Water Flow Rate: the average surface speed of the water is about 1.2 mph

Length: the length varies depending on the source doing the measuring. It is anywhere between 2,552 and 2,300 miles long.

Width: the width fluctuates between 20ft and 1mile.

Watershed Area: The Mississippi River Basin drains 41% of continental United States; thirty-one states and 2 Canadian provinces are included in the watershed. The total area of which is between 1.2 and 1.8 million square miles.

Wildlife:

• At least 260 species of fishes, 25% of all fish species in North America.
• Forty percent of the nation's migratory waterfowl use the river corridor during their Spring and Fall migration.
• Sixty percent of all North American birds (326 species) use the Mississippi River Basin as their migratory flyway.
• From Cairo, Il, upstream to Lake Itasca, there are 38 documented species of mussel. On the Lower Mississippi, there may be as many as 60 separate species of mussels.
• The Upper Mississippi is host to more than 50 species of mammals
  
• At least 145 species of amphibians and reptiles inhabit the Upper Mississippi River environs.

All of the facts here were taken from the National Park Service's web site:"General Information about the Mississippi River" (http://www.nps.gov/miss/features/factoids/)

The map is from the Mississippi River Cruises page. (www.mapofmississippi.com/images)