The Mississippi River is a tributary of the Ottawa River in eastern Ontario in Canada. It is in length from its source in Upper Mazinaw Lake, has a drainage area of, and has a mean discharge of. There are more than 250 lakes in the watershed.Communities along the river include the village of Lanark, the towns of Carleton Place, Mississippi Mills (including towns of Almonte and Pakenham), and Galetta. Here it enters the Ottawa River.EtymologyThe origin of the river's name is something of a mystery; although its current spelling may be derived from that of its much larger American cousin, it is most certainly a corruption of a different native name, as the translation 'great water' would not apply to a relatively minor tributary of the Ottawa, definitely the largest river in the area. Instead, the name may originate from "Mazinaa-ziibi", Algonquian for ' image river', referring to the pictographs found on Mazinaw Lake, though this is by no means proven.DescriptionFrom its headwaters at Mazinaw Lake to its confluence at the Ottawa River near Fitzroy Harbour, the river drops in elevation. It begins on the Canadian Shield (mostly gneiss and marble), and then, after Carleton Place, flows through limestone and clay plains. At Carleton Place, there are rapids with limestone cliffs. This area supports the largest stand of hackberry trees in the region.
