This list covers 41 rivers whose names start with the letter A, ranging alphabetically from “Amazon” to “Amstel”. They vary widely in size, from the world’s mightiest waterway to a short urban stream, but each one shapes the landscape around it and supports the people, farms, cities, and ecosystems that depend on it.
Rivers are natural channels of flowing water that carry rain and snowmelt from higher ground down to lakes, seas, or other rivers. Some, like the Amazon, move so much water that they influence weather patterns across entire continents. Others, such as the Amstel, are small but historically significant, having given their name to famous cities like Amsterdam.
Below you’ll find the table with each river’s countries, length, type, and description.
River: the name of each river, listed alphabetically, including well-known alternate names in parentheses where they apply.
Countries: the country or countries each river flows through, helping you see its geographic reach and cross-border importance.
Length (km): the total length of each river in kilometers, giving you a quick sense of its scale compared to others.
Type: whether the river is a major river, tributary, or smaller river, showing you how it fits into its larger watershed.
Description: a short summary of what makes each river notable, from its history to its role in the surrounding region.
Rivers
| River | Countries | Length (km) | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amazon | Brazil, Peru, Colombia | 6,400 | Major river |
| Amur | Russia, China | 2,824 | Major river |
| Amu Darya | Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan | 2,400 | Major river |
| Araguaia | Brazil | 2,627 | Tributary |
| Arkansas River | United States | 2,364 | Tributary |
| Ayeyarwady (Irrawaddy) | Myanmar | 2,170 | Major river |
| Angara | Russia | 1,779 | Tributary |
| Awash | Ethiopia | 1,200 | River |
| Athabasca River | Canada | 1,231 | Tributary |
| Anadyr | Russia | 1,150 | River |
| Aras (Araxes) | Turkey, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Iran | 1,072 | River |
| Assiniboine River | Canada | 1,070 | Tributary |
| Apure River | Venezuela | 1,000 | Tributary |
| Atbara River | Sudan, Ethiopia | 805 | Tributary |
| Atrato River | Colombia | 750 | River |
| Attawapiskat River | Canada | 748 | River |
| Adige | Italy | 409 | River |
| Axios (Vardar) | Greece, North Macedonia | 388 | River |
| Angerman River (Ångermanälven) | Sweden | 460 | River |
| Alazani | Georgia, Azerbaijan | 351 | Tributary |
| Allegheny River | United States | 523 | Tributary |
| Alabama River | United States | 507 | River |
| Adour | France | 335 | River |
| Adda | Italy | 313 | Tributary |
| Aliakmon | Greece | 297 | River |
| Aare | Switzerland | 288 | Tributary |
| Aveyron | France | 290 | Tributary |
| Arno | Italy | 241 | River |
| Aisne | France | 280 | Tributary |
| Aube | France | 248 | Tributary |
| Asi (Orontes) | Lebanon, Syria, Turkey | 571 | River |
| Aude | France | 224 | River |
| Appomattox River | United States | 218 | Tributary |
| Aroostook River | Canada, United States | 225 | Tributary |
| Avon (Warwickshire) | England | 154 | Tributary |
| Aire | England | 148 | Tributary |
| Apalachicola River | United States | 179 | River |
| Atlin River | Canada | 75 | Tributary |
| Aucilla River | United States | 111 | River |
| Aulne | France | 144 | River |
| Amstel | Netherlands | 30 | River |
Descriptions
Amazon
The world’s largest river by discharge, carrying more water than the next several biggest rivers combined and stretching across the South American continent through dense rainforest.
Amur
Forms much of the border between Russia and China, draining a vast basin in Northeast Asia before emptying into the Sea of Okhotsk.
Amu Darya
Central Asia’s longest river, fed by Pamir glaciers, historically known to the ancient Greeks as the Oxus and once feeding the shrinking Aral Sea.
Araguaia
A major tributary of the Tocantins River that splits to form Bananal Island, one of the world’s largest river islands, teeming with wildlife.
Arkansas River
A major tributary of the Mississippi River, flowing from the Colorado Rockies across the Great Plains and through the dramatic gorge of the Royal Gorge.
Ayeyarwady (Irrawaddy)
Myanmar’s most important commercial waterway, flowing the length of the country from the Himalayas to a broad delta on the Andaman Sea.
Angara
The only river flowing out of Lake Baikal, it carries the lake’s clear water north to join the Yenisei, powering several large hydroelectric dams.
