National Geographic - Rivers and Life (2009) Part 4 The Mississippi

Rivers and Life

Celebrating the ever-changing nature of our relationship with the Earth’s amazing water systems, Rivers and Life reveals how the cultures and lives of millions of ordinary people are shaped by the magnificent waters they live along. River-by-river, we explore six of the world’s most iconic watercourses, tracing their routes, their histories and their changing lives, telling the compelling stories of the life that’s lived along their banks. We encounter indigenous communities who dwell in harmony with rivers; modern traders, artists and artisans who make their living there; and vast metropolises which – now more than ever – depend on 21st century technologies to keep the ancient waters at bay.

Part 4: Mississippi

The Mississippi is a river of sound - music, wildlife, voices, weather, even the sound of the river itself. This is the iconic North American river, home to paddle-steamers, Mark Twain, a key route in the story of slavery, and of New Orleans. The devastating flood of 1927 and the hurricane of 2005 laid bare the divisions that still exist in the worlds richest nation.

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