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Where does the Mississippi River Start and End

The Mississippi River is America’s largest and most well known river system. It covers an astonishing 4,070 km (2,530 miles) which makes it the fourth longest river in the world. The Missouri River, The Ohio River and the Mississippi river all join together and are considered to be one waterway. Many other rivers flow into the Mississippi River as well. The Mississippi River itself is divided into the upper Mississippi, the Middle Mississippi and the Lower Mississippi. The Mississippi River runs through or along 10 American states from Minnesota to Louisiana. So, where does this mighty river start and end? Read this article to find out.

Where does the Mississippi River start?
The Upper Mississippi is the portion of the river where the river begins. The Mississippi river starts at Lake Itasca, in the central north of Minnesota. Lake Itasca is a small glacial lake approximately 4.7 km2 (1.8 sq mi.) in area. It is located in the Itasca National Park and is 450 m (1,475 ft) above sea level. Lake Itasca was officially named as the source of the Mississippi River after extensive investigation in the 1800’s. The original course of the river from Lake Itasca was moved to make a more pleasant visiting area for tourists in the 1930’s and a new channel was dug and rock walls erected to create the new course.

Where does the Mississippi River end?
The Mississippi River travels south from Lake Itasca through 10 states of America and finally joins the sea in the Gulf of Mexico near the city of New Orleans. The Delta of the Mississippi River covers 12,000 km2 (3 million acres) and is comprised of coastal wetlands and salt marshes.

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