What is the largest river in the world (largest drainage basin)?

The largest river is usually judged by the size of the drainage basin. This is because the drainage basin size is a good indicator of how much water actually flows from the river into the oceans.

• 1 - Amazon, South America - 2,721,000 sq miles
• 2 - Congo, Africa - 1,428,000 sq miles
• 3 - Mississippi-Missouri, N America - 1,255,000 sq miles

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