Where Is The Mississippi?

The Mississippi is one of the longest rivers in North America along with the Missouri its chief tributary; the Mississippi flows in a north-south direction traversing almost the entire length of the United States from its source Lake Itasca in Minnesota, US to its end point near New Orleans in Louisiana, US where it empties in to the Gulf of Mexico.

The total length of the river is 3733 km (2,320 miles) slightly less than the Missouri at 3,767 km (2,341 miles). The river is divided in to two parts the Upper Mississippi from its source to Cairo, Illinois where it meets the Ohio river and from this point to its mouth it is known as the Lower Mississippi.

Some of the major cities situated on the banks of the river are Minneapolis, St. Paul, La Crosse, Davenport, Rock Island, St. Louis, Cairo, New Madrid, Memphis, Greenville, Vicksburg and New Orleans. The Mississippi has the third largest watershed in the world after the Amazon and the Congo with its drainage basin covering 3,225,000 sq km (1,245,000 sq miles).

Add Comment

Report