ENCYCLOPÆDIA Britannica DISCOVER AMERICA Mississippi The Magnolia State CHICAGO LONDON NEW DELHI PARIS SEOUL SYDNEY TAIPEI TOKYO
4 MISSISSIPPI INTRODUCTION Mississippi is located in the Deep South of the United States It is named after the Mississippi River which forms most of its western border The name Mississippi comes from Algonquian Indian words meaning great river or father of waters The Mississippi River is the largest river in the United States It runs through most of the central United States and empties into the Gulf of Mexico This great river is responsible for much of Mississippi’s rich soil and fertile land Mississippi’s rivers history and music attract visitors from all over the world Its nickname is the Magnolia State Beautiful magnolia trees grow throughout the region Huge and sweet-smelling flowers blossom on these trees The magnolia is both the state tree and the state flower The blossoms of the magnolia tree come in a variety of colors from white to pink yellow and purple Most blossoms are 7 to 10 inches in diameter Mississippi was the 20th state to enter the Union It was admitted into the United States on Dec 10 1817 Canoeists have much to explore when paddling down the Mississippi River The river drains 31 states Mississippians are sometimes called Mudcats after the freshwater catfish that live in the state The largest city in Mississippi is its capital Jackson Jackson is in the central part of the state Mississippi’s state waterfowl is the wood duck
INTRODUCTION 5 Four other Southern states border Mississippi Tennessee lies to the north Alabama to the east Arkansas to the west and Louisiana to the south and west The Gulf of Mexico borders southeastern Mississippi This strip of land is known as the Gulf coast Several major highways run through the Magnolia State Including all of its bays and inlets the Mississippi Gulf coast has a total length of 359 miles Mississippi’s state song is Go Mississippi The state bird is the mockingbird It is a popular bird in the South as it also represents Arkansas Florida Texas and Tennessee Mississippi covers about 48,000 square miles The state water mammal is the bottlenose dolphin Mississippi’s many waterways also make it possible to arrive by boat The main ports along the Mississippi River are Vicksburg Greenville and Natchez Pascagoula is a major Gulf coast cargo port as are Biloxi and Gulfport International airports are located in Jackson Bay St Louis and Pascagoula Passenger trains travel along the Gulf coast as well as north and south through the state Mississippi Location Map Capital Jackson Interstate highways Scale 0 0 60 97 120 Mi 193 Km Population 2,844,658 Size 47,695 square miles Highest peak Woodall Mountain 806 feet
