| Field Listing - Waterways
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Country | Waterways (km)
Afghanistan | 1,200 km (chiefly Amu Darya, which handles vessels up to 500 DWT) (2007)
Albania | 43 km (2007)
Angola | 1,300 km (2007)
Argentina | 11,000 km (2006)
Australia | 2,000 km (mainly used for recreation on Murray and Murray-Darling river systems) (2006)
Austria | 358 km (2007)
Bangladesh | 8,370 km note: includes up to 3,060 km main cargo routes; network reduced to 5,200 km in dry season (2006)
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) (2006)
Belize | 825 km (navigable only by small craft) (2007)
Benin | 150 km (on River Niger along northern border) (2005)
Bolivia | 10,000 km (commercially navigable) (2007)
Bosnia and Herzegovina | Sava River (northern border) open to shipping but use limited (2006)
Brazil | 50,000 km (most in areas remote from industry and population) (2007)
Brunei | 209 km (navigable by craft drawing less than 1.2 m) (2007)
Bulgaria | 470 km (2007)
Burma | 12,800 km (2007)
Burundi | mainly on Lake Tanganyika (2005)
Cambodia | 2,400 km (mainly on Mekong River) (2005)
Cameroon | navigation mainly on Benue River; limited during rainy season (2005)
Canada | 636 km note: Saint Lawrence Seaway of 3,769 km, including the Saint Lawrence River of 3,058 km, shared with United States (2007)
Central African Republic | 2,800 km (primarily on the Oubangui and Sangha rivers) (2006)
Chad | Chari and Legone rivers are navigable only in wet season (2006)
China | 124,000 km navigable (2006)
Colombia | 18,000 km (2006)
Congo, Democratic Republic of the | 15,000 km (2005)
Congo, Republic of the | 1,125 km (commercially navigable on Congo and Oubanqui rivers) (2006)
Costa Rica | 730 km (seasonally navigable by small craft) (2007)
Cote d'Ivoire | 980 km (navigable rivers, canals, and numerous coastal lagoons) (2006)
Croatia | 785 km (2007)
Cuba | 240 km (2007)
Czech Republic | 664 km (principally on Elbe, Vltava, Oder, and other navigable rivers, lakes, and canals) (2006)
Denmark | 400 km (2007)
Ecuador | 1,500 km (most inaccessible) (2006)
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 (2006)
El Salvador | Rio Lempa partially navigable for small craft (2007)
Estonia | 320 km (2006)
European Union | 52,332 km (2006)
Fiji | 203 km note: 122 km navigable by motorized craft and 200-metric-ton barges (2006)
Finland | 7,842 km note: includes Saimaa Canal system of 3,577 km; southern part leased from Russia (2006)
France | metropolitan France: 8,500 km (1,686 km accessible to craft of 3,000 metric tons) French Guiana: 3,760 km (460 km navigable by small oceangoing vessels and coastal and river steamers, 3,300 km by native craft) (2006)
Gabon | 1,600 km (310 km on Ogooue River) (2007)
Gambia, The | 390 km (on River Gambia; small ocean-going vessels can reach 190 km) (2006)
Germany | 7,467 km note: Rhine River carries most goods; Main-Danube Canal links North Sea and Black Sea (2006)
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 (2007)
Greece | 6 km note: Corinth Canal (6 km) crosses the Isthmus of Corinth; shortens sea voyage by 325 km (2007)
Guatemala | 990 km note: 260 km navigable year round; additional 730 km navigable during high-water season (2007)
Guinea | 1,300 km (navigable by shallow-draft native craft) (2005)
Guinea-Bissau | rivers are navigable for some distance; many inlets and creeks give shallow-water access to much of interior (2007)
Guyana | Berbice, Demerara, and Essequibo rivers are navigable by oceangoing vessels for 150 km, 100 km, and 80 km respectively (2006)
Honduras | 465 km (most navigable only by small craft) (2007)
Hungary | 1,622 km (most on Danube River) (2007)
India | 14,500 km note: 5,200 km on major rivers and 485 km on canals suitable for mechanized vessels (2006)
Indonesia | 21,579 km (2007)
Iran | 850 km (on Karun River; additional service on Lake Urmia) (2006)
Iraq | 5,279 km note: Euphrates River (2,815 km), Tigris River (1,899 km), and Third River (565 km) are principal waterways (2006)
Ireland | 956 km (pleasure craft only) (2007)
Italy | 2,400 km note: used for commercial traffic; of limited overall value compared to road and rail (2006)
