The Mississippi River完成.ppt

The Mississippi River Introduction of the River Course of the River Climate Flood Control Navigation and Economic Use Exploration and Development Introduction of the River The Mississippi River, 3,779 km (2,348 mi) long, is the second longest river, after the Missouri, in the United States. Its triangular drainage area, covering about 40% of the country and including all or part of 31 states, is approximately 3,250,000 sq km (1,250,000 sq mi), the third largest in the world. The Mississippi rises in Minnesota and then flows south, following the boundaries between the states of Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Arkansas, and Louisiana on the west, and Wisconsin, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Mississippi on the east. The river, whose name means father of waters in the Algonquian language, has long been an important transportation artery of North America. Course of the River Rising at an elevation of 446 m (1,463 ft) in Lake Itasca, Minn., the Mississippi flows through several glacial lakes to Minneapolis-Saint Paul, where it passes over a series of rapids and is joined by the Minnesota River. After this confluence, the Mississippi is fringed by 60-90-m-high (200-300-ft) bluffs on both sides. Climate Mean annual temperatures range from about 4 deg to 10 deg C (40 deg to 50 deg F) at the Mississippis source in Minnesota to about 21 deg to 27 deg C (70 deg to 80 deg F) at its mouth. Precipitation along the rivers course varies widely, from 510-1,015 mm (20-40 in) in the north to 1,520-1,780 mm (60-70 in) at its New Orleans delta. Flood Control In its lower section the Mississippi is subject to disastrous flooding. Navigation and Economic Use The lower river, which has a relatively narrow but deep channel, is navigable for oceangoing ships upstream to Baton Rouge, La. From there to Cairo a 4-m-deep (12-ft) channel is maintained . Exploration and Development The first Europeans to see the river inland were Hernando DE SOTO and his party in 1541. La Salle,