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Re:Egypt builds worlds largest man-made river by ChuckMcM on Monday April 24, 2023 @02:04PM (#35691012)
The California aqueduct (444 miles, 714km) would like to have a word :-).

Basically built for the same reason, the central valley of California was mostly arid but the top soil was good for agriculture. The underground aquifer was a limit on how much farming (and of what type) could be done.

Re:Egypt builds worlds largest man-made river by Retric on Monday April 24, 2023 @02:36PM (#35691387)
An aqueduct isn’t a river. While the exact definition may seem vague the use of multiple pumping stations along the Californi aqueduct are one obvious difference.

Ex: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edmonston_Pumping_Plant, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dos_Amigos_Pumping_Plant, etc.

Re:Egypt builds worlds largest man-made river by woodruffw on Tuesday April 25, 2023 @12:56AM (#35696653)
It's unclear that the river in the article is a river in the conventional sense, either: it seems to be routed underground for long stretches of tunnel at points.

(The longest tunnel in the world is also a water tunnel, and supplies NYC with water[1].)

[1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delaware_Aqueduct

Re:Egypt builds worlds largest man-made river by Retric on Tuesday April 25, 2023 @09:59AM (#35700586)
Natural rivers will sometimes flow underground: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subterranean_river
Re:Egypt builds worlds largest man-made river by MichaelZuo on Monday April 24, 2023 @02:11PM (#35691102)
There are indeed several man-made rivers longer then this so it's unclear what the editors were thinking with this headline.

The longest one that I know of is the Grand Canal in China, which begain construction approx. 1400 years ago. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Canal_(China)

Re:Egypt builds worlds largest man-made river by dogma1138 on Monday April 24, 2023 @02:26PM (#35691265)
Whilst it could be that the editor or author are technically wrong it’s also quite possible that they might be technically correct and were just arguing semantics here.

As far as geography/geology/hydrology goes rivers have a specific definition which the grand canal might not fit especially as one big system since afaik it extends and connects to multiple rivers and the water doesn’t flow in a single direction into a larger body of water.

Re:Egypt builds worlds largest man-made river by MichaelZuo on Monday April 24, 2023 @02:33PM (#35691349)
Each contiguous part of the Grand Canal only flows in one direction, it would be impossible for it to work otherwise.

You do have a point though that this new river in Egypt may be the 'largest' on some other metric.

Re:Egypt builds worlds largest man-made river by Retric on Monday April 24, 2023 @02:55PM (#35691607)
The issue isn’t direction but rather having multiple branches as a river only includes the main channel going downstream from a single point.

For example the Mississippi and Ohio river are considered different rivers even though their waters mix and both flow downstream through the same channel.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ohio_River, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mississippi_River

Re:Egypt builds worlds largest man-made river by meitham on Tuesday April 25, 2023 @01:31AM (#35696846)
According to this definition then Iraq’s man-made river (Saddam’s river) is longer at 565 km. the official role of the river was to collect irrigation water from Mesopotamia fertile land all the way to the Persian Gulf, though the real reason Saddam built it was to dry the Arab Marshes as it was difficult to contain the rebels in the marshes. https://ar.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D8%B5%D8%A8...
Re:Egypt builds worlds largest man-made river by Retric on Tuesday April 25, 2023 @09:58AM (#35700562)
I thought most of that 565km distance was an existing waterway.

In English: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Draining_of_the_Mesopotamian_M...

Re:Egypt builds worlds largest man-made river by carl_dr on Monday April 24, 2023 @06:27PM (#35694087)
I think the distinction the authors are making - correctly or not, I’m not sure, plenty of rivers don’t flow to the sea - is this artificial river flows into the sea, not into other canals or rivers.

The grand canal connects the Yellow and Yangtze rivers, for example.

Re:Egypt builds worlds largest man-made river by oh_sigh on Monday April 24, 2023 @02:28PM (#35691288)
Maybe it is by total volume or flow rate
Re:Egypt builds worlds largest man-made river by baud147258 on Monday April 24, 2023 @02:59PM (#35691664)
I don't think a canal that's split by locks would qualify as a river that's running in one direction all the way
Re:Egypt builds worlds largest man-made river by VBprogrammer on Tuesday April 25, 2023 @03:52AM (#35697701)
I don't think locks are the reason it wouldn't count. Otherwise the Thames would end at Teddington.
Re:Egypt builds worlds largest man-made river by dudeinjapan on Monday April 24, 2023 @06:09PM (#35693945)
So you're saying these Egyptians are in de nile?
Re:Egypt builds worlds largest man-made river by cpursley on Monday April 24, 2023 @07:10PM (#35694489)
Sarcasm like this is technically against HN policy but this made my day. Thanks for the laugh.
Re:Egypt builds worlds largest man-made river by dotancohen on Tuesday April 25, 2023 @10:06AM (#35700674)
That is not sarcasm. Not all jokes are sarcasm.
Re:Egypt builds worlds largest man-made river by teh_klev on Monday April 24, 2023 @11:40PM (#35696286)
I have been to the cloak room and got your coat.
Re:Egypt builds worlds largest man-made river by twothamendment on Tuesday April 25, 2023 @12:26AM (#35696474)
Lines like that are best kept in your Dad-a-base.
Re:Egypt builds worlds largest man-made river by joecool1029 on Monday April 24, 2023 @10:45PM (#35695986)
>There are indeed several man-made rivers longer then this so it's unclear what the editors were thinking with this headline.

