Water is a fundamental natural element for human life, especially in its potable form. Although our planet is made up of 70% water, there is a scarcity of this resource, since only 3% of the total water is considered potable. Fresh water is present in rivers, lakes and underground reservoirs, and there is a small part in the form of vapor in the air. However, certain countries dominate most of these rivers and, so that you know them, we have made a list of the 7 countries with the largest freshwater reservoirs.
Read more:Did you know that the largest freshwater aquarium is in Brazil?
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Countries with the largest freshwater reservoirs
7. U.S
You U.S they have more than 2070 km³ of fresh water in their territory, which comes from their various lakes and rivers. Despite the large volume of water, this resource ends up being poorly distributed in the country. This happens because countries in the North region are the richest in water, while countries further south, such as California, suffer from extreme droughts for most of the year.
The main rivers of this country are the Mississippi, Missouri, Columbia and Colorado.
6. Colombia
The volume of fresh water in Colombia is 2132 km³, which makes it the second country with the highest amount of fresh water in South America. Most of this water is used for the population's own consumption, also feeding the country's natural resources.
The main river in the country, in fact, is Brazilian. That is, the Amazon River passes through a large part of Colombian territory. Other important rivers for the country are the Rio Negro, which also passes through Brazil, and the Orinoco and Magdalena rivers.
5. China
The Asian giant enters this list of countries thanks to its 2830 km³ of own water resources. Despite the huge volume of water, China faces water problems related to pollution and excessive use of rivers, which threaten to cease to exist in a few years. Another problem is contamination resulting from industrial activities, which dump heavy metals into water and make it unfit for consumption.
The main river in this country is the Yangtze River, which is more than 6000 km long.
4. Indonesia
The country, which is actually the largest archipelago in the world, enters the list due to its 2838 km³ of fresh water volume.
The most notorious rivers are the highly touristic Kapuas, Musi and Brantas.
3. Canada
The second largest country in territory could not be out of the list. Canada is rich in rivers, ponds and lakes, which give the country about 2902 km³ of fresh water.
Highlights include the Yukon and Mackenzie rivers, as well as the famous Niagara Falls.
2. Russia
If before we talked about the second largest country, now we are talking about the number one country in terms of territory. Russia has about 4507 km³ of fresh water in its vast territory, which makes it the second country with the largest volume of water in the world.
There are several rivers and lakes that place Russia in this top 2, but it is worth highlighting the famous Volga River and Dion River.
1. Brazil
Our country ranks first in the world in terms of water resources, most of which is located in the Amazon. Brazil has 8233 km³ of its own fresh water in its territory, spread across the country's various biomes. Despite the enormous volume of fresh water, some regions still face droughts, as there is no balanced distribution of resources due to climatic and regional differences.
In Brazil, it is worth mentioning the famous Iguaçu Falls, the Amazon River (the largest in the world by volume) and the São Francisco, Negro and Solimões rivers.
