The biggest river by discharge volume is the Amazon at an impressive 209,000 cubic meters (7,380,765 cubic feet) per second. Using this measure the Mississippi River is the 15th largest river in the world discharging 16,792 cubic meters (593,003 cubic feet) of water per second into the Gulf of Mexico. VolumeĪnother way to measure the size of a river is by the amount of water it discharges. It takes about three months for water that leaves Lake Itasca, the river's source, to reach the Gulf of Mexico. But the speed changes as water levels rise or fall and where the river widens, narrows, becomes more shallow or some combination of these factors. At New Orleans the river flows at about three miles per hour. SpeedĪt the headwaters of the Mississippi, the average surface speed of the water is about 1.2 miles per hour - roughly one-half as fast as people walk. The widest navigable section in the shipping channel of the Mississippi is Lake Pepin, where the channel is approximately 2 miles wide. The widest part of the Mississippi can be found at Lake Winnibigoshish near Bena, MN, where it is wider than 11 miles. WidthĪt Lake Itasca, the river is between 20 and 30 feet wide, the narrowest stretch for its entire length. The US Geologic Survey has published a number of 2,300 miles, the EPA says it is 2,320 miles long, and the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area suggests the river's length is 2,350 miles. The staff of Itasca State Park at the Mississippi's headwaters suggest the main stem of the river is 2,552 miles long. At a rivers delta, the reported length may increase or decrease as deposition and erosion occurs.Īs a result, different lengths may be reported depending upon the year or measurement method. When compared to other world rivers, the Mississippi-Missouri River combination ranks fourth in length (3,710 miles/5,970km) following the Nile (4,160 miles/6,693km), the Amazon (4,000 miles/6,436km), and the Yangtze Rivers (3,964 miles/6,378km). Some describe the Mississippi River as being the third longest river system in the world, if the length of Missouri and Ohio Rivers are added to the Mississippi's main stem. The Missouri River, a tributary of the Mississippi River, is about 100 miles longer. The Mississippi River is the second longest river in North America, flowing 2,350 miles from its source at Lake Itasca through the center of the continental United States to the Gulf of Mexico. It is also a major recreational resource for boaters, canoeists, hunters, anglers, and birdwatchers and offers many outdoor opportunities.Ī more comprehensive discussion of the history of the upper Mississippi River, and specifically, the 72 mile long corridor within the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area, may be found online. Barges and their tows move approximately 175 million tons of freight each year on the upper Mississippi through a system of 29 locks and dams. Today, the Mississippi River powers a significant segment of the economy in the upper Midwest. White settlers from Europe and the United States (and often their slaves) arrived on steamboats dispossessing the Native Americans of their lands and converting the landscape into farms and cities. Fur traders plied their trade on the river and soldiers of several nations garrisoned troops at strategic points, at various times, along the river when the area was still on the frontier. Early European explorers used the Mississippi to explore the interior and the northern reaches of what was to become the United States. Native Americans lived along its banks and used the river for sustenance and transportation. It is also one of the world's most important commercial waterways and one of North America's great migration routes for both birds and fishes. The Mississippi River is one of the world’s major river systems in size, habitat diversity and biological productivity.
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