WORLD RIVERS DAY

World Rivers Day, recognized on the fourth Saturday of every September (this year it falls on Sept. 29), is meant to remind us how waterways impact our lives, and, in the words of the organizers, “[encourage] the improved stewardship of all rivers around the world.”

The story of human culture is intertwined with the history of rivers: Many of the world’s great civilizations were born in the cradle of important river valleys like the Nile, the Tigris and Euphrates, and the Po and Tigris, which provided water, food, and movement of people and goods.

These images from space show how the world’s rivers are both wild, delicate environments and vital arteries for human civilization around the world.

NASA
The Green River in Utah in the US.
The Ganges River Delta between India and Bangladesh.
NASA
A section of the Colorado River running through in Arizona in the US.
NASA
The Nile River Delta in Egypt.
NASA/LANDSAT/JESSE ALLEN
The Mamoré River in Bolivia.
NASA
The Hudson River between New York and New Jersey, seen from Space Shuttle Columbia in 1993.
NASA
A segment of the Mississippi River in the US state of Tennessee.
NASA
The Yangtze River in China.
NASA
A portion of the Mekong River, between Thailand and Laos.
NASA
The Indus River in Pakistan.
NASA
The Tiber River in Italy.
NASA
The Yellow River Delta in China.

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