How long and wide is the Mississippi River?

Width. At Lake Itasca, the river is between 20 and 30 feet wide, the narrowest stretch for its entire length. The widest part of the Mississippi can be found at Lake Winnibigoshish near Bena, MN, where it is wider than 11 miles.

So, is the Mississippi River the longest river in the world?

When measured from its longest stream source (most distant source from the sea), Brower's Spring in Montana, the source of the Missouri River, it has a length of 3,710 miles (5,970 km), making it the fourth longest river in the world after the Nile, Amazon, and Yangtze.

Secondly, how many states does the Mississippi River touch?

10 states

Where does the Mississippi River start and end map?

The maps above show how the Mississippi follows begins in Minnesota, then continues almost directly south meeting the states of: Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Missouri, Tennessee, Arkansas, Mississippi and finally slices through Louisiana, and emptying into the Gulf of Mexico.

How dangerous is the Mississippi River?

It's extremely dangerous to swim in the Mississippi River. The river is huge and the currents are strong, even right at water's edge (whether or not you're a great swimmer is irrelevant).

What is the deepest river in the world?

It is also the world's deepest recorded river, with measured depths in excess of 220 m (720 ft). The Congo-Lualaba-Chambeshi River system has an overall length of 4,700 km (2,920 mi), which makes it the world's ninth-longest river.

Is it safe to swim in the Mississippi River?

It's extremely dangerous to swim in the Mississippi River. The river is huge and the currents are strong, even right at water's edge (whether or not you're a great swimmer is irrelevant).

Can you boat the entire Mississippi River?

'Thru-Boating' the 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 deepest river in the United States?

Hudson River

What animals live in the Mississippi River?

More than 120 species of fish make their home in the river, along with recovering mussel populations. Otters, coyotes, deer, beaver and muskrats and other mammals live along the river's banks.

Can you travel the whole length of the Mississippi River?

It takes 90 days for a drop of water to travel the entire length of the Mississippi River. The Gateway Arch in St. Louis, Missouri, is 630 feet tall. From its source in northern Minnesota to the Gulf of Mexico, the Mississippi River drops 1,475 feet.

Who owns the Mississippi River?

Britain, Spain, and France all laid claim to land bordering the Mississippi River until the Louisiana Purchase in 1803. Following the United States victory over Britain in the War of 1812, the highly coveted Mississippi River officially and permanently belonged to the Americans.

How deep is the Mississippi River?

61 m

What is the widest spot on the Mississippi River?

Lake Winnibigoshish

Is the Mississippi River man made?

The Upper Mississippi runs from its headwaters to its confluence with the Missouri River at St. Louis, Missouri. It is divided into two sections: A navigable channel, formed by a series of man-made lakes between Minneapolis and St. Louis, Missouri, some 664 miles (1,069 km).

What city has the most Mississippi Riverfront?

Which city has the most Mississippi riverfront?

Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
New Orleans, Louisiana.
St. Paul, Minnesota.
St. Louis, Missouri.

Does the Mississippi River go through Mississippi?

The Mississippi River runs through or along 10 states, from Minnesota to Louisiana, and is used to define portions of these states borders, with Wisconsin, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Mississippi along the east side of the river, and Iowa, Missouri, and Arkansas along its west side.

How much of the Mississippi River is navigable?

Approximately 850 miles of the river, extending from Minneapolis-St. Paul to the Ohio River, is commercially navigable. On the northern 670 miles, this is made possible by a series of 29 locks and dams, most built in the 1930s, which create a stairway of water.

Does the Mississippi River freeze?

When the Mississippi River freezes over, it's called an "ice gorge." According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the river froze completely in St. Louis at least 10 times between 1831 and 1938, before the completion of the Alton Lock and Dam.

Why is it called the Mississippi River?

The name "Mississippi" comes from the Anishinabe people (Ojibwe Indians.) The Mississippi River is the third longest river system in the world when including the Missouri River tributary.

Why is the Mississippi River Brown?

The Mississippi River carries roughly 500 million tons of sediment into the Gulf of Mexico each year. The Mississippi River is not the only river with the brownish hue. The color is due to the sediments like, fine particles of sand, silt, clay, along with other materials found in the water.

How wide is the Mississippi River on average?

Width of the Mississippi

You'll find the Mississippi at its narrowest point at its headwaters in Lake Itasca, where it's between 20 and 30 feet. The river's widest point is only about 50 miles east, at Lake Winnibigoshish, where it's wider than 11 miles.