The Mississippi River is the third longest river in the world. It is the longest river is the USA. The source of the Mississippi River is Lake Itasca in Minnesota. The Mississippi flows through the center of the USA. It flows through Missouri, Kentucky, Wisconsin, Iowa, Tennessee, Minnesota, Arkansas, Illinois, and Mississippi. The Mississippi’s mouth is in Louisiana. The Mississippi empties in the Gulf of Mexico.

Transportation

The Mississippi has been and still is very important for transportation in the USA. In the 1800’s, steamboats traveled along it. Some important port cities were St. Louis, Memphis, and New Orleans.

Tributaries

The Mississippi has many large rivers, or tributaries, that join it. The Mississippi River and its tributaries drain much of the US.

Some big tributaries are the Wisconsin River, the St. Croix River, the Ohio River, the Missouri River, the Minnesota River, the Illinois River, and the Arkansas River.

Fun Fact!

Martin Strel, who was a Slovenian swimmer that was famous for swimming entire rivers, swam the length of the Mississippi River in 68 days.

The Mississippi and its tributaries