|
| Field Listing :: Waterways |
| This entry gives the total length of navigable rivers, canals, and other inland bodies of water. | |
| Country Comparison to the World |
Country |
Waterways(km) |
|---|
| Afghanistan | 1,200 km (chiefly Amu Darya, which handles vessels up to 500 DWT) (2008) |
| Albania | 43 km (2008) |
| Angola | 1,300 km (2008) |
| Argentina | 11,000 km (2007) |
| Australia | 2,000 km (mainly used for recreation on Murray and Murray-Darling river systems) (2006) |
| Austria | 358 km (2007) |
| Bangladesh |
8,370 km
note: includes up to 3,060 km main cargo routes; network reduced to 5,200 km in dry season (2007) |
| Belarus | 2,500 km (use limited by location on perimeter of country and by shallowness) (2003) |
| Belgium | 2,043 km (1,528 km in regular commercial use) (2008) |
| Belize | 825 km (navigable only by small craft) (2008) |
| Benin | 150 km (on River Niger along northern border) (2007) |
| Bolivia | 10,000 km (commercially navigable) (2007) |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | Sava River (northern border) open to shipping but use limited (2008) |
| Brazil | 50,000 km (most in areas remote from industry and population) (2008) |
| Brunei | 209 km (navigable by craft drawing less than 1.2 m) (2008) |
| Bulgaria | 470 km (2008) |
| Burma | 12,800 km (2008) |
| Burundi | mainly on Lake Tanganyika (2008) |
| Cambodia | 2,400 km (mainly on Mekong River) (2008) |
| Cameroon | navigation mainly on Benue River; limited during rainy season (2008) |
| Canada |
636 km
note: Saint Lawrence Seaway of 3,769 km, including the Saint Lawrence River of 3,058 km, shared with United States (2008) |
| Central African Republic | 2,800 km (primarily on the Oubangui and Sangha rivers) (2007) |
| Chad | Chari and Legone rivers are navigable only in wet season (2008) |
| China | 110,000 km navigable (2008) |
| Colombia | 18,000 km (2008) |
| Congo, Democratic Republic of the | 15,000 km (2008) |
| Congo, Republic of the | 1,120 km (commercially navigable on Congo and Oubanqui rivers) (2008) |
| Costa Rica | 730 km (seasonally navigable by small craft) (2008) |
| Cote d'Ivoire | 980 km (navigable rivers, canals, and numerous coastal lagoons) (2008) |
| Croatia | 785 km (2008) |
| Cuba | 240 km (2008) |
| Czech Republic | 664 km (principally on Elbe, Vltava, Oder, and other navigable rivers, lakes, and canals) (2008) |
| Denmark | 400 km (2008) |
| Ecuador | 1,500 km (most inaccessible) (2008) |
| Egypt |
3,500 km
note: includes Nile River, Lake Nasser, Alexandria-Cairo Waterway, and numerous smaller canals in delta; Suez Canal (193.5 km including approaches) navigable by oceangoing vessels drawing up to 17.68 m (2007) |
| El Salvador | Rio Lempa partially navigable for small craft (2008) |
| Estonia | 320 km (2008) |
| European Union | 52,332 km (2006) |
| Fiji |
203 km
note: 122 km navigable by motorized craft and 200-metric-ton barges (2008) |
| Finland |
7,842 km
note: includes Saimaa Canal system of 3,577 km; southern part leased from Russia (2008) |
| France |
metropolitan France: 8,501 km (1,621 km accessible to craft of 3,000 metric tons)
French Guiana: 3,760 km (460 km navigable by small oceangoing vessels and coastal and river steamers, 3,300 km by native craft) (2008) |
| Gabon | 1,600 km (310 km on Ogooue River) (2008) |
