What counts as the world's shortest river?

If you've been a subscriber for a while, you probably know where this one is going. Although you may still be surprised about where I ended up going...
Montana's Giant Springs State Park, and Lake Sumiainen in Finland, have very short rivers. Finding the shortest in the world, though: that could be trickier.
Sources:
www.cntraveler... and a lot of googling for various folk tales. Also, travelling to Finland.
Here's the co-ordinates of the Finnish river: 62.6497 N, 26.0484E
Thanks to Wren from Corridor Digital for the LA drone shot! / sirwrender
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[@TomScottGo]

While I do like the gag of going to Finland for one fifteen-second bit of a video, that'd be a horrifically wasteful joke, and I should be clear: I've been piecing this video together for a while now, when I happened to be in the right places!

[@TheChannelXY]

The climate thanks you

[@MsLinaTina]

I love it when your videos include clips from vastly separated locations like this one. That's a lot of forwards planning for a video, to make sure your talking points run together smoothly.

[@ottarkraemer9001]

That almost makes it MORE impressive! I was absolutely howling with laughter when you suddenly were in Finland (and NOT in a major metropolitain area, either - Juväskylä is definately a bit out of the way!) for FIFTEEN seconds!!! :D :D :D

[@spoony8232]

Didn't you got to Slough just for a joke...

[@NTeKLullaby]

I mean. You say that now, but how about You show some proof (my desperate attempt at getting another video out of You this week) Thanks for the great video as always.

[@quintendhaenens6207]

Plato: "A river starts at a source, flows somewhere in a consistent direction and ends in a bigger bit of water" Diogenes bursting in holding a waterslide: "BEHOLD! A RIVER!"

[@clockworkkirlia7475]

Plato, sobbing: "WHY MUST I BE PLAGUED BY THIS DEMON!" Diogenes, grin growing wider: "So... how would you define a demon?"

[@V-DTAJ]

Underrated comment lmao

[@HolyKhaaaaan]

Plato: Fine. A river starts at a NATURAL source.

[@trigger7ff6]

@@HolyKhaaaaan diogenes, bursting through the door with a manmade waterslide powered by a natural source: YOU ARENT GONNA BELIEVE WHAT I FOUND

[@ntlespino]

@Quinten 's comment deserves more likes, you cowards

[@CowmanCowman]

Legend has it, there is a clone of Tom in every country to record videos

[@chewcodes]

idk if you meant country or actually meant county but I believe it either way

[@neburiveS]

They say that wherever you are, you are never more than 10ft away from the nearest Tom. Or.. was that spiders? I can never remember.

[@namelastname796]

neburiveS what’s that from!! I know it from somewhere .

[@neburiveS]

@@namelastname796 Originally that is a viral saying about spiders. Though I think I've read that it is actually not true somewhere.

[@GumSkyloard]

@@chewcodes Both.

[@oscyk]

The ACTUAL shortest river in the world is the River Batlow in North Yorkshire, England at 3ft long. This groundbreaking research was made by Sir Gary Brannan.

[@theflev-matic4892]

ah yes, Sir Gary Brannan of the Yorkshire Brannans

[@addexiaohao8364]

I thought it was discovered by Judith Kebakko

[@Derf1OO]

@@addexiaohao8364 No, it was the arena where Hurcon of Wigan fought in the finals!

[@TheAbyssalStorm]

@@Derf1OO I thought he fought the finals down a bit from Tromsø.

[@Derf1OO]

@@TheAbyssalStorm Wasn’t that where Marcel and Judith performed their last routine before they retired?

[@johndoe9450]

I love that I'm watching a 3 minute "thing" on KZbin and the creator has actually gone to the US and to Finland to create it.

[@SmallGuyonTop]

How do you know he is actually in Finland and not some backwater hole of SoCal?

[@Biosquid239]

@@SmallGuyonTop how do i know you arent fun at parties?

