This entry gives the total length of navigable rivers, canals, and other inland bodies of water.
Country Comparison to the World
Country Comparison to the World
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| Country | Waterways(km) |
|---|---|
| Afghanistan | 1,200 km; (chiefly Amu Darya, which handles vessels up to 500 DWT) (2008) |
| Albania | 43 km (on the Bojana River) (2010) |
| Angola | 1,300 km (2010) |
| 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) (2010) |
| Benin | 150 km (on River Niger along northern border) (2007) |
| Bolivia | 10,000 km (commercially navigable almost exclusively in the northern and eastern parts of the country) (2010) |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | Sava River (northern border) open to shipping but use limited (2009) |
| Brazil | 50,000 km (most in areas remote from industry and population) (2010) |
| Brunei | 209 km (navigable by craft drawing less than 1.2 m; the Belait, Brunei, and Tutong rivers are major transport links) (2011) |
| Bulgaria | 470 km (2009) |
| Burma | 12,800 km (2008) |
| Burundi | mainly on Lake Tanganyika between Bujumbura, Burundi’s principal port, and lake ports in Tanzania, Zambia, and the Democratic Republic of Congo (2010) |
| Cambodia | 2,400 km (mainly on Mekong River) (2010) |
| Cameroon | major rivers in the south, such as the Wouri and the Sanaga, are largely non-navigable; in the north, the Benue, which connects through Nigeria to the Niger River, is navigable in the rainy season only to the port of Garoua (2010) |
| 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 (the primary navigable river is the Ubangi, which joins the River Congo; it was the traditional route for the export of products because it connected with the Congo-Ocean railway at Brazzaville; because of the warfare on both sides of the River Congo from 1997, however, routes through Cameroon became preferred by importers and exporters) (2010) |
| Chad | Chari and Legone rivers are navigable only in wet season (2010) |
| China | 110,000 km navigable (2010) |
| Colombia | 18,000 km (2010) |
| Congo, Democratic Republic of the | 15,000 km (including the Congo, its tributaries, and unconnected lakes) (2009) |
| Congo, Republic of the | 1,120 km (commercially navigable on Congo and Oubanqui rivers above Brazzaville; there are many ferries across the river to Kinshasa; the Congo south of Brazzaville-Kinshasa to the coast is not navigable because of rapids, thereby necessitating a rail connection to Pointe Noire; other rivers are used for local traffic only) (2010) |
| Costa Rica | 730 km (seasonally navigable by small craft) (2010) |
| Cote d’Ivoire | 980 km (navigable rivers, canals, and numerous coastal lagoons) (2008) |
| Croatia | 785 km (2009) |
| Cuba | 240 km (almost all navigable inland waterways are near the mouths of rivers) (2010) |
| Czech Republic | 664 km (principally on Elbe, Vltava, Oder, and other navigable rivers, lakes, and canals) (2010) |
| Denmark | 400 km (2008) |
| Ecuador | 1,500 km (most inaccessible) (2010) |
| 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 (2010) |
| El Salvador | Rio Lempa is partially navigable for small craft (2010) |
| Estonia | 520 km (320 km are navigable year round) (2010) |
| 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 (includes Saimaa Canal system of 3,577 km; southern part leased from Russia; water transport is used frequently in the summer and is widely replaced with sledges on the ice in winter; there are 187,888 lakes in Finland that cover 31,500 km) (2010) |
| 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) (2010) |
| 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 (2010) |
| Guatemala | 990 km (260 km navigable year round; additional 730 km navigable during high-water season) (2010) |
| 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 (2010) |
| Honduras | 465 km (most navigable only by small craft) (2010) |
| Hungary | 1,622 km (most on Danube River) (2010) |
| 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 (2011) |
| Iran | 850 km (on Karun River; some navigation on Lake Urmia) (2009) |
| 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) (2010) |
| Kazakhstan | 4,000 km; on the Ertis (Irtysh) River (80%) and Syr Darya (Syrdariya) River (2008) |
