<P> The Mississippi River is the chief river of the second - largest drainage system on the North American continent , second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system . The stream is entirely within the United States ( although its drainage basin reaches into Canada ) , its source is in northern Minnesota and it flows generally south for 2,320 miles ( 3,730 km ) to the Mississippi River Delta in the Gulf of Mexico . With its many tributaries , the Mississippi 's watershed drains all or parts of 31 U.S. states and two Canadian provinces between the Rocky and Appalachian Mountains . The Mississippi ranks as the fourth - longest and fifteenth - largest river in the world by discharge . The river either borders or passes through the states of Minnesota , Wisconsin , Iowa , Illinois , Missouri , Kentucky , Tennessee , Arkansas , Mississippi , and Louisiana . </P>
<P> The Mississippi River is the chief river of the second - largest drainage system on the North American continent , second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system . The stream is entirely within the United States ( although its drainage basin reaches into Canada ) , its source is in northern Minnesota and it flows generally south for 2,320 miles ( 3,730 km ) to the Mississippi River Delta in the Gulf of Mexico . With its many tributaries , the Mississippi 's watershed drains all or parts of 31 U.S. states and two Canadian provinces between the Rocky and Appalachian Mountains . The Mississippi ranks as the fourth - longest and fifteenth - largest river in the world by discharge . The river either borders or passes through the states of Minnesota , Wisconsin , Iowa , Illinois , Missouri , Kentucky , Tennessee , Arkansas , Mississippi , and Louisiana . </P>
into what body of water does the mississippi river system empty
into what body of water does the mississippi river system empty
Gulf of Mexico
Gulf of Mexico