[@are3287]

@@SmallGuyonTop Im from Jyväskylä, Finland and can confirm that clip is a bit north of here in Finland and not backwater socal Also furthermore as an avid geoguessr itd be easy to tell the difference even if I wasnt from here

[@toanoradian]

Tom Scott 2015: "What Counts as a Word?" Tom Scott 2017: "What Counts as a Mountain?" Tom Scott 2019: "What Counts as The World's Shortest River"? Tom Scott 2021: "What Counts as "Counting"?" Tom Scott 2041: "What?"

[@Popstar350ofcp]

toanoradian Tom Scott 2081: “What counts as being dead?”

[@lie01234]

What counts as "what"?

[@sci_pain3409]

Tom "Beep Boop" Scott 2.0 2061: "What counts as a robot?"

[@stevekelly5485]

Tom Scott October 2019: "What counts as Brexit?"

[@duo1666]

"What is a Kaioken?"

[@RB-747]

"If it's large enough to drown in." I declare my bathtub the shortest river in the world!

[@glass4600]

Smallest lake/ocean?

[@phjorland]

@@glass4600 A tiny drop of water in my garden, called Lake H. Technically, that's a lake, right? :)

[@skootz24]

I see your bathtub and raise you the clogged storm drain on my street!

[@wisestchannel849]

I declare a water molecule in the middle of nowhere the shortest river in the world!

[@xXx_Oshino_xXx]

Technically you can drown in anything so long your head fits in it.

[@countcain]

I‘ll just quote my geomorphology professor here: Just because water is crystal clear doesn‘t mean there‘s no bacteria in it!

[@PcGames88]

just because has bacteria in it doesn't mean is not drinkble

[@ardenorcrush649]

@@PcGames88 Water collected from waterways is not safe to drink unless you boil it, use filters or purification agents. This is camping 101. You can literally see fish and vegetation in the shallow water, this means a high quantity of plankton and insect larvae are also present. If you drink that untreated, you have high chances of suffering diarrhea. Of course, if you're willing to take the bet or enjoy the taste of rotting plants and milt, then more power to you. But I rather just bring a thermos from home and have a nice day.

[@jem5636]

@Anifco67 For the same reason the fish in an aquarium don't die, or the reason a vulture doesn't die when it eats dead meat: It has immunities to the bacteria that we don't. Humans have our own immunities, and there are many bacteria we can safely consume. The air I'm breathing right now is full of bacteria, but it is in such tiny amounts that my body can defend against it, mostly in the form of mucus that then gets sent to an acid bath in my stomach. If the air had more bacteria in it though, (and it wouldn't take much) the bacteria might get past the mucus and set up a colony in my lungs. At minimum, that might cause flu-like sypmtoms, but to be honest, of all the places you don't want bacteria, lungs are high on the list. For the fish, they have their own ways of protecting against bacteria in water, much like we have mucus in our airways. Even then, though, many fish are found to have a large collection of bacteria in them when dissected, of the parasitic variety. (If you want to know more, one common infection in the fish world is Mycobacteria - and yes, that's spelled right - particularly M. Marinum. It's related to the bacteria that causes tuberculosis, and causes similar symptoms in fish.) And even then, many times fish due die because of bacteria. Just like how if there were too much bacteria in the air, I might get sick, if there's too much bacteria in the water, fish might get sick. Also, many bacteria that would harm or kill us can live symbiotically - or just non-harmfully, there's a word for when one creature benefits and the other isn't impacted in any way, but I always forget it - in other creatures. If you remember, COVID 19 was transmitted to humans from animals. While there's no symbiotic relationship anywhere for COVID 19, (which isn't even bacteria - it's a virus. Very different.) many diseases that have decimated human populations are entirely harmless to the animal that humans caught it from. I know it's called 'carrier' immunity when talking about infections in the same species, but I can't remember if it has the same name when talking about different species. (i.e. *intra*-species disease vs *inter*-species disease.) Bacteria really is fascinating, and so are the various immunities creatures can have to them.

