Mississippi River

The Mississippi River[lower-alpha 1] is the primary river, and second-longest river, of the largest drainage basin in the United States.[lower-alpha 2][15][16] From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it flows generally south for 2,340 miles (3,766 km)[16] to the Mississippi River Delta in the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains all or parts of 32 U.S. states and two Canadian provinces between the Rocky and Appalachian mountains.[17] The main stem is entirely within the United States; the total drainage basin is 1,151,000 sq mi (2,980,000 km²), of which only about one percent is in Canada. The Mississippi ranks as the thirteenth-largest river by discharge in the world. The river either borders or passes through the states of Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Mississippi, and Louisiana.[18][19]

Quick facts: Mississippi River, Etymology, Nickname(s), Lo... ▼

Mississippi River
The Mississippi River in Iowa
Mississippi River basin
Etymology	Ojibwe Misi-ziibi, meaning "Great River"
Nickname(s)	"Old Man River," "Father of Waters"[1][2][3]
Location
Country	United States
State	Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Mississippi, Louisiana
Cities	Saint Cloud, MN, Minneapolis, MN, St. Paul, MN, La Crosse, WI, Quad Cities, IA/IL, St. Louis, MO, Memphis, TN, Greenville, MS, Vicksburg, MS, Baton Rouge, LA, New Orleans, LA
Physical characteristics
Source	Lake Itasca (traditional)[4]
• location	Itasca State Park, Clearwater County, MN
• coordinates	47°14′23″N 95°12′27″W
• elevation	1,475 ft (450 m)
Mouth	Gulf of Mexico
• location	Pilottown, Plaquemines Parish, LA
• coordinates	29°09′04″N 89°15′12″W
• elevation	0 ft (0 m)
Length	2,340 mi (3,766 km)
Basin size	1,151,000 sq mi (2,980,000 km2)
Discharge
• location	None (Summative representation of catchment: View source); max and min at Baton Rouge, LA[5]
• average	593,000 cu ft/s (16,800 m3/s)[5]
• minimum	159,000 cu ft/s (4,500 m3/s)
• maximum	3,065,000 cu ft/s (86,800 m3/s)
Discharge
• location	Vicksburg[6]
• average	768,075 cu ft/s (21,749.5 m3/s) (2009–2020 water years)
• minimum	144,000 cu ft/s (4,100 m3/s)
• maximum	2,340,000 cu ft/s (66,000 m3/s)
Discharge
• location	St. Louis[7]
• average	168,000 cu ft/s (4,800 m3/s)[7]
Basin features
Tributaries
• left	St. Croix River, Wisconsin River, Rock River, Illinois River, Kaskaskia River, Ohio River, Yazoo River, Big Black River
• right	Minnesota River, Iowa River, Des Moines River, Missouri River, St. Francis River, White River, Arkansas River, Red River

Native Americans have lived along the Mississippi River and its tributaries for thousands of years. Most were hunter-gatherers, but some, such as the Mound Builders, formed prolific agricultural and urban civilizations. The arrival of Europeans in the 16th century changed the native way of life as first explorers, then settlers, ventured into the basin in increasing numbers.[20] The river served first as a barrier, forming borders for New Spain, New France, and the early United States, and then as a vital transportation artery and communications link. In the 19th century, during the height of the ideology of manifest destiny, the Mississippi and several western tributaries, most notably the Missouri, formed pathways for the western expansion of the United States.

Formed from thick layers of the river's silt deposits, the Mississippi embayment is one of the most fertile regions of the United States; steamboats were widely used in the 19th and early 20th centuries to ship agricultural and industrial goods. During the American Civil War, the Mississippi's capture by Union forces marked a turning point towards victory, due to the river's strategic importance to the Confederate war effort. Because of the substantial growth of cities and the larger ships and barges that replaced steamboats, the first decades of the 20th century saw the construction of massive engineering works such as levees, locks and dams, often built in combination. A major focus of this work has been to prevent the lower Mississippi from shifting into the channel of the Atchafalaya River and bypassing New Orleans.

Since the 20th century, the Mississippi River has also experienced major pollution and environmental problems — most notably elevated nutrient and chemical levels from agricultural runoff, the primary contributor to the Gulf of Mexico dead zone.