{"id":11637,"date":"2023-12-01T01:00:17","date_gmt":"2023-12-01T00:00:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.aboutriver.com\/?p=11637"},"modified":"2023-12-01T01:00:17","modified_gmt":"2023-12-01T00:00:17","slug":"what-state-is-the-mississippi-river-in","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.aboutriver.com\/what-state-is-the-mississippi-river-in\/","title":{"rendered":"What State Is The Mississippi River In"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The Mississippi River is the fourth largest river in the world and it is the largest river in the United States. With its origins in the Northern Minnesota, it flows south through the ten states of Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Mississippi, and Louisiana, before finally emptying into the Gulf Coast of the United States.<\/p>\n

The Mississippi River is a vital part of the American transportation system and has been a means of transportation since its discovery. Native Americans were known to have used the river for centuries before its official discovery. The river is used to transport many types of goods, from crude oil, to agricultural commodities like wheat, soybeans, and corn. It is also a significant source of hydropower and provides electricity to many southern states.<\/p>\n

The Mississippi River is home to a variety of wildlife, notably fish and other aquatic animals. Fish species such as carp, catfish, bass, and paddlefish thrive along the Mississippi, though some of these species are now threatened due to human activity. Exploitation of the river’s waters by industry has caused volumes of pollutants to be released into the water over the past few decades.<\/p>\n

Environmental groups have been pushing for more regulations to be enacted to protect the Mississippi from further pollution. Companies are now required to obtain permits to discharge pollutants into the Mississippi and must meet certain standards for water cleanliness. Clean-up efforts have been successful in reducing pollution levels in recent years, but more work is needed to protect the river.<\/p>\n