[@jarr4287]

@@jem5636 You really like to write dont you?

[@thekinginyellow1744]

@@ardenorcrush649 I've been drinking unfiltered water from streams and rivers all my life. No ill effects. Ever. We are evolved to live only this planet. All that filter crap is only necessary if you are downstream from high population density areas (human or animal), if the water is stagnant, or if you are in a location where the local bacteria is different from what you are used to. And in the third case, if you are going to be there for a while, drink the water anyway, get the shits, and get over it. Your body will adapt.

[@carriageofnoreturn.1881]

Filiming in 'batches' when in the right place: suddenly the *always* wearing-a-red-t-shirt-thing makes perfect sense!

[@tdcattech]

Carriage of No Return. I still envy his organisation skills though. Bloody amazing!

[@LukasFink1]

I like your username.

[@TryDiy]

His life is a neverending B roll.

[@HassanSelim0]

Just commenting about how awesome your account name is 😂

[@jackhenry1899]

Came for the shortest river, left with an existential crisis

[@Dockhead]

literally looking for this comment.

[@khanghoang4819]

Jack Henry totally

[@lyrimetacurl0]

Eggsistential.

[@perfectwing1999]

Bruh wtf is a river?

[@ailaG]

But how would you define a crisis, and where would you put the line between a regular crisis and an existential one?

[@ylisvauhdis1270]

I am so honored and proud that Finland was mentioned and shown for almost half a minute and that you travelled here just for that! TORILLA TAVATAAN!

[@zwilder1]

I'm here in Great Falls, the city where Giant Springs state park is.

[@aloysiuskurnia7643]

Ah yes, Tom Scott and Finland, two things with... a complicated relationship

[@hallamhal]

What about Batlow in Yorkshire? It's only three feet long!

[@joshuarosen6242]

There isn't anywhere in Yorkshire called Batlow. I've seen this factoid elsewhere but I don't know where it came from. I don't think there is even anywhere in England called Batlow. The only one I can find any reference to is in NSW in Aus.

[@HyperionHarry]

@@joshuarosen6242 It's a reference to one of Tom's other shows, Two of These People Are Lying. In it, an article from Wikipedia is chosen at random from three people, and the other two need to pretend it's their article as they're quizzed on it. In it, the article was Batlow and one person claimed that it was a river in Yorkshire which was only three feet long. Unfortunately, Tom had already filmed this video so was immediately called out. Very entertaining, give it a watch.

[@joshuarosen6242]

@@HyperionHarry Thank you very much. That solves that mystery.

[@georgechang8660]

@@joshuarosen6242 NSW, you sure?

[@AlisonBryen]

Trust Yorkshire to try and claim it 🙄

[@rivran]

I’m 4’10”, so can I claim the title of shortest river?

[@bodyofhope]

Aww 🤗

[@DROPKICK500gaming]

In what manner does water flow through you

[@maiddzomba8069]

@@DROPKICK500gaming through his kidneys ofc

[@Liggliluff]

@@DROPKICK500gaming by drinking?

[@onionbot2]

still not as short as Batlow

[@joedeshon]

Tom's mono-chromatic wardrobe bodes well for his continuity challenges while filming in half a dozen locations.

[@postpuppy]

It's incredibly strange to see Tom standing in the exact same spot I used to be at every weekend for years -- hope Great Falls treated you kindly.

[@AtomBrown69]

Hey same it is weird seeing such a familiar place behind Tom.

[@FreonUWP]

And hopefully it went to the Sip & Dip! Why have all that water around and not see any mermaids!

[@asailijhijr]

**zooms out to see the whole earth** This region contains the shortest river in the world.

[@gordonrichardson2972]

You can't see the whole surface of the earth from one location in space. Starts up a whole new argument...