Japan | 1,770 km (seagoing vessels use inland seas) (2007)
Kazakhstan | 4,000 km (on the Ertis ((Irtysh)) River (80%) and Syr Darya ((Syrdariya)) River) (2006)
Kenya | part of Lake Victoria system is within boundaries of Kenya (2006)
Kiribati | 5 km (small network of canals in Line Islands) (2007)
Korea, North | 2,250 km (most navigable only by small craft) (2007)
Korea, South | 1,608 km (most navigable only by small craft) (2007)
Kyrgyzstan | 600 km (2007)
Laos | 4,600 km note: primarily Mekong and tributaries; 2,900 additional km are intermittently navigable by craft drawing less than 0.5 m (2007)
Latvia | 300 km (2006)
Liechtenstein | 28 km (2006)
Lithuania | 441 km (2006)
Luxembourg | 37 km (on Moselle River) (2007)
Madagascar | 600 km (2006)
Malawi | 700 km (on Lake Nyasa (Lake Malawi) and Shire River) (2007)
Malaysia | 7,200 km note: Peninsular Malaysia 3,200 km; Sabah 1,500 km; Sarawak 2,500 km (2005)
Mali | 1,800 km (2007)
Mexico | 2,900 km (navigable rivers and coastal canals) (2007)
Moldova | 424 km (on Dniester and Prut rivers) (2007)
Mongolia | 580 km note: only waterway in operation is Lake Hovsgol (135 km); Selenge River (270 km) and Orhon 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) (2007)
Netherlands | 6,211 km (navigable for ships of 50 tons) (2006)
Nicaragua | 2,220 km (including lakes Managua and Nicaragua) (2007)
Niger | 300 km (the Niger, the only major river, is navigable to Gaya between September and March) (2005)
Nigeria | 8,600 km (Niger and Benue rivers and smaller rivers and creeks) (2007)
Norway | 1,577 km (2007)
Panama | 800 km (includes 82 km Panama Canal) (2007)
Papua New Guinea | 11,000 km (2006)
Paraguay | 3,100 km (2007)
Peru | 8,808 km note: 8,600 km of navigable tributaries of Amazon system and 208 km of Lago Titicaca (2007)
Philippines | 3,219 km (limited to vessels with draft less than 1.5 m) (2007)
Poland | 3,997 km (navigable rivers and canals) (2006)
Portugal | 210 km (on Douro River from Porto) (2006)
Romania | 1,731 km note: includes 1,075 km on Danube River, 524 km on secondary branches, and 132 km on canals (2006)
Russia | 102,000 km (including 33,000 km with guaranteed depth) note: 72,000 km system in European Russia links Baltic Sea, White Sea, Caspian Sea, Sea of Azov, and Black Sea (2006)
Rwanda | Lac Kivu navigable by shallow-draft barges and native craft (2006)
Senegal | 1,000 km (primarily on Senegal, Saloum, and Casamance rivers) (2005)
Serbia | 587 km (primarily on Danube and Sava rivers) (2005)
Sierra Leone | 800 km (600 km year round) (2005)
Slovakia | 172 km (on Danube River) (2005)
Spain | 1,000 km (2003)
Sri Lanka | 160 km (primarily on rivers in southwest) (2006)
Sudan | 4,068 km (1,723 km open year round on White and Blue Nile rivers) (2006)
Suriname | 1,200 km (most navigable by ships with drafts up to 7 m) (2005)
Sweden | 2,052 km (2005)
Switzerland | 65 km (Rhine River between Basel-Rheinfelden and Schaffhausen-Bodensee) (2003)
Syria | 900 km (not economically significant) (2005)
Tajikistan | 200 km (along Vakhsh River) (2006)
Tanzania | Lake Tanganyika, Lake Victoria, and Lake Nyasa principal avenues of commerce with neighboring countries; rivers not navigable (2005)
Thailand | 4,000 km note: 3,701 km navigable by boats with drafts up to 0.9 m (2005)
Togo | 50 km (seasonally on Mono River depending on rainfall) (2005)
Turkey | 1,200 km (2005)
Turkmenistan | 1,300 km (Amu Darya and Kara Kum canal important inland waterways) (2006)
Uganda | on Lake Victoria, 200 km on Lake Albert, Lake Kyoga, and parts of Albert Nile (2005)
Ukraine | 2,253 km (most on Dnieper River) (2006)
United Kingdom | 3,200 km (620 km used for commerce) (2003)
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 (2007)
Uruguay | 1,600 km (2005)
Uzbekistan | 1,100 km (2006)
Venezuela | 7,100 km note: Orinoco River (400 km) and Lake de Maracaibo navigable by oceangoing vessels (2005)
Vietnam | 17,702 km (5,000 km navigable by vessels up to 1.8 m draft) (2005)
World | 671,886 km (2004)
Zambia | 2,250 km (includes Lake Tanganyika and the Zambezi and Luapula rivers) (2005)
Zimbabwe | on Lake Kariba (2005)
This page was last updated on 18 December 2008