Why do some rivers have higher elevation than the surrounding lands?

Question

I'm curious about it...
You know.. rivers like Mississippi.....

Answer 1

The rivers are held back through the use of levees. The reason for the levees is two-fold. The first, obviously, is to keep the river from flooding the surrounding areas. The second is to keep the river in its assigned location. What most people don't understand is that, if it weren't for the Army Corps of Engineers, the Mississippi River would have actually jumped its bank and would now be flowing to the Gulf of Mexico in the banks of the Red River.

Answer 2

I used to live 100 yards off the Mississippi in Plaquemine, Louisiana. Often the River was higher than the land. If it were not for the levees (they still work this far upriver), I would have been flooded. It was always an awesome sight to see boats go by knowing they were floating on water higher than my roof..

Answer 3

it does make sense to me. i live 6 meters under sea level, and the neared river (sea level) is about half a kilometer from me.

welcome to holland.

it can be that the water enters a natural border it cant get around and this border is. usually though this is man made, like dams and dikes.

Answer 4

You mean a river that is flooding?

Answer 5

You are misinterpreting the map

Answer 6

Uh, well, uh, that doesn't make any sense.