Mississippi River Valley
Heartland drainage basin
The Mississippi River Valley is the broad drainage basin of the Mississippi River, stretching from the Appalachian Mountains to the Rocky Mountains and encompassing all or part of 31 U.S. states and two Canadian provinces.
This vast lowland region, one of the world's most fertile agricultural areas, has served as a major corridor for transportation, commerce, and cultural exchange throughout American history.
The valley's rich alluvial soils support extensive farming, particularly of corn, soybeans, and cotton.
- floodplainFlood-prone riverside lowland
- flood stageCritical water level marker
- paddle wheelRotating blades for propulsion
- wetlandWaterlogged land ecosystem
- Native American tribesIndigenous U.S. peoples' groups
tributary · jazz origins · French explorers · folklore · Civil War battles · oxbow lake · mud flats · levee · Mark Twain · archaeological sites · plantation economy · cotton trade · delta · mud · bank · channel · migratory bird · catfish fry
Mississippi River ValleyGreat Basin
Closed hydrological region, American West
Mississippi River ValleyRocky Mountains
Western North American cordillera
Appalachian Mountains · Sierra Nevada · mountain ranges · highland regions · Pacific Coast
Mississippi, River, Valley, rivers, valleys, rivered, riverine, riverbank, riverbed