Mississippi River
Mighty American waterway
The Mississippi River is the principal river of North America, flowing roughly 2,350 miles from Minnesota to the Gulf of Mexico.
It drains all or part of 31 states and serves as a major commercial waterway.
The river divides the United States into eastern and western halves and has long figured in American history and literature: Life on the Mississippi, crossing the Mississippi.
Its name comes from Ojibwe words meaning "great river."
Stream entering larger river
- confluenceMeeting point of streams
- watershedDrainage area boundary
- meanderTo travel without direction
- oxbowTight river curve
floodplain · levee · current · discharge · flood stage · drainage basin · headwaters · crest
Flat freight vessel
- towboatVessel for pushing barges
- channelPassage for transmission
- shippingTransporting goods to destinations
- commerceExchange of goods, services
cargo · dredging · port · St. Louis · Memphis · Baton Rouge · buoy · pilot
Deposited by moving water
- estuaryTidal mixing zone
- wetlandsWater-saturated terrain
- marshlandWaterlogged lowland area
- sedimentParticles settling in liquid
floodplain · brackish · distributary · Louisiana · Gulf of Mexico · bayou · silt · deposition
Engine-powered water vessels
- Louisiana Purchase1803 territorial acquisition
- Civil WarCountrymen fighting countrymen
- plantationsLarge-scale farming operations
- slaveryOwnership of people
Mark Twain · Huckleberry Finn · Tom Sawyer · New Orleans · fur trade · Lewis and Clark · French explorers · Native Americans
Political territory's edge
- borderOuter edge or limit
- demarcationFormal boundary setting
- dividing lineBoundary between regions
- territorialDefensive about owned space
jurisdiction · crossing · ferry · bridge · survey · Mason-Dixon
tributary
Stream entering larger river
- confluenceMeeting point of streams
- watershedDrainage area boundary
- meanderTo travel without direction
oxbow · floodplain · levee · current · discharge · flood stage · drainage basin · headwaters · crest · flood control
barge
Flat freight vessel
- towboatVessel for pushing barges
- channelPassage for transmission
- shippingTransporting goods to destinations
commerce · cargo · dredging · port · St. Louis · Memphis · Baton Rouge · buoy · pilot · Army Corps of Engineers
alluvial
Deposited by moving water
sediment · floodplain · brackish · distributary · Louisiana · Gulf of Mexico · bayou · silt · deposition · bird sanctuary
steamboats
Engine-powered water vessels
- Louisiana Purchase1803 territorial acquisition
- Civil WarCountrymen fighting countrymen
- plantationsLarge-scale farming operations
Mark Twain · Huckleberry Finn · Tom Sawyer · slavery · New Orleans · fur trade · Lewis and Clark · French explorers · Native Americans · Natchez
state line
Political territory's edge
- borderOuter edge or limit
- demarcationFormal boundary setting
- dividing lineBoundary between regions
territorial · jurisdiction · crossing · ferry · bridge · survey · Mason-Dixon
mighty
Having great power
- vastExtremely great in size
- majesticImpressively dignified and beautiful
- powerfulHaving great strength
legendary · iconic · monumental · imposing · expansive · winding · serpentine · timeless · storied · American
- US geographystates, capitals, state boundaries, state lines, regions
- American LandformsGrand Canyon, Rocky Mountains, Rockies, Appalachian Mountains, Appalachians
- American WildernessGrand Canyon, Yellowstone, Yosemite, Everglades, Rocky Mountains
- Fishing DestinationsAlaska, Bahamas, Belize, British Columbia, Costa Rica
- Midwest AttractionsGateway Arch, Mount Rushmore, Mall of America, Mackinac Island, Great Lakes
- New OrleansFrench Quarter, Bourbon Street, Mardi Gras, Jackson Square, jazz
Mississippi Rivercreek
Narrow natural watercourse
stream · brook · tributary · drainage ditch · dry wash
Mississippi RiverColumbia River
Major Pacific Northwest river
Colorado River · St. Lawrence River · Yukon River · Hudson River · Rio Grande
river, rivers, rivulet, riverbank, riverbed, riverboat, riverfront, Mississippi, riverbanks