The longest river in the Indian subcontinent is the Indus.
The Indus rises on the Tibetan Plateau, flows through the Ladakh region, then travels mainly through Pakistan before reaching the Arabian Sea. Its river system gathers major tributaries including the Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Beas and Sutlej.
The river is closely associated with the Bronze Age Indus Valley civilization, one of the world’s earliest urban societies. The English name “India” ultimately derives from the Indus, through Persian and Greek forms of the river’s name.
The Indus is sometimes confused with the Ganges or Brahmaputra, which are also major South Asian rivers. The Ganges is especially prominent in India, while the Indus is the longest river of the subcontinent overall. Its waters remain politically important through the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty between India and Pakistan.