[@autismisuncontrollable4925]

@@gordonrichardson2972 of course you can, the earth is flat

[@frikativos]

@@gordonrichardson2972 You can. You just need some mirrors :)

[@somemagellanic]

@@gordonrichardson2972 excuse me, i'm a 4 dimensional being and i can see the entire earth at once

[@mezz09smezzanine]

What if you had a bunch of satellite camera's with their displays on screens in front of you

[@jabloko992]

Tom Scott: Class: KZbinr Special powers: Can Teleport

[@basembenyamin2965]

Hotel: trivago

[@anirudhprabhu8521]

😂😂😂😂

[@MikhaelEternal]

that would explain his video about learning to teleport

[@fisch37]

@@MikhaelEternal true that

[@Matando]

They're just a bunch of joykills Tom. Also you basically said my favorite personal rule: "There is an exception to every rule. No exceptions".

[@CollinBuckman]

Technically "There's an exception to every rule." would be an exception to its own rule if there are no exceptions to it.

[@mezz09smezzanine]

@@CollinBuckman thus you have entered an exceptional paradox.

[@petervanderhoogte1027]

@@mezz09smezzanine It doesn't really matter since there are other rules with no exeptions, like the laws of physics.

[@msclrhd]

@@petervanderhoogte1027 That depends. Newton's law of gravity and the gallilean laws of motion work at every day conditions, but don't work in relativistic environments like orbiting satellites (GPS), the orbit of Mercury, gravitational lensing, and other phenomena -- those need General and Special Relativity to work. Likewise, General Relativity breaks down in a blac hole and doesn't explain phenomena like the bullet cluster.

[@lyrimetacurl0]

Even that rule.

[@oceanlover1663]

I am really surprised you didn't bring up the D River in Oregon. The reason is, there was plenty of back and forth between the D River and the Roe River.

[@llywrch7116]

Probably because the D River isn't particularly photogenic, as it is mostly covered by the US 101 bridge. And then there's the issue that its measurable length varies greatly -- as in double in length -- whether the tide is in or out.

[@mewmew8932]

@@llywrch7116 world's shortest bridge

[@ottoros]

Every time Tom uploads I think to myself "I wish I could visit all of those cool places" but this time, by some miracle I've been to both of these places! I've been right there at that spring in Montana and on the other shore of that lake in Finland (so I guess not right on the spot). Feels kinda crazy.

[@bzztbzztboy]

That's rad!

[@sarahprunierlaw9147]

congrats!

[@QuasiELVIS]

Err... Congrats?

[@panda4247]

If only you had a camera ans s red shirt and an idea with yourself. You might have been the new Tom.

[@Rwededyet]

You could say we are living in an age where definitions have become (puts on sunglasses)'fluid'.

[@AE-ix2iz]

Rwededyet underrated comment

[@panda4247]

Underwater comment

[@bodyofhope]

Good one, dad.

[@thatellipsisguy8984]

Trying to make a splash with that comment?

[@cdw2468]

*Mystery Biscuits!*

[@InssiAjaton]

I remember when I visited Kauai (in Hawaii), the tour guide showed a 10 kilometer long river that could be navigated up halfway by ocean going ships.. There were no essential lakes, just the very regular rain up the hill. That was in 1980 and I was thoroughly impressed. Of course it was not as short as those rivers mentioned, but what I considered (and still do) spectacular was the amount of water that facilitated ship traffic without any lakes to moderate the water flow. By the way, there was a place hugely popular for weddings, especially by Japanese couples. That place was near the halfway point of the river. And yes, there was even then one Japanese wedding ceremony going on.

[@MrT------5743]

What you are describing is more of a spring fed river. From my understanding, a river can't just be rain fed and be sustainable as a river. Maybe a lot of creeks feed the river or snow melt? Also, the river doesn't need to flow fast for.ocean going vessels to navigate it. It's just needs to be deep enough. It could have been dredged to allow an inland port.

[@nkrat1093]

And here I thought Batlow was the shortest river...

