| Rivers and Glaciers Rivers carry away huge amounts of rock from mountains as well as sand and mud from the land, often dumping it on river banks and in the sea. They wear away the land, carving out valleys and making flat plains. Glaciers flow down mountain slopes, changing the shape of the land in mountainous areas. They carry loose rocks downhill and gouge out steep-sided valleys. River and Glacier Facts The World's longest river is the Nile in East Africa. It measures 6,671 km ( 4,145 miles ) from its source to the point where it meets the sea. About one-fiftieth of the world's fresh water is frozen in the huge ice sheets in Antarctica and Greenland, in ice caps in such places as Canada, and in glaciers. There are glaciers in most of the world's high mountain ranges. The world's highest waterfall is Angel Falls in Venezuela. It tumbles 979 m ( 3, 212 ft ) over a cliff in a highland area. |
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