10 Interesting Mississippi River Facts

The Mississippi River is one of the world’s major river systems in size, habitat diversity and biological productivity. It is the third 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. Below is interesting mississipi river facts:

1. The length of the Mississippi River is approximately 2,320 miles (3,730 km), slightly shorter than the Missouri River.

mississippi

2. The Mississippi and Missouri Rivers combine to form the longest river system in the USA and North America. It is also the fourth longest in the world.

missouri and mississipi

3. At its widest point, the Mississippi River stretches out over 7 miles (11 km) in width.

mississipi river stretches

4. The Mississippi River lies in the following ten US states: Louisiana, Mississippi, Arkansas, Tennessee, Kentucky, Missouri, Illinois, Iowa, Wisconsin and Minnesota.

mississipi river

5. The Mississippi River has had strong historical significance in the USA from Native American tribes through to European explorers, the American Civil War, the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 and its modern commercial uses.

1927 flood

6. The first bridge built across the Mississippi River was in 1855 with the first railroad bridge finished a year later in 1856.

Bridge 1865

7. Martin Strel, a Slovenian swimmer who is famous for swimming the length of entire rivers conquered the Mississippi over 68 days in 2002.

Martin Strel

8. Many of Mark Twain’s famous stories are related to or take place near the Mississippi River, this includes the well known ‘Adventures of Huckleberry Finn’.

adventures of huckleberry finn

9. The Mississippi and its tributaries drain almost all the plains between the Appalachian Mountains and the Rocky Mountains. Its drainage basin is the third largest in the world, exceeded in size only by the watersheds of the Amazon and Congo Rivers.

the-appalachians

10. The Mississippi River factswas discovered by De Soto in 1541.

de Soto