[@BBROPHOTO]

Omg, the underwater shots in that river are SO nice. It's so unbelievably clear!

[@daveedwards679]

If it’s large enough to drown in it counts. That was hilarious!!

[@E1craZ4life]

You can drown with a milk jug.

[@neolexiousneolexian6079]

@@MrSvenovitch No. Hypoxic convulsions/seizures will move your face out of the bucket/milk jug before you're done drowning.

[@1.4142]

I drowned choking on my own tears.

[@classicambo9781]

@@neolexiousneolexian6079 not necessarily, nor does that exclude secondary drowning post aspiration.

[@jeffrichards9329]

Are you required to do all of your drowning within the body of water in question, or do you just have to begin or finish drowning before the current carries you to a different body of water?

[@DCPhoto]

The amount of effort and planning that went into this video is incredible! I loved the Finland and LA bits!

[@GraemeWolfendale]

This is a great conversation, "what's the world's shortest river?" "idk, what is a river?" "well, it's... let me get back to you"

[@StefanLopuszanski]

That teleport to Finland in the same outfit... impressive! :-P

[@jamescameron-clarke2560]

That's Tom's secret... He's always in a red shirt. Makes editing so much easier!

[@SamuraiPipotchi]

@@jamescameron-clarke2560 I don't think I've ever seen him NOT wear that red shirt

[@thehiddenninja3428]

@@SamuraiPipotchi He's often in a grey hoodie on top. Sometimes a coat, too

[@fischX]

The toilet roll, world's longest handkerchief

[@tronix2125]

But it's disposable :/

[@scythal]

@@tronix2125 Anything is disposable if you think about it

[@LunaTulpa]

Yo that's some really really crisp and fresh water

[@QQTrick1QQ]

Like Ginnie Springs vin Fla.

[@Dockhead]

nah legit the water that comes out of my bath tap is legit cloudy lemonade color. legit

[@QQTrick1QQ]

@@Dockhead Where are you Flint MI or in fracking territory?

[@thegardenofeatin5965]

@@Dockhead I think you're stretching the definition of "legit" a little far there.

[@scoldingwhisper]

word

[@BobPagani]

The D River in Lincoln City, Oregon also claims to be the World's Shortest River. There are even road signs on Highway 101 declaring it so.

[@mousermind]

If my D was the shortest in the world, I don't think I'd set up any signs to advertise the fact... :P

[@Tamaleking111]

Tämä tietää sitä että Torille! Alikulku lätäkkö mainittu!

[@emin86]

Excuse me, kind Sir, but which direction is the market place again?

[@epajarjestys9981]

I "studied" (not really) in Jyväskylä for one year as an exchange student. But I'm not sure which bridge that is. I want to know.

[@MrZarewna]

@@epajarjestys9981 Kuokanjoki, Äänekosken Sumiaisissa.

[@epajarjestys9981]

Ah, thx, so a bit away from Jyväskylä. I think I have not been there.

[@andersholt4653]

I find your videos both highly informative and most entertaining. Thank you.

[@Williamgarity]

There is the Dee River in Lincoln City, Oregon. It is also called the "shortest river in the world".

[@alformodoritos2076]

Wow. The water must be so Clean to get it there directly. And so clear!

[@Henrix1998]

Despite the water not being as clear in Äänekoski, most of Finland's lake water should be drinkable

[@MihkelKukk]

we have a lot of Springs here in Estonia that are natural and connect to rivers down the line... The water there is often totally clean and drinkable, our ancestors (and people still do) thought that the water from those sources/springs had a healing power, and I don't blame them, it does taste different, and in a good way, almost a really good refreshing and healthy way!

[@Dockhead]

@@MihkelKukk that will be mineral content and just general by products from any life that enters the water or lives in it like any microbes etc.

[@draxthewarlocktitan5217]

Mihkel Kukk water springs all around the world have myths of healing properties to them. There is something about unending fresh water gushing from the earth, it just seems magical.

