Mississippi River Map
The Mississippi River is a 3,770 km (2,340 mi) river in the United States. This map shows its course from Lake Itasca to the Gulf of Mexico on shaded relief, with its river network, lakes, borders and major cities.
How to read this map
The Mississippi River is about 3,770 km (2,340 mi) long and drains a basin of about 2,980,000 km² (1,150,000 sq mi). Its average discharge is about 12,700 m³/s (450,000 cu ft/s). It rises at Lake Itasca and flows into the Gulf of Mexico. Tributaries include Black River, Arkansas River, Ohio River, Saint Croix River, Wisconsin River, Rock River, Illinois River and Kaskaskia River.
The highlighted blue line is the course of the Mississippi River as mapped by Natural Earth. Towns and cities on the map include Chicago, Toronto, Dallas, Atlanta, Houston, Detroit, Monterrey and Minneapolis. Labeled states and countries: Mexico, North Dakota, Minnesota, Ontario, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi.
Greens show lower elevations; tan and brown show higher land, with pale tones toward the highest terrain. Shadows emphasize the slopes, and vertical relief is exaggerated so landforms are easier to read. Dashed lines show country borders, and fine dashed lines show state or province borders.
The relief uses Terrain Tiles (SRTM, GMTED2010 and ETOPO1 elevation data). Rivers, lakes, borders and the course of the Mississippi River come from Natural Earth, and the figures on this page from Wikidata. Natural Earth draws features at a small scale, so the line is a guide to where the Mississippi River is, not a surveyed boundary.
Blank physical map
The blank version keeps the mapped features and removes the place labels. Download it for a geography worksheet or practice identifying the features.
Mississippi River facts
| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Length | 3,770 km (2,340 mi) |
| Drainage basin | 2,980,000 km² (1,150,000 sq mi) |
| Average discharge | 12,700 m³/s (450,000 cu ft/s) |
| Source | Lake Itasca |
| Mouth | the Gulf of Mexico |
| Countries | the United States |
| Tributaries | Black River, Arkansas River, Ohio River, Saint Croix River, Wisconsin River, Rock River, Illinois River, Kaskaskia River, Minnesota River and Des Moines River |
Data sources and license
- Natural Earth (public-domain geography): Public domain.
- Terrain Tiles / Mapzen (SRTM, GMTED2010, ETOPO1): Open elevation data; source attribution retained.
- Wikidata (lengths, areas, countries and other facts): CC0 1.0.
Map design and rendered images: Atlas of Maps, CC BY 4.0. Source databases retain their own licenses; the map license does not replace them.
Maps of the countries: United States. Compare with the world rivers map.
Frequently asked questions
How long is the Mississippi River?
The Mississippi River is about 3,770 km (2,340 mi) long, with a drainage basin of about 2,980,000 km² (1,150,000 sq mi).
Where does the Mississippi River start and end?
The Mississippi River rises at Lake Itasca and flows into the Gulf of Mexico.
Can I download a blank map of the Mississippi River?
Yes. The blank version keeps the relief, rivers and borders and the highlighted river but removes the place names. Both versions are free to download as PNG and as an A4 PDF.
Use this map
You can download, print and share this map for free, in class, in school projects, in presentations and on websites, as long as you credit the source: Mississippi River Map · Atlas of Maps (atlasofmaps.com), license CC BY 4.0.
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