The great river of North America, draining 31 US states and part of Canada through its vast system.
Length
3,766 km
Source
Lake Itasca, Minnesota
Mouth
Gulf of Mexico (Louisiana)
Continent
North America
Countries
United States
Did you know?
With the Missouri added, the Mississippi system is the fourth-longest river in the world.
Little-known fact
At Lake Itasca you can wade across the Mississippi on stepping stones — it starts as a stream only a few metres wide.
Highlights
- Drains 31 US states
- Fourth-longest river system on Earth with the Missouri
- Begins as a stream you can step across
Life in the Mississippi
The fish and animals, waterbirds and water plants — including some of the rarest — that this water supports.
Animals & fish
North American beaver
Nature’s engineer: its dams create wetlands that reshape whole river valleys.
Common snapping turtle
An armoured, prehistoric-looking turtle with a powerful beak that haunts the muddy beds of North American waters.
Waterbirds
Mallard
The familiar green-headed dabbling duck — ancestor of most domestic ducks — found on waters worldwide.
Water plants & reeds
Cattail (bulrush)
The brown sausage-headed reed of marshy shallows, edible from root to pollen.
Water lily
Rooted in the mud, its round pads and star-like flowers float on the still surface of lakes and backwaters.
Interactive · 3D journey
Journey of a river · source → sea
Every river runs the same great journey — from an icy mountain spring, down through gorges and looping meanders, to a wide delta where it meets the sea. Tap a stage to follow the water downstream.
Tip: hover to tilt the valley · tap a stage to float downstream
The Source
Every river begins high up — in a mountain spring, a melting glacier or a boggy upland. The water is cold, clear and fast, tumbling down the steepest ground of its whole journey.
Landforms here