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River Facts
 
The Mississippi River drains:
 
  • 1,243,700 miles2, surpassed only by Amazon, Congo basins
  • all or part of 31 US states and two Canadian provinces, from New Mexico to New York, Alberta to Alabama
  • 41 percent of continental US
  • 15 percent of North America
  • over 600,000 cubic feet of water per second at its most voluminous stretch, along the Louisiana/Mississippi border
  • vast amounts of sediment from its western tributaries
  • less sediment but greater water volume from its eastern tributaries
  • 100,000 times more water at its peak than at its headwaters;
  • a wide range of pollutants, from urban and agricultural runoff to pharmaceuticals, into water supplies and gulf
 
The Mississippi River measures:
 
  • 2,340 miles from Lake Itasca headwaters in Minnesota to its mouth in the Gulf of Mexico
  • 3,740 miles when combined with Missouri River tributary, forming world’s third longest system, after Nile and Amazon
  • about 200 feet at its deepest point, in New Orleans, where it spans 2000 feet across
 
The Mississippi River offers:
 
  • insights into US history
  • clues to the ecological health of nation and coastal waters
  • opportunities for scientists to understand the complexities of river systems and communities
  • opportunities for engineers to design bold new river-based technologies
  • inspiration to artists, writers, and performers
Copyright © 2007 Center for Bioenvironmental Research at Tulane / Xavier Universities