Mississippi runs through which states

Actively scan device characteristics for identification. Use precise geolocation data. Select personalised content. Create a personalised content profile. Measure ad performance. Select basic ads. Create a personalised ads profile. Select personalised ads. Apply market research to generate audience insights.

Measure content performance. Develop and improve products. List of Partners vendors. Share Flipboard Email. Amanda Briney. Geography Expert. Amanda Briney, M. Updated December 04, Featured Video. Cite this Article Format. The depth of the Mississippi River varies depending on which point you find yourself at.

What kind of animals live in the Mississippi River? The Mississippi River is home to species of fish, species of birds, species of amphibians and 50 species of mammals. That is, of course, without stops for sightseeing. At its skinniest point, the river is between 20 and 30 feet wide, but at its largest, the Mississippi River is more than 11 miles wide! How long is the Mississippi River? The Mississippi River is approximately 2, miles long. The river provided transportation, clean water, and abundant food, including freshwater mussels and fish.

The richness of resources proved equally tempting to European settlers who first learned of the Mississippi from Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto in , followed by French explorers Louis Jolliet and Jacques Marquette who traveled south down the river in the 17th century. Britain, Spain, and France all laid claim to land bordering the Mississippi River until the Louisiana Purchase in Following the United States victory over Britain in the War of , the highly coveted Mississippi River officially and permanently belonged to the Americans.

Following the monumental flood of , an era of federally funded levees, dredging, and diking ensued. As a result, the mosaic of backwaters, wetlands and sloughs that once spread out seasonally across floodplain ecosystems were drained and cut off from the river, degrading habitat and threatening the vast array of fish and wildlife that traditionally call the Mississippi River home.

The basin provides critical habitat for more than candidate species of rare, threatened or endangered plants and animals listed by state or federal agencies.

Then came the U. Army Corps of Engineers, damming and channeling the big river until it assumed its form today: A giant barge canal, mostly devoid of animal life. These days, the Mississippi is more an over-engineered canal prone to catastrophic flood than the dynamic natural system it once was. While some areas are reconnecting the floodplain to the river, it still struggles to regain natural floodplain functions , and in many areas levees are seen as the only tool to manage flood risk.

American Rivers dedicates the majority of our Mississippi work to restoring the Upper Mississippi River , where the resurrection story is just beginning to unfold.