Length2.5 million m
25.3 millionChicken wing lengths
4.2 millionTumbleweed diameters
Himalayas to Bay of Bengal
Photo from Wikimedia Commons
Ganges River
India's holiest river, sustaining 400 million people/Rivers
The Ganges (Ganga) flows 2,525 km from the Gangotri Glacier in the Himalayas to the Bay of Bengal, where it forms the world's largest river delta (with the Brahmaputra). The Ganges basin supports about 400 million people, making it the most densely populated river basin in the world. The river is sacred in Hinduism, and the city of Varanasi on its banks is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. Ritual bathing in the Ganges is believed to wash away sins and break the cycle of reincarnation.
Measurements
Drainage basin1.1 trillion m2
3.5 hundredthsAfricas
1.4 billionBaseball diamonds
1.06 million square kilometers
Average discharge12,015 m3
3,534Dumpsters
400,500Large watermelons
10,633Porta-potties
Per second at the mouth
Source elevation3,892 m
40,124Softball diameters
2,561Desk widths
Gangotri Glacier terminus
Width at Varanasi450 m
5.4 tenthsBurj Khalifas
1,364Hammer lengths
5,233Credit card lengths
Through the holy city
Delta area105 billion m2
175 trillionPostage stamps
6.2 trillionHuman palms
70 billionMoose antlers
Ganges-Brahmaputra delta, largest in the world