Why do almost all rivers in the world flow North to South?

DaveC426913 · Dec 12, 2023

BWV said:

Here is a global map of continental divides, alot of drainage to N,W and E

As well as the ... fifth cardinal direction, I guess?
Downward? Inward? (Endorheic)

berkeman · Dec 13, 2023

DaveC426913 said:

As well as the ... fifth cardinal direction, I guess?
Downward? Inward? (Endorheic)

Iceman81 · Dec 16, 2023

sevensages said:

TL;DR Summary: Why do almost all rivers in the world flow from North to South?

I recently heard the narrator of a podcast state that the current of almost all rivers in the world flows from North to South. The narrator said the Nile River is one of very few rivers in the world that flows from South to North.

I cannot figure out why almost all rivers in the world have a current that flows from North to South. It is my understanding that gravity is the force that drives the current in rivers. Gravity causes the water in a river to move toward the lowest ground possible. So if almost all rivers in the world flow North to South, it seems like the lowest ground at the end of almost all rivers would be at the southern most point of the river. But why would the lowest point at the end of almost all rivers be at the southern most end of a river? To me, I don't see any reason why the flow of rivers would not be divided roughly equal with approximately 25% flowing to the South, 25% flowing to the North, 25% flowing to the East, and roughly 25% flowing to the West.

Why does the current of almost all rivers in the world flow from North to South?

While I'm finding a lot of the comments entertaining, I have three things I'd like to reinforce/add:
Rivers flow in all directions. If you look at any large body of water (ocean or lake) or any major river:
Tributaries/rivers joining said body of water:
From the South will flow North into this body of water.
From the West will flow East into this body of water.
From the North will flow South into this body of water.
From the East will flow West into this body of water.
Water flows downhill, period.
I was falsely taught in grade school that almost every river flows South. I come across this statement frequently, and, what I want to know is: Where does it come from? I think there must have been a geography book from the 40's or 50's that taught this, because frequently it's boomers who state this (I'm 66).

DaveC426913 · Dec 16, 2023

Iceman81 said:

Where does it come from?

I'd guess that most geography lessons concentrated on the middle latitudes where the bulk of the population resides, myopically analogous to the way that Western maps habitually used to put NorthAm at the centre, thus:

Why do almost all rivers in the world flow North to South?

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