Just 10 rivers are carrying 90% of the plastic entering the oceans, a study has found.

Two of them are in Africa - the Nile and the Niger - while the others are in Asia: the Indus, Ganges, Amur, Mekong, Pearl, Hai he, Yellow and Yangtze.

As well as being some of the world's longest rivers, they have big populations alongside them.

The Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research in Leipzig, Germany, also said they tend to be in countries where waste control could be better.

:: Yangtze River, China


This was the worst offender, according to research published in the journal Environmental Science & Technology. It carries up to 1.5 million tonnes of plastic into the sea every year. In contrast, the Thames puts 18 tonnes of plastic into the ocean.

Image: Research suggests more plastic enters the sea from the Yangtze River than from any other

:: Hai he River, China

This waterway connects Beijing to Tianjin and the Bohai Sea. Its annual flow is only one-thirtieth the Yangtze's, and half that of the Yellow River.

Image: The Hai he connects Beijing to Tianjin

:: Yellow River, China

After the Yangtze and the Yenisei, this is the third-longest river in Asia - and the sixth-longest river system in the world. It flows through nine provinces before emptying into the Bohai Sea.

Image: The Yellow is the third-longest river in Asia

:: Mekong River - various countries

This is the second-longest river in Asia, travelling through China, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam.

Image: The Mekong River travels through six countries

:: Pearl River - China and Vietnam

Named after pearl-coloured shells that lie at the bottom of the river in the section that flows through the city of Guangzhou.

Image: A child sits beside the Pearl River

:: Indus River - China, India, Pakistan

Pakistan's longest river. Its basin covers about 384,000 square miles of open land, of which 204,000 lie in Pakistan.

Image: The Indus is Pakistan's longest river

:: Ganges River - India and Bangladesh

Despite millions of Indians depending on it for their daily needs, the Ganges is considered to be the fifth most polluted river in the world. It contains human waste and industrial contaminants, but provides water to about 40% of India's population.

Image: The Ganges is considered the fifth most polluted river in the world

:: Amur River - Russia, China

This waterway forms the border between Russia and China, and has been an important part of Chinese-Russian relations.

Image: The Khabarovsk Bridge, crossing the Amur River in eastern Russia

:: Nile River - multiple countries

Commonly regarded as the longest river in the world, its basin covers 11 countries including Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia and Kenya.

Image: The Nile basin covers 11 countres

:: Niger River - various countries

This is the principle river of western Africa, running through Guinea, Mali, Niger, Benin and Nigeria.