The Colorado River winds 1,470 miles (2.366 kilometers) from the Rocky Mountains to the Gulf of California's Sea of Cortez—or did when its waters were more plentiful.
Photograph by Frans Lanting
Rivers and their tributaries are the veins of the planet, pumping freshwater to wetlands and lakes and out to sea. They flush nutrients through aquatic ecosystems, keeping thousands of species alive, and help sustain fisheries worth billions of dollars.
Rivers are also the lifeblood of human civilizations. They supply water to cities, farms, and factories. Rivers carve shipping routes around the globe, and provide us with food, recreation, and energy. Hydroelectric plants built from bank to bank harness the power of water and convert it to electricity.
But rivers are also often the endpoint for much of our industrial and urban pollution and runoff. When it rains, chemical fertilizer and animal waste peppering residential areas and agricultural lands is swept into local streams, rivers, and other bodies of water. The result: polluted drinking water sources and the decline of aquatic species, in addition to coastal dead zones caused by fertilizer and sewage overload.
Over the course of human history, waterways have been manipulated for irrigation, urban development, navigation, and energy. Dams and levees now alter their flow, interrupting natural fluctuations and the breeding and feeding patterns of fish and other river creatures. Technology and engineering have changed the course of nature, and now we are looking for ways to restore flow and function to the planet’s circulatory system.
The Colorado River provides an excellent example of what happens when demand for river water—for cities, industry, energy production, and agriculture—threatens to outpace supply. Learn more with our interactive Colorado River map.
River Facts
- An unsettling number of large rivers—including the Colorado, Rio Grande, Yellow, Indus, Ganges, Amu Darya, Murray, and Nile—are now so overtapped that they discharge little or no water to the sea for months at a time.
- China is proceeding with a massive $60 billion project to transfer water from the Yangtze River Basin in the south to the water-short north. If completed it would be the largest construction project on Earth and would transfer 1.5 trillion cubic feet (41.3 billion cubic meters) of water per year—a volume equal to half that of the Nile River.
- After enduring 19 flood episodes between 1961 and 1997, Napa, California, opted to restore the Napa River floodplain for $366 million, instead of the more conventional flood-control strategy of channelizing and building levees.
Did You Know?
84 percent of the Nile’s flow originates in Ethiopia, while the country faces famine due to drought. (At 4,132 miles, or 6,650 km, the Nile is Earth's longest river.)More About Rivers
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Giant River Stingrays Found
After an exhaustive search, an explorer finds one of the elusive giant stingrays—perhaps the largest freshwater fish—near Bangkok, Thailand. And then it gives birth!
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Klamath River Photos
National Geographic magazine looks at the revitalization of the mighty Klamath River in the western U.S. and watches decades of political, environmental, and cultural conflict start to unwind.
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River Photos
Rivers run through the heart and soul of countless communities. But, increasingly, they run on human terms rather than on Mother Nature’s.
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Mekong Sacred Waters
The National Geographic photographer for the magazine's story on river rituals and holy H2O tells us about his watery journey around the world.
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Why Care About Water?
The National Geographic Society’s freshwater initiative is a multiyear global effort to inspire and empower individuals and communities to conserve freshwater and the extraordinary diversity of life that rivers, lakes, and wetlands sustain.
Freshwater Advocates
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Sandra Postel
Sandra is a leading authority on international freshwater issues and is spearheading our global freshwater initiative.
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Shannon Switzer
Shannon Switzer is an inspring young photographer and conservationist.
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Zeb Hogan
Zeb travels to the most endangered freshwater ecosystems striving to save critically endangered fish.
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Water Currents, by Sandra Postel and Others
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Bottled Water is Booming
Despite environmental impacts, Americans are buying more bottled water than ever.
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Salt Threatens World's Largest Mangrove Forest
Agriculture and development imperil the Sundarbans in South Asia.
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Protecting Rivers From Dams
New solutions are needed for ecosystems and livlihoods.
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The World's Water
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Why Should You Care?
Learn more about the world's water challenge with photos, stories, videos, and more.
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Visualizing Our Water Footprint
You might be surprised to see how the daily choices you make affect critical watersheds around the world.
