Parts or all of 31 states plus two Canadian provinces drain into the Mississippi River, totaling 41% of the contiguous United States and 15% of North America. Along with being the largest U.S. drainage basin, the Mississippi also creates borders for 10 states.
What states drain into the Mississippi River?
They are: Minnesota (MN) , Wisconsin (WI), Iowa (IA), Illinois (IL), Missouri (MO), Kentucky (KY), Tennessee (TN), Arkansas (AR), Mississippi (MS), Louisiana (LA). 15. There are 31 states whose waters drain to the Mississippi. From this map, it is difficult to count them all.
Where is the drainage basin of the Mississippi?
The Mississippi River flows 3,778 kilometers from Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota to its delta in southern Louisiana. Its river basin starts in southern Ohio and ends on the coasts of Louisiana , draining 4.76 million square kilometers.
What rivers are empty into the Mississippi River?
The Mississippi River originates as a tiny outlet stream from Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota. During a meandering 2,350 mile journey south to the Gulf of Mexico, the Mississippi River is joined by hundreds of tributaries, including the Ohio and Missouri Rivers .
What are the two Canadian provinces that drain water into the Mississippi River?
Rivers flowing from these selected grasslands of southern Alberta and Saskatchewan depart Canada. From there, water traverses the entire length of the United States and terminate at the mouth of the the Mississippi River beyond New Orleans.
Can you swim in the Mississippi river?
There are always unknown hazards in the Mississippi river due to bacteria levels according to Stuart Schmitz, a toxicologist at the Iowa Department of Public Health. ... He said the Mississippi is safe to swim and fish in , as long as people are safe about it.
The bottom of the river is composed of a thin layer of clay, silt, loam, and sand, which lay above a stratum of glacial outwash. The Upper Mississippi River covers approximately half of the Mississippi River’s length. About 850 miles of the river is navigable, from Minneapolis-St. Paul to the Ohio River.
Why is the Mississippi river so low 2021?
Mississippi River experiencing low water levels thanks to lack of rain in northern Minnesota , fueled by climate change. ... Cloud, according to the National Water Dashboard from the United States Geological Survey. By the time the river reaches Prescott, Wisconsin, the levels remain much below typical years.
Who owns the Mississippi river?
The main stem is entirely within the United States ; the total drainage basin is 1,151,000 sq mi (2,980,000 km 2 ), of which only about one percent is in Canada. The Mississippi ranks as the fourteenth-largest river by discharge in the world.
Can you boat down the entire Mississippi River?
Just like there’s more than one way to skin a cat, traveling the entire length Mississippi River can be done in a number of fashions. Every year, in fact, hundreds of people “thru-boat” Old Man River in everything from handmade rafts to luxury yachts.
What is the largest watershed in America?
The Mississippi River watershed is the biggest watershed in the United States, draining more than three million square kilometers (one million square miles) of land.
How deep is the Mississippi River?
From its source, Lake Itasca, to its end, the Gulf of Mexico, the Mississippi River drops 1,475 feet. The deepest point on the Mississippi River is located near Algiers Point in New Orleans and is 200 feet in depth .
Is any part of the Mississippi River in Canada?
How much of North America does the Mississippi River drain? The Mississippi River and its tributaries drain all or part of 31 U.S. states and two provinces in Canada, an area of approximately 1.2 million square miles (3.1 million square km), or about one-eighth of the entire continent.
Are there sharks in the Mississippi river?
Believe it or not, sharks are no stranger to the freshwaters of the Mississippi River, even as far north as Illinois! In 1937, two fishermen caught a five-foot-long bull shark in Alton, Illinois. Just ask the residents of Alton, Illinois located north of St. Louis.
Is there alligators in the Mississippi river?
Once considered an endangered species in the late 1960s, American Alligators have made a big comeback in the swampy marsh areas surrounding the Mississippi River. It is estimated that there are just over 30,000 alligators in Mississippi , with most centralized in the southern portion of the state.
Has anyone ever floated the entire Mississippi River?
Michael Waterford’s attempt to solo kayak the entire length of the Mississippi River from Minnesota to the Gulf of Mexico ended in Dubuque, Iowa, after traveling 700 miles down the 2,320-mile river.