[@MihkelKukk]

@@draxthewarlocktitan5217 that's true

[@randallstephens1680]

The clarity of the water is quite remarkable.

[@hjge1012]

"... that would include waterslides" To be fair, that "river" looks like a large waterslide.

[@littlesnowflakepunk855]

One of my favorite questions to ask at parties is "How do you define the word 'chair' in such a way that includes all things which are chairs, and excludes all things which aren't?" Always ends up in a massive shouting match over whether or not a rock is a chair.

[@WG55]

Another fun one is "Is breakfast cereal a kind of soup?"

[@littlesnowflakepunk855]

@@WG55 Also fun to mess around with definitions of food, e.g., "is a hotdog a sandwich?" or "is a poptart a kind of ravioli?

[@WG55]

@@littlesnowflakepunk855 Pop-tart ravioli. That is a good one. 🤔

[@myownsite]

@1:33 What, never expected my home town to be mentioned here. We've got plenty of similar "rivers", even a triple at 61.924943 N, 26.737888 E which I definitely could arrange a boat trip to. Also realised that even when you pronounced Jyväskylä bang on correct, the cadence and stress of English made it sound very different. Finnish kinda doesn't use either as a tool. Or maybe we do, but are rather ignorant on how they should be used. :D Though some might argue that your extra stress on "vä" makes you sound more like a local!

[@lordkentar]

Should have stopped by "D River" in Lincoln City, Oregon, just to add another confounding situation to the river length fight!

[@markwilson9338]

The fact that Montana's attempt to steal the Guinness title from the D River just ended with Guinness refusing to list any river is a little upsetting. :/ Certainly "world's shortest river" is more educational and more interesting of a title to be included in the Book of World Records than the latest corporate attempt to make the the world's biggest food item or whatever...

[@Redralphred]

Thank you so much for coming to Montana several times, Tom! I’m from there, and it’s nice to actually see positive things about the state.

[@m0ntheg3rs]

I keep telling Californians how awful of place this is to live.

[@Redralphred]

@@m0ntheg3rs honestly I see more Texas/Washington plates than California.

[@indelibleink5577]

Bad luck, Gary

[@JoshRhoton]

Here in Oregon in Lincoln City there is the D River with a posted sign saying it's the world's shortest River.

[@robertfunk3156]

Portland Oregon has the smallest state park

[@alisa-gh6jm]

I live in Jyväskylä and am so sad I didn't decide to wonder over to Äänekoski on the day you filmed that

[@Excalibugi]

Same! So close but yet so far...

[@sunsetvlogs5500]

Respect Tom going all the way to Finland to show me 10 seconds of a river

[@Marquis-Sade]

01:30 - It must be fun being a scientist. Arguing with other scientists about what counts as the shortest river.

[@alisioardiona727]

That's dedication : going to Finland to film 15 second of video.

[@stockstreamtwitch]

How were you able to teleport to all these places just for one video?! That's impressive!

[@dodgerwoods203]

1:09 GTA VI looks good

[@Luka-sl8iw]

"America's Shortest River Walk" "That's not true, I've been to a shorter one."

[@noobfromtheuk1113]

Love how everyone's returning to this video after that one.

[@legendoftheland]

"it's large enough to drown in." you can drown in a bathtub or even a sink so...

[@raydai9541]

Toddlers can drown in 2 inches of water, said parents who always childproof their house.

[@fndrl]

The Ombla River near Dubrovnik in Croatia is even shorter, it's about 30 meters long

[@markjackson5806]

Croatia has the best looking water which ever way you look at it.

[@xJackkHD]

Watching your video on Bitrates in video a while ago, I came back to this video to see if the bitrate was low due to the flowing water. I was not disappointed when your explanation to bitrates proved correct!

[@damamoot2291]

I clicked on this thinking "How do you measure how smart a river is?"... Upon re-reading the title it makes a bit more sense.

