The Mississippi River: American, Not Canadian

The Mississippi River is not a Canadian river. Its entire 2,340-mile course lies within the United States:

• Source: Lake Itasca, Minnesota (47°14′N)
• Mouth: Gulf of Mexico, Louisiana (29°09′N)
• States traversed: MN, WI, IA, IL, MO, KY, TN, AR, MS, LA (10 states)

Its watershed does extend into Canada—small headwater tributaries of the Red River of the North (which flows north to Hudson Bay) and the Milk River (Missouri tributary) cross the border. But the Mississippi proper never enters Canada.

The confusion may arise from the Nelson River (Manitoba) or Mackenzie River (NWT)—Canada's great north-flowing systems—or from the Mississippi's role in draining the continental interior, which includes Canadian headwater contributions via the Red/Milk rivers.