CIA - The World Factbook

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)

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