The World's Most Famous Rivers

Between the Danube's role in establishing early Eastern European cities and the Ganges' role in shepherding the souls of the dead to paradise, rivers across the world have played a critical part in human history and continue to be a crucial piece of our environment. This Woman's Day article features a few of the world's most famous rivers, from the Nile to the Amazon.

One of the lesser-known rivers featured is also one of the most beautiful, the picturesque Caño Cristales (seen above). Every fall, the river is taken over by brightly colored algae, turning the water gorgeous shades of red, orange, yellow, green and blue—and inspiring its nickname, "river that ran away from paradise."

[Image courtesy of CultivArte and CollaborationNation's Flickr stream]