This list covers 83 rivers with names starting with “S,” running from “Sabarmati” to “Syr Darya.” They range from short urban streams to some of the longest waterways on their continents, crossing deserts, rainforests, mountains, and farmland. People rely on them for drinking water, irrigation, hydropower, fishing, and shipping, and many have shaped the cities and cultures that grew up along their banks.

Rivers are natural channels of flowing water that carry rain and melted snow from higher ground down to a lake, sea, or ocean, or sometimes into a closed basin with no outlet. Along the way, they carve valleys, deposit fertile soil, and support the plants, animals, and people who depend on them. The Seine, for instance, has shaped Paris for centuries, while the Sepik in Papua New Guinea remains one of the world’s largest unpolluted freshwater systems.

Below you’ll find the table with the river, countries, length, type, and description for each entry.

River: the name of each river, so you can quickly find the one you’re looking for or scan the full list.

Countries: the country or countries each river flows through, useful for understanding its geographic and political reach.

Length (km): how long each river is in kilometers, letting you compare their sizes at a glance.

Type: the kind of river it is, such as coastal, tributary, or transboundary, helping you understand how it fits into a larger water system.

Description: a short summary of each river’s location and significance, giving you context beyond the raw numbers.

Rivers

RiverCountriesLength (km)Type
SabarmatiIndia371Coastal
SabineUnited States890Coastal
SacramentoUnited States715Coastal
SagamiJapan109Coastal
SakaryaTurkey824Coastal
SaladoArgentina1,600Coastal
SalinasUnited States246Coastal
Salt RiverUnited States322Tributary
SalweenMyanmar, China, Thailand2,800Transboundary
SalzachAustria, Germany225Tributary
San JoaquinUnited States587Coastal
San JuanUnited States, Mexico616Tributary
SanagaCameroon918Coastal
Santa CruzArgentina385Coastal
SanteeUnited States232Coastal
São FranciscoBrazil2,900Coastal
SaaleGermany420Tributary
SaarFrance, Germany246Tributary
SaôneFrance480Tributary
SaramaccaSuriname320Coastal
SarnoItaly24Coastal
SaskatchewanCanada1,939Tributary
SassandraIvory Coast650Coastal
SavaSlovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia945Transboundary
SavannahUnited States484Coastal
SaveZimbabwe, Mozambique740Transboundary
SazavaCzechia225Tributary
ScheldtFrance, Belgium, Netherlands350Coastal
SealCanada260Coastal
SebouMorocco458Coastal
SegreSpain265Tributary
SeguraSpain325Coastal
SeineFrance780Coastal
SekongLaos, Vietnam, Cambodia425Tributary
SelengeMongolia, Russia992Endorheic
SemlikiDemocratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda140Connecting channel
SenegalMali, Mauritania, Senegal1,086Transboundary
SeomjinSouth Korea212Coastal
SepikPapua New Guinea1,126Coastal
SerayuIndonesia181Coastal
Seversky DonetsRussia, Ukraine1,053Tributary
SevernUnited Kingdom354Coastal
SeyhanTurkey560Coastal
ShannonIreland360Coastal
ShenandoahUnited States89Tributary
ShimantoJapan196Coastal
ShinanoJapan367Coastal
ShireMalawi, Mozambique402Tributary
ShoalhavenAustralia335Coastal
SiegGermany155Tributary
SilSpain230Tributary
SinnamaryFrench Guiana260Coastal
SiretRomania, Ukraine726Tributary
SittangMyanmar420Coastal
SkeenaCanada570Coastal
SlaneyIreland117Coastal
SlaveCanada434Connecting channel
SnakeUnited States1,735Tributary
SnowyAustralia352Coastal
SolimõesBrazil1,600Tributary
SoloIndonesia548Coastal
SomeșRomania, Hungary376Tributary
SommeFrance245Coastal
SonghuaChina1,927Tributary
South PlatteUnited States700Tributary
SperchiosGreece82Coastal
SpeyUnited Kingdom172Coastal
SpreeGermany400Tributary
SrepokVietnam, Cambodia406Tributary
St. LawrenceCanada, United States3,058Coastal
StikineCanada, United States610Coastal
StrumaBulgaria, Greece415Coastal
SubarnarekhaIndia395Coastal
SuirIreland184Coastal
SukhonaRussia558Tributary
SumidaJapan27Distributary
SurinameSuriname480Coastal
SusquehannaUnited States715Coastal
SutlejChina, India, Pakistan1,500Transboundary
SuwanneeUnited States396Coastal
SvirRussia224Connecting channel
SwanAustralia72Coastal
Syr DaryaKazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan2,212Endorheic

