From its beginnings as a geographic, economic, social, and political entity after Columbus' discovery of the New World, the State of Louisiana has been tied to everything that the Mississippi River has represented. The river has inspired colonial ambition, greed, and self-gratification, but also dignity, pride, harmony, and collective progress, coming together to create a legacy of achievement. The river has conditioned and still rules the destiny of New Orleans, shaping a most interesting and unique regional society, and defining its relationship with the United States and the rest of the world. The Mississippi River begins at Lake Itasca in Northern Minnesota. From there, crossing 2,350 miles and receiving hundreds of tributaries along 10 states, the river finally reaches the Gulf of Mexico with a volume of water equal to a third of the entire runoff of the continental United States.