Mississippi River

Mississippi River Latest News

Two people died when a helicopter crashed into a barge in the Mississippi River near East Alton, Illinois, recently.

About Mississippi River

• It is the longest river in the United States and the second longest in North America. 
• It starts at Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota and flows south until it reaches the Gulf of Mexico.
• The major tributaries are the Red, Arkansas, Illinois, Missouri, and Ohio.
• The Mississippi River alone is more than 2,300 miles (3,700 kilometers) long. 
• If the length of the Missouri River system is added, the Mississippi-Missouri is the world’s fourth longest river system, following the Nile (4,160 miles/6,693km), the Amazon (4,000 miles/6,436km), and the Yangtze Rivers (3,964 miles/6,378km).
• The Mississippi River basin drains 1,260,000 square miles, making it the largest drainage basin in terms of area in North America.
• The basin is home to different ecosystems, including wet forests dominated by cypress trees, brackish and freshwater marshes, sandy beaches, and salt marshes.

Source: BS

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