| Kenya | the only significant inland waterway in the country is the part of Lake Victoria within the boundaries of Kenya; Kisumu is the main port and has ferry connections to Uganda and Tanzania (2010) |
| Kiribati | 5 km (small network of canals in Line Islands) (2007) |
| Korea, North | 2,250 km; (most navigable only by small craft) (2010) |
| Korea, South | 1,608 km; (most navigable only by small craft) (2010) |
| Kyrgyzstan | 600 km (2010) |
| Laos | 4,600 km note: primarily Mekong and tributaries; 2,900 additional km are intermittently navigable by craft drawing less than 0.5 m (2010) |
| Latvia | 300 km (navigable year round) (2010) |
| Liechtenstein | 28 km (2008) |
| Lithuania | 441 km (navigable year round) (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) (2010) |
| Malaysia | 7,200 km note: Peninsular Malaysia 3,200 km; Sabah 1,500 km; Sarawak 2,500 km (2011) |
| Mali | 1,800 km (downstream of Koulikoro; low water levels on the River Niger cause problems in dry years; in the months before the rainy season the river is not navigable by commercial vessels) (2010) |
| Mauritania | some navigation possible on Senegal River (2010) |
| Mexico | 2,900 km (navigable rivers and coastal canals mostly connected with ports on the country’s east coast) (2010) |
| Moldova | 558 km (in public use on Danube, 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 (2010) |
| Mozambique | 460 km (Zambezi River navigable to Tete and along Cahora Bassa Lake) (2010) |
| Netherlands | 6,215 km (navigable for ships of 50 tons) (2007) |
| Nicaragua | 2,220 km (navigable waterways as well as the use of the large Lake Managua and Lake Nicaragua; rivers serve only the sparsely populated eastern part of the country) (2010) |
| 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) (2009) |
| Norway | 1,577 km (2008) |
| Panama | 800 km (includes the 82-km Panama Canal that is being widened) (2010) |
| Papua New Guinea | 11,000 km (2006) |
| Paraguay | 3,100 km (primarily on the Paraguay and Paran� river systems) (2010) |
| Peru | 8,808 km note: 8,600 km of navigable tributaries on Amazon system and 208 km on Lago Titicaca (2010) |
| Philippines | 3,219 km; (limited to vessels with draft less than 1.5 m) (2011) |
| Poland | 3,997 km (navigable rivers and canals) (2009) |
| 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 48,000 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 (2009) |
| Rwanda | Lac Kivu navigable by shallow-draft barges and native craft (2009) |
| Senegal | 1,000 km (primarily on Senegal, Saloum, and Casamance rivers) (2008) |
| Serbia | 587 km (primarily on Danube and Sava rivers) (2009) |
| Sierra Leone | 800 km (600 km year round) (2007) |
| Slovakia | 172 km (on Danube River) (2009) |
| Slovenia | some transport on Drava River (2010) |
| 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) (2010) |
| Sweden | 2,052 km (2010) |
| Switzerland | 65 km; (Rhine River between Basel-Rheinfelden and Schaffhausen-Bodensee) (2008) |
| Syria | 900 km (navigable not economically significant) (2010) |
| Tajikistan | 200 km (along Vakhsh River) (2010) |
| Tanzania | Lake Tanganyika, Lake Victoria, and Lake Nyasa are principal avenues of commerce with neighboring countries; rivers are not navigable (2009) |
| Thailand | 4,000 km note: 3,701 km navigable by boats with drafts up to 0.9 m (2010) |
| 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 | there are no long navigable stretches of river in Uganda; parts of the Albert Nile that flow out of Lake Albert in the northwestern part of the country are navigable; several lakes including Lake Victoria and Lake Kyoga have substantial traffic; Lake Albert is navigable along a 200 km stretch from its northern tip to its southern shores (2009) |
| Ukraine | 2,150 km (most on Dnieper River) (2009) |
| 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 (2010) |
| Uzbekistan | 1,100 km (2009) |
| Venezuela | 7,100 km note: Orinoco River (400 km) and Lake de Maracaibo navigable by oceangoing vessels (2010) |
| Vietnam | 17,702 km (5,000 km navigable by vessels up to 1.8 m draft) (2011) |
| 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) (2010) |
| Zimbabwe | on Lake Kariba (2009) |
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