[@DangitBob]

I am just sitting here looking at those aquatic plants wanting them for my aquarium.

[@aboomination897]

This is why we can't have nice things.

[@gemfyre855]

I want to snorkel in it.

[@petarded8529]

So, you went from the most toxic water in Montana, to the cleanest. Nice. And of course it’s windy😄 Great Falls is one of the windiest cities in the US.

[@ElementofKindness]

Wut?

[@dantillson2503]

Montana is full of wonder!

[@Deacetis1991]

I'm happy you're enjoying our state! Best kept secret in the country with so much history and sights to see. Montana is a special place.

[@calvinross6866]

In a watercraft course in college, we were taught a "river" must be 100+ miles. And less and it is technically a creek or stream. Don't know what the accuracy of that is but that's what we were told.

[@nathanielpillar8012]

Also, in arid areas, some rivers don't flow into another river or body of water. They just gradually disappear as the small flow soaks in or evaporates.

[@olivertuomola]

SUOMI MAINITTU!

[@readmore8974]

Lopeta

[@olivertuomola]

@@readmore8974 eikö enää vitsaillakkaan saa?

[@eemelitoivonen]

🇫🇮🇫🇮🇫🇮

[@hirvielain9013]

@@readmore8974 No pitäähän meillä perinteitä olla! Siis myös niitä, jotka ei liity viinaan, saunaan tai molempiin. TLDR: torille.

[@kornaes]

@@olivertuomola ei toi oo vitsi, se on ylikäytetty yt perinne, jos suomi mainitaan...

[@RedstoneRazor]

Not as short as batlow.

[@middox239]

what counts as a river... reminds me of a definition of a forest i heard once: "a forest is where it feels like a forest" as in where theres subtle change in the ground, be it covered in leaves or fungi, or where the atmosphere is just different, quiet, less windy, birds chirping, etc.

[@englandbengal]

I love how so many of his videos address an underlying theme of humanity rather than tackling the subject at hand.

[@Delveintohobby]

It's always a treat hearing foreign people pronounce Finnish names.

[@yammmit]

MrToroTheGreat likewise it’s hilarious to hear Finnish people pronounce American names because they’re always wrong as well.

[@Jsmith2024]

Couple of points: (1) When I was a kid, I went fishing in Occoquan Creek in Northern Virginia. When I moved back to the area, the Occoquan was a river. It was the same body of water, but what we call it had changed. (2) The folks in Northern New Mexico told me the little flow of water that I could easily jump over was a "rio" (Sp for 'river') because it was a year-round flow of water. Seems like a decent definition in that part of the world. It seems there really is no definition of river that actually works.

[@ultralight9625]

Its so surreal to see tom filming at a location where I have been dragged to on family outings as a kid.

[@ParviPaparazzi]

Finland, especially Eastern Finland, is full short "rivers" like the one shown on this video. In Savonia they are normally called "streams" (virta) leaving the conventional word for river (joki) to applied on longer, "actual" rivers.

[@madog1]

A water slide typically uses a municipal water source, not really 'natural'.

[@gefloigle]

At 5' 10", I believe River Phoenix qualified as the Shortest Famous River.

[@MrZarewna]

WHAT?! YOU WENT TO MY HOMETOWN SUMIAINEN?! AND I WASN'T AWARE OF THAT?! My heart just skipped a large beat....

[@parttroll1]

The clarity of that water! Amazing

[@chummychutoy]

Me: clicks on a Tom Scott video to see something cool Me after the video: My life has been a lie

[@Xomage999]

This sounds like something QI would pull. The correct answer would somehow be 'Blue Whale'.

[@Nadia1989]

* KLAXON * BLUE WHALE * KLAXON *

[@Nadia1989]

Checkmate, Alan Davies!

[@blindleader42]

@@Nadia1989 They need to come up with a new name for that sound. Klaxon is already taken, and it doesn't sound anything like the QI thing.

