Special Sub-Topic: Winding Waters of the World Click Here To Play: Winding Waters of the World

First, let's deal with a commonly known river. Off to Africa! The Blue Nile, a tributary of the Nile, flows through which of these countries?

Ethiopia. The Blue Nile rises in Lake Tana in northern Ethiopia. It joins the White Nile at Khartoum, Sudan to form the full-fledged Nile River.

Next, we're off to South America. Which Amazon River tributary shares its name with a Portugese island territory?

Madeira. The Madeira River is formed at the junction of the Madre de Dios and the Mamore Rivers on the border of Bolivia and Brazil. The territory of Madeira lies off the western shore of Morocco. Its capital is Funchal.

Speaking of Portugal, which river runs through Lisbon, its capital?

Tagus. The Tagus rises in eastern Spain at the base of the Iberian Mountains and widens into a bay when it eventually reaches Lisbon.

If we move east across Europe, we'll eventually come to Russia. Which river, whose system is with the Irtysh river, flows into a gulf of the same name?

Ob. The Yenisey flows into the Kara Sea, the Lena flows into the Laptev Sea, and the Volga flows into the Caspian Sea. The Ob-Irtysh river system is the fifth longest in the world. It also flows into the Kara Sea, but by way of the Gulf of Ob and past the Yamal Peninsula.

That's enough of Europe. Let's go to Australia, shall we? Which river of Australia could you not ride a boat on? In other words, which river did I simply make up?

Klinsey. The Finke flows into Lake Eyre. The Darling runs south throlugh New South Wales until it meets the Paroo to form the Murray, which flows into South Australia and into the Indian Ocean by way of Encounter Bay. The Klinsey, of course, runs only through the vast canyons of my mind...

Let's go north a bit to northern Asia. Which river forms the border between North Korea and China?

Yalu. After the offensive at Inchon, the Yalu River became the farthest that coalition forces penetrated into North Korea at the end of the Korean War. Here General MacArthur wanted to expand the war into China using nuclear weapons. He was eventually fired by President Truman over this issue.

If we travel east a little, we'll come to the mighty Brahmaputra River, famous for its delta in Bangladesh. In which country does the Brahmaputra rise?

China. The Brahmaputra rises in China and flows east into India before curving back west, then south, forming the massive delta in Bangladesh, and then into the Bay of Bengal.

Which of these rivers flows from east to west, eventually joining the Mississippi River on its journey to the Gulf of Mexico?

Wabash. The Platte flows west from Nebraska, the Canadian flows west from Oklahoma through the Arkanasas River, The Wabash, however, flows from the east, rising in Ohio and mainly running through Indiana until it joins the Ohio, and then, the "Father of Waters," the mighty Mississippi River.

Hola amigos! Como estas hoy? Bien? Si, si! Of course, the Rio Grande flows along the border of Texas and Mexico. But do you know in which state the Rio Grande starts?

Colorado. The Rio Grande, the "Big River," rises in southern Colorado. From there it flows almost directly south until it curves east to form the border between Texas and Mexico. (And by the way...a translation: "Hello friends! How are you today?Good? Yes, yes!")

For our last question, we revert back to Asia. Which Middle Eastern country has no natural rivers?

Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia has many irrigation systems, but it has no natural rivers! Even though it is a very arid region, this is a surprising fact considering the large size of the country.