The CIA World Factbook Edition 2010 Transportation
Waterways In 35 editions of 36.
Waterways was published in 35 editions of the CIA World Factbook, from 1990 to 2024. The 2010 edition carries it in 123 entries, in its Transportation section. Every entry is shown as that edition published it.
- entries in the 2010 edition
- 123
- the first edition with it
- 1990
- the latest edition with it
- 2024
Published as “Waterways” (1996 to 2024) and “Inland waterways” (1990 to 1995).
the entry has the field in that editionnot in that editionthe open editionEach entry below ends in its editions with Waterways, 1990 to 2025. Point at a year above to follow it down; choose one in a row to read that edition’s text there.
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Entries with Waterways in each edition
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World
1 entryWorld
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
Africa
32 entriesBurundi
mainly on Lake Tanganyika between Bujumbura, Burundi's principal port, and lake ports in Tanzania, Zambia, and the Democratic Republic of Congo (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)
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)
country comparison to the world: 35
Congo, Democratic Republic of the now Democratic Republic of the Congo
- 15,000 km (including the Congo, its tributaries, and unconnected lakes) (2009)
- country comparison to the world: 8
Congo, Republic of the now Republic of the Congo
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)
country comparison to the world: 62
Cote d'Ivoire
- 980 km (navigable rivers, canals, and numerous coastal lagoons) (2008)
- country comparison to the world: 67
Egypt
3,500 km
country comparison to the world: 30
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)
Gambia, The now The Gambia
- 390 km (on River Gambia; small ocean-going vessels can reach 190 km) (2008)
- country comparison to the world: 90
Ghana
1,293 km
country comparison to the world: 58
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)
Guinea-Bissau
rivers are navigable for some distance; many inlets and creeks give shallow-water access to much of interior (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)
Malawi
- 700 km; (on Lake Nyasa (Lake Malawi) and Shire River) (2010)
- country comparison to the world: 76
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)
country comparison to the world: 46
Mozambique
- 460 km (Zambezi River navigable to Tete and along Cahora Bassa Lake) (2010)
- country comparison to the world: 87
Niger
300 km; (the Niger, the only major river, is navigable to Gaya between September and March) (2008)
country comparison to the world: 94
Nigeria
- 8,600 km (Niger and Benue rivers and smaller rivers and creeks) (2009)
- country comparison to the world: 15
Senegal
- 1,000 km (primarily on Senegal, Saloum, and Casamance rivers) (2008)
- country comparison to the world: 64
Sudan
- 4,068 km (1,723 km open year round on White and Blue Nile rivers) (2008)
- country comparison to the world: 25
Tanzania
Lake Tanganyika, Lake Victoria, and Lake Nyasa are principal avenues of commerce with neighboring countries; rivers are not navigable (2009)
Togo
- 50 km (seasonally on Mono River depending on rainfall) (2008)
- country comparison to the world: 104
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)
Zambia
- 2,250 km; (includes Lake Tanganyika and the Zambezi and Luapula rivers) (2010)
- country comparison to the world: 40
Asia
15 entriesAfghanistan
- 1,200 km; (chiefly Amu Darya, which handles vessels up to 500 DWT) (2008)
- country comparison to the world: 59
Bangladesh
8,370 km
country comparison to the world: 17
note: includes up to 3,060 km main cargo routes; network reduced to 5,200 km in dry season (2007)
India
14,500 km
country comparison to the world: 9
note: 5,200 km on major rivers and 485 km on canals suitable for mechanized vessels (2008)
Kazakhstan
4,000 km; on the Ertis (Irtysh) River (80%) and Syr Darya (Syrdariya) River (2008)
country comparison to the world: 26
Korea, North now North Korea
- 2,250 km; (most navigable only by small craft) (2010)
- country comparison to the world: 39
Korea, South now South Korea
- 1,608 km; (most navigable only by small craft) (2010)
- country comparison to the world: 50
Mongolia
580 km
country comparison to the world: 82
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)
Russia
102,000 km (including 48,000 km with guaranteed depth)
country comparison to the world: 2
note: 72,000 km system in European Russia links Baltic Sea, White Sea, Caspian Sea, Sea of Azov, and Black Sea (2009)
Turkmenistan
- 1,300 km (Amu Darya and Kara Kum canal are important inland waterways) (2008)
