The Mississippi River

The Mississippi River is one of the most well known rivers in the world. It ranks up there with the The River Nile, The Amazon River, and The Chang Jiang River. It was formed and shaped by the Cordilleran Ice Sheet during the most recent Ice Age. As the ice began to recede, hundreds of feet of rich sediment were deposited along the rivers edge, creating the flat and fertile landscape of the Mississippi Valley. The Mississippi Riverhas changed over the years and has taken a different shape than the original path that was carved out by the glaciers. This change is due to the many dams that have been built along the river.

• The length of the Mississippi River is approximately 2,320 miles (3,730 km), slightly shorter than the Missouri River.
• The Mississippi and Missouri Rivers combine to form the longest river system in the USA and North America. It is also the fourth longest in the world.
• At its widest point, the Mississippi River stretches out over 7 miles (11 km) in width.
• The Mississippi River lies in the following ten US states: Louisiana, Mississippi, Arkansas, Tennessee, Kentucky, Missouri, Illinois, Iowa, Wisconsin and Minnesota.
• The Mississippi River has had strong historical significance in the USA from Native American tribes through to European explorers, the American Civil War, the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 and its modern commercial uses.
• The first bridge built across the Mississippi River was in 1855 with the first railroad bridge finished a year later in 1856.
• Martin Strel, a Slovenian swimmer who is famous for swimming the length of entire rivers conquered the Mississippi over 68 days in 2002.
• Many of Mark Twain’s famous stories are related to or take place near the Mississippi River, this includes the well known ‘Adventures of Huckleberry Finn’.

Questions and Answers about the Mississippi River:
 http://www.thefreeresource.com/the-mississippi-river-fun-facts-and-resources
For more information visit: 
http://www.socialstudiesforkids.com/articles/geography/mississippiriver.htm 
http://primaryfacts.com/403/the-mississippi-river-facts-and-information/