| Field Listing - Waterways
Home Reference Maps Appendixes
Country | Waterways (km)
Afghanistan | 1,200 km note: chiefly Amu Darya, which handles vessels up to 500 DWT (2004)
Albania | 43 km (2004)
Angola | 1,300 km (2004)
Argentina | 11,000 km (2004)
Australia | 2,000 km (mainly used for recreation on Murray and Murray-Darling river systems) (2004)
Austria | 358 km (2003)
Bangladesh | 8,372 km note: includes 2,575 km main cargo routes (2004)
Belarus | 2,500 km (use limited by location on perimeter of country and by shallowness) (2003)
Belgium | 2,043 km (1,528 km in regular commercial use) (2003)
Belize | 825 km (navigable only by small craft) (2004)
Benin | 150 km (on River Niger along northern border) (2004)
Bolivia | 10,000 km (commercially navigable) (2004)
Bosnia and Herzegovina | Sava River (northern border) open to shipping but use limited because of no agreement with neighboring countries (2004)
Brazil | 50,000 km (most in areas remote from industry and population) (2004)
Brunei | 209 km (navigable by craft drawing less than 1.2 m) (2004)
Bulgaria | 470 km (2004)
Burma | 12,800 km (2004)
Burundi | mainly on Lake Tanganyika (2004)
Cambodia | 2,400 km (mainly on Mekong River) (2004)
Cameroon | navigation mainly on Benue River; limited during rainy season (2004)
Canada | 631 km note: Saint Lawrence Seaway of 3,769 km, including the Saint Lawrence River of 3,058 km, shared with United States (2003)
Central African Republic | 2,800 km (primarily on the Oubangui and Sangha rivers) (2004)
Chad | Chari and Legone rivers are navigable only in wet season (2002)
China | 121,557 km (2002)
Colombia | 9,187 km (2004)
Congo, Democratic Republic of the | 15,000 km (navigation on the Congo curtailed by fighting) (2004)
Congo, Republic of the | 4,385 km (on Congo and Oubanqui rivers) (2004)
Costa Rica | 730 km (seasonally navigable by small craft) (2004)
Cote d'Ivoire | 980 km (navigable rivers, canals, and numerous coastal lagoons) (2003)
Croatia | 785 km (2004)
Cuba | 240 km (2004)
Czech Republic | 664 km (on Elbe, Vlatava, and Oder rivers) (2004)
Denmark | 417 km (2001)
Ecuador | 1,500 km (most inaccessible) (2003)
Egypt | 3,500 km 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 (2004)
El Salvador | Rio Lempa partially navigable (2004)
Estonia | 500 km (2003)
European Union | 53,512 km
Fiji | 203 km note: 122 km navigable by motorized craft and 200-metric-ton barges (2004)
Finland | 7,842 km note: includes Saimaa Canal system of 3,577 km; southern part leased from Russia (2004)
France | 8,500 km (1,686 km accessible to craft of 3,000 metric tons) (2000)
French Guiana | 3,760 km note: 460 km navigable by small oceangoing vessels and coastal and river steamers, 3,300 km by native craft (2004)
Gabon | 1,600 km (310 km on Ogooue River) (2003)
Gambia, The | 390 km (on River Gambia; small ocean-going vessels can reach 190 km) (2004)
Germany | 7,300 km note: Rhine River carries most goods; Main-Danube Canal links North Sea and Black Sea (2004)
Ghana | 1,293 km note: 168 km for launches and lighters on Volta, Ankobra, and Tano rivers; 1,125 km of arterial and feeder waterways on Lake Volta (2003)
Greece | 6 km note: Corinth Canal (6 km) crosses the Isthmus of Corinth; shortens sea voyage by 325 km (2004)
Guatemala | 990 km note: 260 km navigable year round; additional 730 km navigable during high-water season (2004)
Guinea | 1,295 km (navigable by shallow-draft native craft) (2003)
Guinea-Bissau | 4 largest rivers are navigable for some distance; many inlets and creeks give shallow-water access to much of interior (2004)
Guyana | 1,077 km note: Berbice, Demerara, and Essequibo rivers are navigable by oceangoing vessels for 150 km, 100 km, and 80 km respectively (2004)
Honduras | 465 km (most navigable only by small craft) (2004)
Hungary | 1,622 km (most on Danube River) (2004)
India | 14,500 km note: 5,200 km on major rivers and 485 km on canals suitable for mechanized vessels (2004)
Indonesia | 21,579 km note: Sumatra 5,471 km, Java and Madura 820 km, Kalimantan 10,460 km, Sulawesi (Celebes) 241 km, Irian Jaya 4,587 km (2004)
Iran | 850 km (on Karun River and Lake Urmia) (2004)
Iraq | 5,275 km (not all navigable) note: Euphrates River (2,815 km), Tigris River (1,895 km), and Third River (565 km) are principal waterways (2004)
Ireland | 753 km (pleasure craft only) (2004)
Italy | 2,400 km note: used for commercial traffic; of limited overall value compared to road and rail (2004)