- country comparison to the world: 56
Central America and the Caribbean
8 entriesCuba
240 km (almost all navigable inland waterways are near the mouths of rivers) (2010)
country comparison to the world: 95
Guatemala
990 km (260 km navigable year round; additional 730 km navigable during high-water season) (2010)
country comparison to the world: 66
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)
country comparison to the world: 41
Panama
- 800 km (includes the 82-km Panama Canal that is being widened) (2010)
- country comparison to the world: 72
Europe
36 entriesBelarus
2,500 km (use limited by location on perimeter of country and by shallowness) (2003)
country comparison to the world: 36
Czech Republic now Czechia
664 km (principally on Elbe, Vltava, Oder, and other navigable rivers, lakes, and canals) (2010)
country comparison to the world: 77
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)
country comparison to the world: 18
France
- metropolitan France:
- 8,501 km (1,621 km accessible to craft of 3,000 metric tons)
- country comparison to the world:
- 16
- French Guiana:
- 3,760 km (460 km navigable by small oceangoing vessels and coastal and river steamers, 3,300 km by native craft) (2008)
Germany
7,467 km
country comparison to the world: 19
note: Rhine River carries most goods; Main-Danube Canal links North Sea and Black Sea (2008)
Greece
6 km
country comparison to the world: 108
note: Corinth Canal (6 km) crosses the Isthmus of Corinth; shortens sea voyage by 325 km (2010)
Italy
2,400 km
country comparison to the world: 38
note: used for commercial traffic; of limited overall value compared to road and rail (2008)
Moldova
- 558 km (in public use on Danube, Dniester and Prut rivers) (2008)
- country comparison to the world: 83
Romania
1,731 km
country comparison to the world: 48
note: includes 1,075 km on Danube River, 524 km on secondary branches, and 132 km on canals (2006)
Switzerland
- 65 km; (Rhine River between Basel-Rheinfelden and Schaffhausen-Bodensee) (2008)
- country comparison to the world: 103
Middle East
4 entriesNorth America
3 entriesCanada
636 km
country comparison to the world: 78
note: Saint Lawrence Seaway of 3,769 km, including the Saint Lawrence River of 3,058 km, shared with United States (2008)
Mexico
2,900 km (navigable rivers and coastal canals mostly connected with ports on the country's east coast) (2010)
country comparison to the world: 34
United States
41,009 km (19,312 km used for commerce)
country comparison to the world: 4
note: Saint Lawrence Seaway of 3,769 km, including the Saint Lawrence River of 3,058 km, shared with Canada (2008)
Oceania
4 entriesSouth America
11 entriesBolivia
10,000 km (commercially navigable almost exclusively in the northern and eastern parts of the country) (2010)
country comparison to the world: 13
Brazil
- 50,000 km (most in areas remote from industry and population) (2010)
- country comparison to the world: 3
Guyana
330 km
country comparison to the world: 92
note: Berbice, Demerara, and Essequibo rivers are navigable by oceangoing vessels for 150 km, 100 km, and 80 km respectively (2010)
Paraguay
- 3,100 km (primarily on the Paraguay and Paraná river systems) (2010)
- country comparison to the world: 33
Peru
8,808 km
country comparison to the world: 14
note: 8,600 km of navigable tributaries on Amazon system and 208 km on Lago Titicaca (2010)
Suriname
- 1,200 km (most navigable by ships with drafts up to 7 m) (2010)
- country comparison to the world: 60
Venezuela
7,100 km
country comparison to the world: 21
note: Orinoco River (400 km) and Lake de Maracaibo navigable by oceangoing vessels (2010)
Southeast Asia
9 entriesBrunei
209 km (navigable by craft drawing less than 1.2 m; the Belait, Brunei, and Tutong rivers are major transport links) (2011)
country comparison to the world: 97
Laos
4,600 km
country comparison to the world: 24
note: primarily Mekong and tributaries; 2,900 additional km are intermittently navigable by craft drawing less than 0.5 m (2010)
Malaysia
7,200 km
country comparison to the world: 20
note: Peninsular Malaysia 3,200 km; Sabah 1,500 km; Sarawak 2,500 km (2011)
Philippines
- 3,219 km; (limited to vessels with draft less than 1.5 m) (2011)
- country comparison to the world: 31
Thailand
4,000 km
country comparison to the world: 27
note: 3,701 km navigable by boats with drafts up to 0.9 m (2010)
Vietnam
- 17,702 km (5,000 km navigable by vessels up to 1.8 m draft) (2011)
- country comparison to the world: 7
Cite this page
Central Intelligence Agency. The World Factbook 2010, “Waterways”, all entries. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/fields/waterways/2010.