Read the text and fill in the gaps with the right phrases.

Many rivers cross the United States. But the greatest is ... . Native Americans called it "the father of waters". It ... and ends in the Gulf of Mexico, nearly four thousand miles \(6400 km\) away. On its journey to the sea, the Mississippi travels through several states, and ... , it brings water to farmlands. The Mississippi has been an important waterway since early times, when native Americans travelled on the river ... . Among other big rivers are the Colorado and the Missouri. The Colorado River ... or the Rockies that stretch from Alaska to the south of the country. ... is the Appalachians in the east also running from north to south.