Japan | 1,770 km (seagoing vessels use inland seas) (2004)
Kazakhstan | 4,000 km note: on the Syr Darya (Syrdariya) and Ertis (Irtysh) rivers (2004)
Kenya | part of Lake Victoria system is within boundaries of Kenya (2004)
Kiribati | 5 km (small network of canals in Line Islands) (2003)
Korea, North | 2,250 km note: most navigable only by small craft (2004)
Korea, South | 1,608 km note: most navigable only by small craft (2004)
Kyrgyzstan | 600 km (2004)
Laos | 4,600 km note: primarily Mekong and tributaries; 2,897 additional km are intermittently navigable by craft drawing less than 0.5 m (2003)
Latvia | 300 km (2004)
Liechtenstein | 28 km (2004)
Lithuania | 600 km (2004)
Luxembourg | 37 km (on Moselle River) (2003)
Madagascar | 600 km (2004)
Malawi | 700 km note: on Lake Nyasa (Lake Malawi) and Shire River (2003)
Malaysia | 7,200 km note: Peninsular Malaysia 3,200 km, Sabah 1,500 km, Sarawak 2,500 km (2004)
Mali | 1,815 km (2004)
Mauritania | some ferry traffic on Senegal River (2004)
Mexico | 2,900 km note: navigable rivers and coastal canals (2004)
Moldova | 424 km (2004)
Mongolia | 580 km note: only waterway in operation is Lake Khovsgol (135 km); Selenge River (270 km) and Orkhon River (175 km) are navigable but carry little traffic; lakes and rivers freeze in winter, are open from May to September (2004)
Mozambique | 460 km (Zambezi River navigable to Tete and along Cahora Bassa Lake) (2004)
Netherlands | 5,046 km (navigable for ships of 50 tons) (2004)
Nicaragua | 2,220 km (including lakes Managua and Nicaragua) (1997)
Niger | 300 km note: Niger River is navigable to Gaya between September and March (2004)
Nigeria | 8,600 km (Niger and Benue rivers and smaller rivers and creeks) (2004)
Panama | 800 km (includes 82 km Panama Canal) (2004)
Papua New Guinea | 10,940 km (2003)
Paraguay | 3,100 km (2004)
Peru | 8,808 km note: 8,600 km of navigable tributaries of Amazon system and 208 km of Lago Titicaca (2004)
Philippines | 3,219 km note: limited to vessels with draft less than 1.5 m (2004)
Poland | 3,997 km (navigable rivers and canals) (2003)
Portugal | 210 km (on Douro River from Porto) (2003)
Romania | 1,731 km (2004)
Russia | 96,000 km note: 72,000 km system in European Russia links Baltic Sea, White Sea, Caspian Sea, Sea of Azov, and Black Sea (2004)
Rwanda | Lac Kivu navigable by shallow-draft barges and native craft (2004)
Senegal | 1,000 km (primarily on Senegal, Saloum, and Casamance rivers) (2003)
Serbia and Montenegro | 587 km note: Danube River traffic delayed by pontoon bridge at Novi Sad; plan to replace by summer of 2005 (2004)
Sierra Leone | 800 km (2003)
Slovakia | 172 km (on Danube River) (2004)
Spain | 1,045 km (2003)
Sri Lanka | 160 km (primarily on rivers in southwest) (2004)
Sudan | 4,068 km (1,723 km open year round on White and Blue Nile rivers) (2004)
Suriname | 1,200 km (most navigable by ships with drafts up to 7 m) (2003)
Switzerland | 65 km note: Rhine River between Basel-Rheinfelden and Schaffhausen-Bodensee, some canals, and 12 navigable lakes (2003)
Syria | 900 km (not economically significant) (2002)
Tajikistan | 200 km (along Vakhsh River) (2003)
Tanzania | Lake Tanganyika, Lake Victoria, and Lake Nyasa principal avenues of commerce with neighboring countries; rivers not navigable (2004)
Thailand | 4,000 km note: 3,701 km navigable by boats with drafts up to 0.9 m (2003)
Togo | 50 km (seasonally on Mono River depending on rainfall) (2003)
Turkey | 1,200 km (2003)
Turkmenistan | 1,300 km (Amu Darya and Kara Kum canal important inland waterways) (2003)
Uganda | 300 km (on Lake Victoria, 200 km on Lake Albert, Lake Kyoga, and parts of Albert Nile) (2004 est.)
Ukraine | 1,672 km (most on Dnieper River) (2004)
United Kingdom | 3,200 km (620 km used for commerce) (2004)
United States | 41,009 km (19,312 km used for commerce) note: Saint Lawrence Seaway of 3,769 km, including the Saint Lawrence River of 3,058 km, shared with Canada (2004)
Uruguay | 1,600 km (2002)
Uzbekistan | 1,100 km (2004)
Venezuela | 7,100 km note: Orinoco River and Lake de Maracaibo navigable by oceangoing vessels, Orinoco for 400 km (2004)
Vietnam | 17,702 km (5,000 km navigable by vessels up to 1.8 m draft) (2004)
Zambia | 2,250 km note: includes Lake Tanganyika and the Zambezi and Luapula rivers (2003)
Zimbabwe | on Lake Kariba, length small (2003)
This page was last updated on 10 February, 2005