Cairo sits at the confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers, landlocked by giant levees that keep back the two mighty bodies of water. At the southern end of the peninsula upon which the city sits are two massive bridges, one going to Missouri, the other going to Kentucky. They are marvels, look to be about one hundred years old, and are woefully too narrow to sustain heavy traffic. They are relics, even if they are indeed impressive.

On the north side of town, the landward side, there is a giant floodgate that looks more like a medieval European castle portal than American civil engineering marvel. On top of the giant earthen levee runs a train track. In times of high water, the town can be completed cut off by water.