Descriptions

Sabarmati
Rises in the Aran hills and flows through Gujarat, including Ahmedabad, before reaching the Gulf of Khambhat; its riverfront promenade is a major urban landmark.
Sabine
Forms much of the border between Texas and Louisiana, flowing south into Sabine Lake and the Gulf of Mexico; important for shipping and wetland habitat.
Sacramento
California’s longest river, draining the northern Central Valley and supplying water to millions of people and vast farmland before reaching San Francisco Bay.
Sagami
Flows through the Kanto region south of Tokyo into Sagami Bay, feeding reservoirs that supply drinking water to Kanagawa Prefecture.
Sakarya
One of Turkey’s longest rivers, winding through the northwest of the country before emptying into the Black Sea near Karasu.
Salado
Meaning “salty,” this long Pampas river crosses several Argentine provinces, historically prone to flooding, before draining toward the Atlantic.
Salinas
Flows north through California’s fertile Salinas Valley, nicknamed “America’s Salad Bowl,” before reaching the Pacific Ocean at Monterey Bay.
Salt River
Rises in Arizona’s mountains and joins the Gila River; dammed to form reservoirs that supply water to the Phoenix metropolitan area.
Salween
One of Asia’s longest rivers still largely free of major dams, flowing from the Tibetan Plateau through Myanmar to the Andaman Sea.
Salzach
Flows past the city of Salzburg on its way to join the Inn River; historically used to transport salt, giving the river its name.
San Joaquin
California’s other major Central Valley river, joining the Sacramento in a shared delta after irrigating vast stretches of farmland.
San Juan
Winds through the Four Corners region and Utah’s canyon country before joining the Colorado River, now largely within Lake Powell.
Sanaga
Cameroon’s longest river, formed by the union of the Djérem and Lom rivers and used to generate much of the country’s hydroelectric power.
Santa Cruz
Fed by glacial lakes in Patagonia, including Lago Argentino near the Perito Moreno Glacier, flowing east to the South Atlantic.
Santee
South Carolina river formed by the Congaree and Wateree rivers, once a major transportation route before being dammed for hydroelectric power.
São Francisco
Known as “the river of national unity,” it flows entirely within Brazil, supporting irrigation, fishing, and hydropower across the semi-arid interior.
Saale
Flows through Thuringia and Saxony-Anhalt, past the historic university towns of Jena and Halle, before joining the Elbe.
Saar
Rises in the Vosges Mountains and flows through the Saarland region before joining the Moselle, lined with vineyards along its lower course.
Saône
Gentle, slow-moving river through eastern France’s wine country, joining the Rhône at Lyon and long used for barge traffic.
Saramacca
Flows through Suriname’s dense rainforest interior to the Atlantic, historically significant for former plantations and Maroon communities along its banks.
Sarno
Short river near Naples that passes close to the ruins of Pompeii; despite its historical importance, it’s often cited as one of Europe’s most polluted rivers.
Saskatchewan
Formed by the North and South Saskatchewan Rivers, it crosses the Canadian prairies before feeding Lake Winnipeg via the Nelson River.
Sassandra
Flows entirely within Ivory Coast from the Guinea highlands to the Gulf of Guinea, supporting fishing communities and hydroelectric dams.
Sava
The Danube’s largest tributary by volume, flowing past Ljubljana, Zagreb, and Belgrade through the heart of the former Yugoslavia.
Savannah
Forms much of the border between Georgia and South Carolina, flowing past the historic port city that shares its name to the Atlantic.
Save
Also spelled Sabi, it rises in Zimbabwe’s highlands and crosses into Mozambique, supporting wildlife in national parks along its banks.