Awash
An Ethiopian river that never reaches the sea, instead vanishing into salt lakes near Djibouti after cutting through the Great Rift Valley.
Athabasca River
A glacier-fed Canadian river flowing through Jasper National Park and past the Athabasca oil sands before joining the Mackenzie River system.
Anadyr
A remote river in far northeastern Siberia that drains into the Bering Sea, giving its name to the regional capital, Anadyr.
Aras (Araxes)
An ancient Caucasus river forming stretches of the Armenia-Turkey and Armenia-Iran borders before joining the Kura River near the Caspian Sea.
Assiniboine River
A Canadian prairie river that joins the Red River at Winnipeg, historically vital to fur traders and Indigenous peoples of the plains.
Apure River
A major tributary of the Orinoco that drains the Venezuelan llanos, an important route for river traffic through the grassland plains.
Atbara River
A seasonal tributary of the Nile rising in the Ethiopian highlands, swelling dramatically during the rainy season before joining the main river in Sudan.
Atrato River
One of the most navigable rivers in Colombia, flowing through the biodiverse Chocó rainforest region into the Gulf of Darién.
Attawapiskat River
A free-flowing river in northern Ontario that drains into James Bay, valued for remaining largely undammed and undeveloped.
Adige
Italy’s second-longest river, flowing from the Alps near the Austrian border through Trento and Verona to the Adriatic Sea.
Axios (Vardar)
The longest river in North Macedonia, flowing south through the Balkans into the Aegean Sea near Thessaloniki, Greece.
Angerman River (Ångermanälven)
A major Swedish river known for salmon fishing and hydroelectric power, flowing through dramatic forested valleys to the Gulf of Bothnia.
Alazani
A river running through Georgia’s Kakheti wine region before crossing into Azerbaijan to join the Kura River.
Allegheny River
Joins the Monongahela River at Pittsburgh to form the Ohio River, and was historically important for logging and early American settlement.
Alabama River
Formed by the Coosa and Tallapoosa Rivers, it flows through the state of Alabama to meet the Tombigbee River near Mobile Bay.
Adour
A river in southwestern France flowing from the Pyrenees through Gascony to the Bay of Biscay near Bayonne.
Adda
Flows through Lake Como before continuing to join the Po River, immortalized in Alessandro Manzoni’s novel “The Betrothed.”
Aliakmon
The longest river lying entirely within Greece, rising in the Pindus mountains and flowing into the Aegean Sea near Thessaloniki.
Aare
The longest river entirely within Switzerland, flowing through Bern and Interlaken and past two glacial lakes before joining the Rhine.
Aveyron
A river in southern France known for the dramatic Gorges de l’Aveyron, joining the Tarn River amid picturesque medieval villages.
Arno
Tuscany’s principal river, flowing through Florence and Pisa, infamous for its catastrophic 1966 flood that damaged countless artworks in Florence.
Aisne
A river in northern France that gave its name to several major World War I battles fought along its banks.
Aube
A river in the Champagne region of France that lends its name to the Aube department and its historic vineyards.
Asi (Orontes)
Rises in Lebanon and flows north through Syria and Turkey, watering the ancient city of Antioch before reaching the Mediterranean.
Aude
Rises in the Pyrenees and flows through the Cathar country of southern France, giving its name to the Aude department.
Appomattox River
A Virginia river best known for the nearby town of Appomattox Court House, where the Confederate army surrendered in 1865.
Aroostook River
Flows through Maine’s potato-farming county before crossing into New Brunswick to join the Saint John River.
Avon (Warwickshire)
Flows through Stratford-upon-Avon, William Shakespeare’s birthplace, before joining the River Severn.
Aire
A Yorkshire river that flows through Leeds, historically central to the region’s wool and textile industries.
Apalachicola River
Formed by the Chattahoochee and Flint Rivers, it flows through Florida’s panhandle into a bay renowned for its oysters.
Atlin River
A short river in British Columbia connecting Atlin Lake to the Yukon watershed, in one of Canada’s most remote wilderness regions.
Aucilla River
A blackwater river along the Florida-Georgia border known for sinking underground into limestone sinkholes before resurfacing near the Gulf of Mexico.
Aulne
A Breton river in northwestern France, partly canalized, flowing through scenic countryside to the Bay of Douarnenez.
Amstel
A short but historic river that gave Amsterdam its name, after a dam was built across it in the 13th century.