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Mississippi River
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Map of the United States showing the Mississippi River and its major tributaries flowing south from Minnesota to the Gulf of Mexico. A shaded area marks the Mississippi River basin, and New Orleans is labeled near the river's mouth. A large white steamboat decorated with red, white, and blue bunting is docked on the Mississippi River as people walk down a gangway to the shore at Vicksburg, Mississippi. Map showing the Mississippi River basin and its extensive drainage network across the central United States, with major tributaries labeled, physical features such as mountain ranges and plains indicated by color-coded elevation, and state boundaries outlined. The map includes a locator inset highlighting the region within North America. Wide view of the Mississippi River at McGregor, Iowa, with green forested banks, islands in the river, and a small boat leaving a wake on the water. Confluence of the Mississippi and Ohio rivers Big Black River A long barge moves up the Mississippi River, leaving a wake behind, with forested riverbanks and distant industrial buildings near Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Aerial view of Arkansas City, Arkansas, mostly submerged by floodwaters during the Great Mississippi River Flood of 1927, with buildings and trees partially underwater. Aerial view of water surging through a breach in a levee at Mounds Landing, Mississippi, with floodwaters spreading across the land during the 1927 Mississippi River flood. Side-by-side thematic maps of North America showing two major bird migration routes. The left map highlights the Mississippi Flyway in green, stretching from northern Canada and the Arctic through the central United States to the Gulf of Mexico. The right map highlights the Atlantic Flyway in purple, running along the eastern coast from northeastern Canada down to Florida and the Caribbean. Both maps use shaded regions and arrows to indicate the general paths and directions of migratory movement
At a Glance
A large barge with multiple cargo sections travels on the Mississippi River in Louisiana, with a steel truss bridge spanning the river in the background.
Mississippi River summary
Quizzes
Tower Bridge over the Thames River in London, England. Opened in 1894. Remains an Important Traffic Route with 40,000 Crossings Every Day.
Guess the City by Its River Quiz
water glass on white background. (drink; clear; clean water; liquid)
Water and its Varying Forms
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Map of the United States showing the Mississippi River and its major tributaries flowing south from Minnesota to the Gulf of Mexico. A shaded area marks the Mississippi River basin, and New Orleans is labeled near the river's mouth.
Map of the Mississippi River and its basin

Mississippi River

river, United States
Written by
Jeff Wallenfeldt
Jeff Wallenfeldt was manager of Geography and History at Encyclopaedia Britannica.      
Jeff WallenfeldtAll
Fact-checked by
Britannica Editors
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....
Britannica Editors
Last updated
•History

Mississippi River, the longest river of North America, draining with its major tributaries an area of approximately 1.2 million square miles (3.1 million square km), or about one-eighth of the entire continent. The Mississippi River lies entirely within the United States. Rising in Lake Itasca in Minnesota, it flows almost due south across the continental interior, collecting the waters of its major tributaries, the Missouri River (to the west) and the Ohio River (to the...

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