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Most research sources agree upon the three longest rivers in the world. They disagree upon the official lengths of these rivers and which rivers would fall into what ranking after the top three rivers are named. The dispute over length comes from what the source determines is the beginning and end of the river. Some would say the end or mouth of a river should be determined by where the coastal tide no longer affects the river. Some say the beginning or headwaters of a river is where the river is first called by its name. The Ordnance Survey in Great Britain begins its determination of river length at the mouth of the river and travels toward the headwaters, following the larger of any two tributaries when they come to them. This is the reason that no two lists of the world's twenty longest rivers will agree except in the top three rankings.

The longest river in the world on every list is the Nile River of Africa. Sources give its total length as between 4,132 to 4,180 miles. The Nile River has two main tributaries, the Blue Nile and the White Nile. The Blue Nile's headwaters are in Uganda at Lake Victoria; the White Nile's headwaters are in Ethiopia at Lake Tana. The two tributaries unite at Khartoum in Sudan. The Nile and its tributaries flow from the highlands and mountains in central Africa to the low-lying delta in Egypt where the main river spills into the Mediterranean Sea. The river name comes from a Greek word "Nelios" which translates into River Valley. It was the presence of the Nile River Valley that allowed the ancient Egyptian civilization to arise and prosper. The Nile River provided water for agricultural and economic development and transportation.

The river coming in at number two on every list is the Amazon River of South America. Its total length is said to be between 3,920 to 4000 miles. Unlike the Nile River, the Amazon stretches itself from east to west. Its headwaters are near Calillona, Peru and its delta in northeastern Brazil pours into the Atlantic Ocean. The Amazon River floods during the rainy season and expands beyond its three to six mile width. The river is important to the native cultures living along it and helps to support the lush rain forest flora and fauna. The first non-native to travel the length of the Amazon River was Spaniard Francisco de Orellano in 1542. His was a rather hurried flight after a skirmish with an Amazonian tribe along the upper part of the river. The Amazon figures prominently in John Grisham's

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