Sazava
Popular canoeing and camping river southeast of Prague, winding through forested hills before joining the Vltava.
Scheldt
Historic waterway that flows past Antwerp, one of Europe’s busiest ports, before reaching the North Sea via a wide tidal estuary.
Seal
Remote, undammed river in northern Manitoba flowing into Hudson Bay, popular with paddlers and known for polar bear sightings near the coast.
Sebou
One of Morocco’s most water-rich rivers, draining the fertile Gharb plain before reaching the Atlantic near Mehdya.
Segre
Flows south from the Pyrenees through Catalonia, joining the Ebro and supporting extensive irrigation and hydroelectric projects along the way.
Segura
Flows through the arid Murcia region of southeastern Spain, heavily dammed and channeled to support extensive fruit and vegetable farming.
Seine
France’s iconic river, winding through Paris past its most famous landmarks before reaching the English Channel at Le Havre.
Sekong
Tributary of the Mekong flowing through the mountainous tri-border area of Indochina, home to several ethnic minority communities.
Selenge
Mongolia’s largest river, carrying more water into Siberia’s Lake Baikal than any other tributary.
Semliki
Short but important river linking Lake Edward to Lake Albert along the Uganda-DRC border, part of the upper Nile system.
Senegal
Forms much of the border between Mauritania and Senegal, historically a vital trade route linking the Sahel to the Atlantic.
Seomjin
Known for its clean water and marsh clam harvests, it flows through southern Korea to the Namhae Sea.
Sepik
One of the world’s largest unpolluted freshwater systems, winding through dense rainforest and renowned for the woodcarving traditions of villages along its banks.
Serayu
Flows through Central Java past volcanic slopes to the Indian Ocean, supporting rice paddies and small hydroelectric plants.
Seversky Donets
Major tributary of the Don flowing through the industrial Donbas region, important historically for both agriculture and heavy industry.
Severn
The longest river in Great Britain, famous for its dramatic tidal bore and the wide Severn Estuary where it meets the Bristol Channel.
Seyhan
Flows through the fertile Cilician plain in southern Turkey, past the city of Adana, to the Mediterranean Sea.
Shannon
Ireland’s longest river, flowing from County Cavan through the center of the country to the Atlantic at the Shannon Estuary.
Shenandoah
Flows through Virginia’s scenic Shenandoah Valley between the Blue Ridge and Allegheny Mountains before joining the Potomac at Harpers Ferry.
Shimanto
Known as Japan’s “last clear stream” for its unusually unspoiled water, flowing through Shikoku island to the Pacific.
Shinano
Japan’s longest river, rising in Nagano Prefecture and flowing north through Niigata to the Sea of Japan.
Shire
Malawi’s principal river, draining Lake Malawi southward before joining the Zambezi in Mozambique.
Shoalhaven
Flows through the Southern Highlands of New South Wales to the Tasman Sea near Nowra, supplying much of Sydney’s drinking water via a diversion.
Sieg
Flows west through the hills of North Rhine-Westphalia to join the Rhine near Bonn.
Sil
Carves a dramatic canyon through Galicia’s terraced vineyards before joining the Miño near the Ribeira Sacra wine region.
Sinnamary
Flows through French Guiana’s rainforest near the Kourou space center and is dammed to form the Petit-Saut hydroelectric reservoir.
Siret
Romania’s longest internal river, rising in Ukraine’s Carpathians and flowing south to join the Danube.
Sittang
Flows through central Myanmar into the Gulf of Martaban, notorious for its powerful tidal currents and shifting sandbanks.
Skeena
Second-longest river entirely within British Columbia, prized for its salmon and steelhead runs through the province’s rugged northwest.
Slaney
