RIVER TRANSPORTATION WAS ALWAYS ONE OF THE OLDEST WAYS OF SHIPPING IN THE PRIMITIVE WORLD. IN THE ANCIENT CULTURES, RIVERS SUCH AS NILE, EUPHRATES, KONG AND DANUBE WERE USED FOR THIS PURPOSE AND THE HISTORY OF NAVIGATION IN THE WATERWAYS OF EUROPE GOES BACK TO 793 AD, THOUGH THE HISTORY OF SHIPPING IN IRANIAN RIVERS SUCH AS KARUN, BAHMANSHIR AND ARVAND GOES BACK TO THE 19TH CENTURY. IN THIS ARTICLE, THE WELL-KNOWN WATERWAYS OF THE WORLD SUCH AS SAINT LAURENCE WITH THE LENGTH OF 3700 KILOMETERS AT THE BORDER OF UNITED STATES AND CANADA, THE SVEN-RHINE WATERWAY AT THE BORDER OF FRANCE, GERMANY AND SWITZERLAND, THE VOLGA-DON WATERWAY WITH THE LENGTH OF 101 KILOMETERS IN RUSSIA, THE TROLLHATTE WATERWAY WITH THE LENGTH OF 82 KILOMETERS IN SWEDEN AND THE RHINE-MAIN-DANUBE WATERWAY WITH THE LENGTH OF 171 KILOMETERS IN GERMANY ARE POINTED OUT AND THEIR GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS ARE STUDIED. CONSIDERING THE POSITION OF MARITIME TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM IN TODAY'S WORLD, IT IS SUITABLE TO CONTEMPLATE ABOUT THE VIVIFICATION OF THE MARITIME TRANSPORTATION IN IRANIAN WATERWAYS. IN THIS REGARD, THE PROVINCE OF KHUZESTAN BY HAVING HIGH ECONOMICAL POTENTIAL AND BY HAVING THE RIVER OF KARUN IN ITS POSSESSION HAS AN EXCELLENT OPPORTUNITY, THUS, THE CLARIFICATION OF THE MARITIME TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM AND THE PARTIAL BENEFITS OF CONSTRUCTING A SHIPPING WATERWAY IN KARUN IS INVESTIGATED.