The actual and direct lengths of all the principal rivers in Europe, with the areas of their basins and the principal towns on which they are situated, are shown in the following tabular statement. The European river basins are inclined to the Arctic Ocean, to the Atlantic and North Sea, to the Baltic, to the North Sea, to the Mediterranean, to the Black Sea, or to the Caspian.

The remarkable differences between the total length of the basins and their direct length will be noted. The Danube, for example, is, in actual length, nearly double its direct length; and so also with the Don, the Salembria, the Charente, the Rhone, the Po, and others; while the Volga is more than twice its direct length, and the Ural more than three times as much.

The Volga, with a total length of 2400 miles is the longest river in Europe, but its direct length of 1080 miles is but little superior to that of the Danube with a length of 980 miles. Twenty-one basins in all incline to the Atlantic, five to the Arctic Ocean, thirteen to the Baltic, eight to the North Sea, thirteen to the Mediterranean, three to the Caspian, and five to the Black Sea. The enormous length of the basins inclining to the two latter seas, makes their aggregate mileage and area drained larger than those of any other.