Flows through County Wexford in southeast Ireland, past the town of Enniscorthy, to the Irish Sea.
Slave
Links Lake Athabasca to Great Slave Lake across the Northwest Territories, part of the vast Mackenzie River drainage basin.
Snake
The largest tributary of the Columbia River, famous for carving Hells Canyon, North America’s deepest river gorge, along the Idaho-Oregon border.
Snowy
Flows from the Snowy Mountains through Victoria to the Tasman Sea, celebrated in Australian folklore and long diverted for irrigation and hydropower.
Solimões
The name given to the Amazon River’s upper course in Brazil, above its meeting with the dark waters of the Rio Negro near Manaus.
Solo
Also called Bengawan Solo, the longest river on the island of Java, flowing past ancient hominid fossil sites before reaching the Java Sea.
Someș
Flows through Transylvania past the city of Cluj-Napoca before crossing into Hungary to join the Tisza.
Somme
Flows through northern France to the English Channel, forever associated with the devastating World War I battle fought along its banks.
Songhua
Major tributary of the Amur in northeast China, flowing past the city of Harbin, famous for its winter ice festival.
South Platte
Rises in the Colorado Rockies and flows northeast across the plains to join the North Platte, forming the Platte River in Nebraska.
Sperchios
Short river in central Greece that empties near the historic pass of Thermopylae, site of the famous ancient battle.
Spey
Fast-flowing Scottish river famous for salmon fishing and for supplying water to many of Speyside’s whisky distilleries.
Spree
Flows through the German capital, giving Berlin much of its riverside character, before joining the Havel at Spandau.
Srepok
Tributary of the Mekong flowing through the Central Highlands of Vietnam and the forests of northeastern Cambodia.
St. Lawrence
Connects the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean via a major seaway, one of the most important shipping corridors in North America.
Stikine
Fast, glacier-fed river flowing from northern British Columbia through spectacular canyons into Alaska’s Panhandle.
Struma
Rises near Bulgaria’s Vitosha mountains and flows south into Greece, where it’s known as the Strymónas, reaching the Aegean Sea.
Subarnarekha
Meaning “streak of gold,” it flows through Jharkhand, West Bengal, and Odisha, historically associated with small-scale gold panning.
Suir
One of Ireland’s “Three Sisters” rivers, flowing through County Tipperary and the city of Waterford before reaching the sea.
Sukhona
Flows through northern Russia and combines with the Yug River to form the Northern Dvina, historically a key trade route to the White Sea.
Sumida
Branches from the Arakawa River and flows through central Tokyo, famous for cherry blossoms, fireworks festivals, and its many bridges.
Suriname
Gave the country its name; dammed to create the vast Brokopondo Reservoir, once one of the largest artificial lakes in the world.
Susquehanna
The longest river on the U.S. East Coast to feed a major bay, draining into the Chesapeake Bay after crossing New York, Pennsylvania, and Maryland.
Sutlej
Easternmost of the five rivers of the Punjab, heavily used for irrigation and hydropower, including at the Bhakra Dam.
Suwannee
Rises in Georgia’s Okefenokee Swamp and flows through Florida to the Gulf of Mexico; immortalized in Stephen Foster’s song “Old Folks at Home.”
Svir
Links Lake Onega to Lake Ladoga as part of the historic Volga-Baltic waterway connecting Russia’s interior to the Baltic Sea.
Swan
Flows through the city of Perth, Western Australia, widening into a scenic estuary popular for boating and lined with vineyards.
Syr Darya
One of Central Asia’s two great rivers, historically feeding the now largely dried-up Aral Sea.
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