,750 km
- Flows into
- Indian Ocean
Also ranks #71 in drainage basin · #75 in length.
Profile facts: Wikidata (CC0).
Source and method
Rivers recorded in Wikidata, ranked by Length. Figures for long rivers vary between sources, depending on where the source and mouth are measured. Only items Wikidata places in Africa (directly or through their country) are included.
Source: Wikidata. Licence: CC0 1.0 (public domain). Retrieved: 2026-11-14.
Data: Wikidata (CC0)
Values are shown as published. Provider terms: Wikidata. All licences: Sources & licences.