[@Blackholefourspam]

Inb4 the IAU declares authority over the term and decrees this to be a dwarf river.

[@Twee877]

That view is absolutely gorgeous

[@dave_h_8742]

Educational video's in LA have changed a lot since my youth !

[@gabrielbennett5162]

Lincoln City, Oregon also claims to have the "World's Shortest River:" the D River, which flows 440 feet from Devil's Lake to the Pacific Ocean.

[@niamhoconnor8986]

Plato: All rivers allude to the idea of a river Aristotle: Water has the potential to become a true river William of Ockham: Rivers exist only in our minds Thales: Everything is water Berkeley: Everything exists only in our minds

[@jeandannemann]

0:40 can´t get more British than that haha

[@KombatGod]

Asking "what is the shortest river?" is kinda like asking "what is the bicycle with the least wheels?" To qualify as river it needs to be large enough, otherwise it's just a canal, othewise you would indeed also have to count water slides.

[@Happy.Place.]

This video made me happy :D I think a river could be defined as... "A naturally occurring water supply that travels through the path of least resistance to a larger source of water."

[@ewew6261]

I used to live right down the street from there as a child, feels good to see it on a big channel

[@skipernipper7773]

You went to Finland just to make 5 seconds long part of video? Nice

[@omnihash]

That's one of the best looking and lush spring I had ever seen. Definitely going to my bucket list!

[@ThePomoAa]

In France we differentiate rivers and rivers. Rivières are rivers that go into other rivers (or generally other bodies of fresh water) and Fleuves are rivers going into a sea, or an ocean.

[@Gims87]

Some people say that the camera is still floating around to this day.

[@cliffweber8729]

What about the River Batlow?

[@avovk1852]

maybe "Consistent or periodical stream of water, with low height delta to length ratio, which have defined source and destination, flowing in one direction"?

[@petercampbell1287]

Wow Tom flew to America to see that river, then flew to Finland then back to America, what a dedicated guy.

[@jehadnasereddin7755]

Damn it, Brannen!

[@tayloreh]

Got an ad for Hudsons Bay before this. I guess the worlds shortest river heads into the Hudson.

[@philliplock9249]

The Los Angeles river is a canal. The one in Finland is a Chanel, but you're right, this one is hard to define. It's not a river because it's not natural. I almost want to call it a spillway.

[@andrewesther4705]

Don’t forget about the D River in Oregon, USA, my home state!

[@glorytoarstotzka330]

besides it not being truly the shortest river , it's really crystal clear , like oddly satissfying crystal clear , is it just me ?

[@darkhorse13m]

Its pleasing to see. I want to drink it.

[@TS_Mind_Swept]

In this video, we see Tom act like different types of flowing water constitute short Rivers, but what he's really showcased is he's learned how to teleport

[@ZeldaTheSwordsman]

So, he's discovered how to teleport? ;)

[@TS_Mind_Swept]

@@ZeldaTheSwordsman yes, that, is, what I just said

[@ZeldaTheSwordsman]

@@TS_Mind_Swept Were you making a reference with it tho?

[@TS_Mind_Swept]

@@ZeldaTheSwordsman not.. that I'm aware of..

[@vengefulenigma]

There is a river in Slovenia that's 55 meters long, it's called Jezernica and it connects siphon lake Divje jezero to a river Idrijca. Due to the nature of the lake, river sometimes dries out or even weirder, flows backwards.

[@acebasher1st360]

There's ALWAYS an exception to the rule ... But that would mean there's an exception to that rule, too ...

[@wisteela]

That water is amazingly clear.

[@jimc.goodfellas]

".....it slipped away." Toms most philosophical video

[@joshjones6072]

I would accept that crystal clear water running from its large spring 201 ft, 61 m to the close Missouri River as the Roe River, world's shortest river. It's more water volume and flow than most creeks I've ever seen. It has a clear natural source, and clearly flows into another big river.