There's one underground that's even longer: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delaware_Aqueduct

Re:Egypt builds worlds largest man-made river by vietvu on Tuesday April 25, 2023 @04:03AM (#35697765)
Currently China is building a new project: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South%E2%80%93North_Water_Tran... which I believe is larger.
Re:Egypt builds worlds largest man-made river by dogma1138 on Monday April 24, 2023 @02:12PM (#35691115)
This will act like a river as it does flow into the med and will create a new delta (hence the name).
Re:Egypt builds worlds largest man-made river by sidewndr46 on Monday April 24, 2023 @02:27PM (#35691276)
Doesn't California also contain the largest earthen dam or something to that extent? It's not as impressive as the Hoover dam or the Three Gorges dam but it's still huge from what I understand.
Re:Egypt builds worlds largest man-made river by PuffinBlue on Monday April 24, 2023 @05:30PM (#35693550)
Largest in the US at least.

Fairly recently it decided to shorten it's own spillway a bit though. Shortly afterwards it gained a whole lot of concrete.

Juan Brown has a very comprehensive series on that excitement[0]

[0]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wikin2TJ7b0&list=PL6SYmp3qb3...

Re:Egypt builds worlds largest man-made river by kpetermeni on Monday April 24, 2023 @03:17PM (#35691890)
Libya's Great Man-Made River (1,750mi, 2,820km) [0] would like to have a few more words :-). [0] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Man-Made_River
Re:Egypt builds worlds largest man-made river by nottorp on Monday April 24, 2023 @04:00PM (#35692371)
Let's nitpick then. It says: "According to its website, it is the largest underground network of pipes (2,820 kilometres (1,750 mi))[3] and aqueducts in the world.".

It could concievably have no pipe longer than 114 km.

Also if it's underground it's not a river?

Re:Egypt builds worlds largest man-made river by stickfigure on Monday April 24, 2023 @05:02PM (#35693246)
Re:Egypt builds worlds largest man-made river by afterburner on Monday April 24, 2023 @08:45PM (#35695197)
That's a heck of an aquifer. Libya is pumping 2.4 km^3 a year from the estimated 150,000 km^3 reserve.
Re:Egypt builds worlds largest man-made river by PicassoCTs on Monday April 24, 2023 @03:31PM (#35692067)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South%E2%80%93North_Water_Tran...

But this is could be a great moment of recognition, of how annoying american exceptionalism in all things is. Its always invented in the us, and all the greatest things are in the us, and that ignorant garbage is spilled everywhere for humanity must hear it. For here, you felt the annoyance about fanboyism, instead of information for yourself.

Now imagine that, in all us-based international media, 24/7. And that self-toasting nonsense is so pervasive, even the kids start to believe it, and start to question museums, showing earlier instances of "us" inventions.

How can a country that is barely even 300 years old, have such a bloated ego. What deep rooted insecurity makes it necessary to toot ones horn, long after all neighbors have gone deaf? Is this the result, that all those great inventors usually were just migrating into the us, basically using the country as stage for what other cultures educated and produced?

Sorry,i know your post was (partially) ironic, but it was the last drop, in a large river, going against the damn given.

Re:Egypt builds worlds largest man-made river by ninjagoo on Monday April 24, 2023 @03:51PM (#35692267)
> The California aqueduct (444 miles, 714km) would like to have a word :-)

>> How can a country that is barely even 300 years old, have such a bloated ego.What deep rooted insecurity makes it necessary to toot ones horn, long after all neighbors have gone deaf?

I don't know what has caused you to lash out in that manner, but that was unnecessary. OP did not make a claim that the California aqueduct was the longest man-made river, merely that the aqueduct is longer than the Egyptian project, so the latter's claim to the longest man-made river might not be valid.

Re:Egypt builds worlds largest man-made river by ChuckMcM on Monday April 24, 2023 @04:06PM (#35692453)
In fairness to the GP Americans from the US are nominally assholes with their "we're the best" attitude. Although these days I think you would find more and more "we suck" attitudes especially with the hollowing out of the institutions and our inability to do anything about health care or gun related deaths. Historically this sort of animus is directed towards the leading economy (which may be China one of these days). In the past the English, the Dutch, and the French have dealt with this sort of thing.

By and large though for PicassoCTs, the framing of my comment was to poke fun at the editorial decision to call it the longest man made river, I did not, and do not, under appreciate the positive aspects of the project and the industrial and political will Egypt had to muster to create it. You need look no further than high speed rail, which the Egyptians are well on their way to building a network to connect the northern part of the country to the south, and California, a state with an economy literally 10x the size of Egypt's has been unable to pull off.

So no, I harbor no misconceptions about the US being "exceptional", you can rest assured of that.

Re:Egypt builds worlds largest man-made river by PicassoCTs on Monday April 24, 2023 @04:37PM (#35692892)
Im sorry then, i misinterpreted. I guess i should delete this rant, but then mistakes are what makes us human and maybe i accidentally displayed just another sort of hubris :D

Have a pleasant day

Re:Egypt builds worlds largest man-made river by methehack on Monday April 24, 2023 @04:21PM (#35692646)
The Erie Canal (362.9 mi) is not as long as the California aqueduct nor the Grand Canal in China but it is also longer than the "man made river" of the article, and IT HAS A SONG, and a good one at that.
Re:Egypt builds worlds largest man-made river by soco on Tuesday April 25, 2023 @04:33AM (#35697940)
Even the Romans (Byzantine if you wish) built the aqueduct of Valens supplying Constantinopole with fresh water over 426km so yeah I'm also not sure what is this so impressive. And anyway, if the Egyptian one stays uncovered as the pictures show it, I wonder how much water will it have left on a hot day (which are almost all) when it approaches destination.