Why do some rivers flow north?

Great question! The direction a river flows—whether north, south, east, or west—is primarily determined by the topography of the land, meaning the elevation and slope of the terrain through which the river travels. Water always flows downhill, following the path of least resistance from higher elevations to lower elevations, eventually reaching seas, lakes, or oceans. So, when people say “the Nile flows north,” it might sound unusual because many major rivers, especially in the Northern Hemisphere, do flow southward. However, there is nothing inherently special about a river flowing north. The Nile flows north because the land in East Africa is higher in the south (where the river originates) and slopes downward toward the Mediterranean Sea in the north. Similarly, other rivers such as the Rhine in Europe and the Mackenzie River in Canada also flow north. In short, the direction itself doesn’t matter—it’s all about gravity and the landscape. Rivers flow in the direction that terrain allows, regardless of compass direction. So, north-flowing rivers are completely natural and common, even if they sometimes surprise us!