Mississippi River Basin

The drainage basin of the Mississippi River system, covering much of the central United States. Its waters ultimately flow through the Mississippi River into the Gulf of Mexico.

Mississippi River: A major North American river that flows south from Minnesota to the Gulf of Mexico. The basin drains toward this main river and its mouth.
Drainage basin: An area of land whose surface waters drain to a shared outlet. This is the broader geographic category that includes the Mississippi system.
Mississippi River System: The Mississippi River and its principal tributaries, considered together as a connected waterway network. Its channels support commercial transport across the basin.
Mississippi River floods: Flood events in the Mississippi River system caused by high water, heavy rain, snowmelt, or other factors. Basin-wide weather and runoff can produce major floods along the main river.
Missouri River: The longest river in North America, flowing from the Rocky Mountains to the Mississippi River. Its vast watershed forms the western portion of the basin.
Mississippi River watershed divide: The boundary separating land that drains to the Mississippi River system from land draining elsewhere. It defines which rainfall and runoff belong to the basin.
Mississippi River and Tributaries Project: A U.S. Army Corps of Engineers program of levees, floodways, and other works for flood control. It manages flood risk across much of the lower basin.
Great Mississippi Flood of 1927: A catastrophic flood that inundated large areas of the lower Mississippi Valley in 1927. It prompted sweeping changes in federal flood-control policy.
Ohio River: A major river formed by the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers, joining the Mississippi at Cairo, Illinois. Its tributaries drain much of the basin’s eastern portion.
Floodplain: Low-lying land beside a river that is periodically inundated by floodwater. Floodwaters spread beyond channels and reshape basin landscapes.

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