Mississippi! This word with enormously difficult spelling is known to each American. It is more than just a river – it is a symbol of the USA, the same as Niagara Waterfalls. It can be compared to Stonehenge in England and the Eiffel Tower in Paris. Its shores are beautiful, its water flow is very quickly. There lives more than 260 species of fishes, a great number of waterfowl, near 325 species of birds (they use the Mississippi River as a place for migration), 50 kinds of mammals, more than 145 species of reptiles and amphibians.
This river (in familiar to us look) appeared for the first time in 1930′s when there was made a low dam by the Civilian Conservation Corps.
The length of this river is rather hard to measure, ’cause it is changing constantly. But it is near 2,552 miles long.
The width of the Mississippi is between 20 to 30 feet. The widest part of the river is Lake Pepin.
The depth of the river is 3 feet.
The Mississippi River is used as a source of fresh water and a place for municipal wastes. This River is a large storage and supplier of various deposits. There is a 9-foot shipping channel on the Mississippi River, that was made by U.S. Army in order to carry goods. Average people, merchants and just entrepreneurs can traffic petroleum and petroleum products, steel, iron, rubber, paper, wood, coal, coffee, edible oils.
You can not only see the Mississippi River with your own eyes but to visit the specialized center, devoted to the history of this River. There are a lot of places to visit on this river, for example: Historic Fort Snelling, Sibley Historic Site, Fort Snelling State Park Visitor Center and many others.