| Gambia, The | 390 km (on River Gambia; small ocean-going vessels can reach 190 km) (2008) |
| Germany |
7,467 km
note: Rhine River carries most goods; Main-Danube Canal links North Sea and Black Sea (2008) |
| Ghana |
1,293 km
note: 168 km for launches and lighters on Volta, Ankobra, and Tano rivers; 1,125 km of arterial and feeder waterways on Lake Volta (2008) |
| Greece |
6 km
note: Corinth Canal (6 km) crosses the Isthmus of Corinth; shortens sea voyage by 325 km (2008) |
| Guatemala |
990 km
note: 260 km navigable year round; additional 730 km navigable during high-water season (2007) |
| Guinea | 1,300 km (navigable by shallow-draft native craft) (2008) |
| Guinea-Bissau | rivers are navigable for some distance; many inlets and creeks give shallow-water access to much of interior (2008) |
| Guyana |
330 km
note: Berbice, Demerara, and Essequibo rivers are navigable by oceangoing vessels for 150 km, 100 km, and 80 km respectively (2008) |
| Honduras | 465 km (most navigable only by small craft) (2008) |
| Hungary | 1,622 km (most on Danube River) (2008) |
| India |
14,500 km
note: 5,200 km on major rivers and 485 km on canals suitable for mechanized vessels (2008) |
| Indonesia | 21,579 km (2008) |
| Iran | 850 km (on Karun River; additional service on Lake Urmia) (2008) |
| Iraq |
5,279 km
note: Euphrates River (2,815 km), Tigris River (1,899 km), and Third River (565 km) are principal waterways (2008) |
| Ireland | 956 km (pleasure craft only) (2008) |
| Italy |
2,400 km
note: used for commercial traffic; of limited overall value compared to road and rail (2008) |
| Japan | 1,770 km (seagoing vessels use inland seas) (2007) |
| Kazakhstan | 4,000 km; on the Ertis (Irtysh) River (80%) and Syr Darya (Syrdariya) River (2008) |
| Kenya | part of Lake Victoria system is within boundaries of Kenya (2007) |
| Kiribati | 5 km (small network of canals in Line Islands) (2007) |
| Korea, North | 2,250 km (most navigable only by small craft) (2008) |
| Korea, South | 1,608 km (most navigable only by small craft) (2008) |
| Kyrgyzstan | 600 km (2008) |
| Laos |
4,600 km
note: primarily Mekong and tributaries; 2,900 additional km are intermittently navigable by craft drawing less than 0.5 m (2008) |
| Latvia | 300 km (2007) |
| Liechtenstein | 28 km (2008) |
| Lithuania | 441 km (2007) |
| Luxembourg | 37 km (on Moselle River) (2008) |
| Madagascar |
600 km
note: 432 km navigable (2008) |
| Malawi | 700 km (on Lake Nyasa (Lake Malawi) and Shire River) (2008) |
| Malaysia |
7,200 km
note: Peninsular Malaysia 3,200 km; Sabah 1,500 km; Sarawak 2,500 km (2008) |
| Mali | 1,800 km (2008) |
| Mauritania | some navigation possible on Senegal River |
| Mexico | 2,900 km (navigable rivers and coastal canals) (2008) |
| Moldova | 424 km (on Dniester and Prut rivers) (2008) |
| Mongolia |
580 km
note: only waterway in operation is Lake Hovsgol (135 km); Selenge River (270 km) and Orhon River (175 km) are navigable but carry little traffic; lakes and rivers freeze in winter, are open from May to September (2007) |
| Mozambique | 460 km (Zambezi River navigable to Tete and along Cahora Bassa Lake) (2008) |
| Netherlands | 6,215 km (navigable for ships of 50 tons) (2007) |
| Nicaragua | 2,220 km (including lakes Managua and Nicaragua) (2008) |
| Niger | 300 km (the Niger, the only major river, is navigable to Gaya between September and March) (2008) |
