tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13589532.post2396539913093019971..comments2023-10-09T04:11:47.358-07:00Comments on Not A Potted Plant: Geography QuestionBurt Likkohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16060980744675990412noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13589532.post-84949188361129004462009-09-29T10:35:20.881-07:002009-09-29T10:35:20.881-07:00As far as I know, it's generally the order in ...As far as I know, it's generally the order in which rivers are discovered and then named by Europeans. Although both the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers retain (more or less) Native American names, the Mississippi was "discovered" before the Missouri. The Missouri is much longer upstream of its confluence with the Mississippi than the the Mississippi River, yet below that point it becomes the Mississippi. <br />At many times, the flow coming out of the Missouri is greater as well. But because the Mississippi was known both up and downstream of this confluence first, it retains the name.Missouri River Reliefhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09525431448255600581noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13589532.post-56716295394517808712009-09-26T18:29:43.314-07:002009-09-26T18:29:43.314-07:00For that matter, how do you determine which river ...For that matter, how do you determine which river flows into the other? I've read that at Cairo, Illinois, the Ohio discharges more water than the Mississippi at that point. IF that's the case, shouldn't the upper Mississippi be considered a tributary of the Ohio?<br /><br />It's probably because people want rivers to be straight lines, and on a map it looks like the Ohio should be a tributary of the Mississippi. But if you go by total flow, who's the main stem and who's the tributary?ohio981https://www.blogger.com/profile/16148481765181570598noreply@blogger.com