| Nigeria | 8,600 km (Niger and Benue rivers and smaller rivers and creeks) (2008) |
| Norway | 1,577 km (2008) |
| Panama | 800 km (includes 82 km Panama Canal) (2008) |
| Papua New Guinea | 11,000 km (2006) |
| Paraguay | 3,100 km (2008) |
| Peru |
8,808 km
note: 8,600 km of navigable tributaries of Amazon system and 208 km of Lago Titicaca (2008) |
| Philippines | 3,219 km (limited to vessels with draft less than 1.5 m) (2008) |
| Poland | 3,997 km (navigable rivers and canals) (2007) |
| Portugal | 210 km (on Douro River from Porto) (2008) |
| Romania |
1,731 km
note: includes 1,075 km on Danube River, 524 km on secondary branches, and 132 km on canals (2006) |
| Russia |
102,000 km (including 33,000 km with guaranteed depth)
note: 72,000 km system in European Russia links Baltic Sea, White Sea, Caspian Sea, Sea of Azov, and Black Sea (2007) |
| Rwanda | Lac Kivu navigable by shallow-draft barges and native craft (2008) |
| Senegal | 1,000 km (primarily on Senegal, Saloum, and Casamance rivers) (2008) |
| Serbia | 587 km (primarily on Danube and Sava rivers) (2008) |
| Sierra Leone | 800 km (600 km year round) (2007) |
| Slovakia | 172 km (on Danube River) (2008) |
| Slovenia | some transport on Drava River (2008) |
| Spain | 1,000 km (2008) |
| Sri Lanka | 160 km (primarily on rivers in southwest) (2008) |
| Sudan | 4,068 km (1,723 km open year round on White and Blue Nile rivers) (2008) |
| Suriname | 1,200 km (most navigable by ships with drafts up to 7 m) (2008) |
| Sweden | 2,052 km (2007) |
| Switzerland | 65 km (Rhine River between Basel-Rheinfelden and Schaffhausen-Bodensee) (2008) |
| Syria | 900 km (not economically significant) (2008) |
| Tajikistan | 200 km (along Vakhsh River) (2008) |
| Tanzania | Lake Tanganyika, Lake Victoria, and Lake Nyasa principal are avenues of commerce with neighboring countries; rivers not navigable (2007) |
| Thailand |
4,000 km
note: 3,701 km navigable by boats with drafts up to 0.9 m (2008) |
| Togo | 50 km (seasonally on Mono River depending on rainfall) (2008) |
| Turkey | 1,200 km (2008) |
| Turkmenistan | 1,300 km (Amu Darya and Kara Kum canal are important inland waterways) (2008) |
| Uganda | on Lake Victoria, 200 km on Lake Albert, Lake Kyoga, and parts of Albert Nile (2008) |
| Ukraine | 2,176 km (most on Dnieper River) (2007) |
| United Kingdom | 3,200 km (620 km used for commerce) (2008) |
| United States |
41,009 km (19,312 km used for commerce)
note: Saint Lawrence Seaway of 3,769 km, including the Saint Lawrence River of 3,058 km, shared with Canada (2008) |
| Uruguay | 1,600 km (2008) |
| Uzbekistan | 1,100 km (2008) |
| Venezuela |
7,100 km
note: Orinoco River (400 km) and Lake de Maracaibo navigable by oceangoing vessels (2008) |
| Vietnam | 17,702 km (5,000 km navigable by vessels up to 1.8 m draft) (2008) |
| World |
671,886 km (2004)
top ten longest rivers: Nile (Africa) 6,693 km; Amazon (South America) 6,436 km; Mississippi-Missouri (North America) 6,238 km; Yenisey-Angara (Asia) 5,981 km; Ob-Irtysh (Asia) 5,569 km; Yangtze (Asia) 5,525 km; Yellow (Asia) 4,671 km; Amur (Asia) 4,352 km; Lena (Asia) 4,345 km; Congo (Africa) 4,344 km note: if measured by volume, the Amazon is the largest river in the world |
| Zambia | 2,250 km (includes Lake Tanganyika and the Zambezi and Luapula rivers) (2008) |
| Zimbabwe | on Lake Kariba (2008) |