- Mississippi's great seal is the same one adopted by the state upon attaining statehood in 1817. It …
The state of Mississippi got its name from a Choctaw Indian word meaning “great waters” or “father of waters.” The water described is the great Mississippi River, which forms the state's western border. Mississippi's nickname is the Magnolia State. The magnolia tree is the state tree, and the magnolia is the state flower. People from Mississippi are sometimes called Mudcats after the freshwater catfish found in the state's streams. The state capital is Jackson. GeographyMississippi is located in the southeastern United States in a part of the country sometimes called the Deep South. The Mississippi River separates western Mississippi from Louisiana and Arkansas. Louisiana also borders Mississippi on the southwest. To the east is Alabama and to the north is Tennessee. The Gulf of Mexico lies to the southeast. Mississippi has an area of 47,689 square miles (123,515 square kilometers). It is a low and fairly flat state. The highest point, Woodall Mountain, is only 806 feet (246 meters) high. Mississippi has two natural regions: the Mississippi floodplain and the Gulf coastal plain. The Mississippi floodplain, along the western edge of the state, has been built up over the centuries by silt carried downstream by the Mississippi River. The region between the Mississippi and Yazoo rivers is called the Yazoo Basin or the Delta. This area has some of the richest farmland in the world. The Gulf coastal plain covers most of the state and is made up of a number of smaller regions. These regions are mostly separate groups of hills and fertile plains. Plants and animalsMississippi has many large forests. Gum, oak, and pine are the main trees. Opening up much of the state to farming and hunting has reduced the once large wildlife population. The wolf and puma (cougar) are gone; the bobcat is rare and the bear even rarer. Deer and wild turkeys remain somewhat plentiful. The state has a variety of birds. Freshwater fish include bass, crappie, bluegill, white perch, and bream. People and cultureMississippi's first residents were Native Americans: the Chickasaw, the Choctaw, and the Natchez. The Natchez were almost wiped out during a short war with the French in 1729–30. By the 1830s the Choctaw and Chickasaw were forced to give up their lands. Most were sent to Indian Territory (now Oklahoma). Early white settlers were French and Spanish. In the late 18th and early 19th centuries the region was populated by English, Irish, and Scottish settlers, together with a large African American slave population. Until 1940 African Americans outnumbered whites in Mississippi. At the end of the 20th century African Americans made up 36 percent of the state's population. CitiesThe growth of cities was slow in Mississippi because its residents have led rural, agricultural lives for much of the state's history. Jackson, the capital and largest city, had a population of about 184,000 in the year 2000. Jackson is located by the Pearl River in the south-central part of the state. Biloxi is a winter resort and a seafood center on the Gulf coast. Meridian is a lumber and manufacturing city. Greenville and Vicksburg are major ports on the Mississippi River. Recreation and artsHunting, fishing, boating, and camping are among the most popular forms of recreation in Mississippi. Many of the state's most popular attractions are American Civil War battlefield sites, particularly Vicksburg National Military Park. Mississippi is famous for its music and its literary tradition. The form of music known as the blues began in the Mississippi Delta. Rock-and-roll performer Elvis Presley and opera singer Leontyne Price were both born in the state. Mississippi has also produced many famous writers. The best known is William Faulkner, winner of the Nobel prize for literature in 1949. Other Mississippi-born writers include Eudora Welty, Richard Wright, and Tennessee Williams. EducationFor many years wealthy planters in Mississippi sent their children to private academies, slowing the development of public education in the state. During the last quarter of the 19th century, however, the state made strides to provide schooling for all children. Alcorn Agricultural and Mechanical College (now Alcorn State University) was founded in 1871 as the first state-supported college for African Americans in the United States. In 1884 Mississippi established Industrial Institute and College (now Mississippi University for Women), the first state-supported institution in the country to grant diplomas to women. The University of Mississippi, in University, near Oxford, was established in 1844. EconomyAgriculture and fishingWith fertile soil, a mild climate, and plentiful rainfall, Mississippi is well-suited for farming. The state has a long history of growing cotton, and cotton remains an important crop. Other crops include soybeans, corn, wheat, sweet potatoes, and pecans. The raising of poultry is a main part of the economy. The state also has large beef and dairy industries. Mississippi's fishing industry continues to develop. The state is known for its catfish. Shrimp, oysters, crabs, mackerel, redfish, and snapper are important catches on the Gulf coast. Mining and industryPetroleum and natural gas account for most of the minerals produced in Mississippi. Sand, gravel, and clays are also extracted. Since the 1930s industry has become increasingly important in the state. Manufacturing surpassed agriculture as the state's primary source of income in the 1960s. The state's many trees are used in production of a range of wood products, including lumber and furniture. Other products are chemicals, plastics, and industrial machinery. HistoryEarly yearsThe Choctaw were the largest of the Native American tribes living in present-day Mississippi before Europeans arrived. The first European to visit the region was Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto in 1540. The French explorer La Salle claimed the territory for France in 1682. The first permanent European settlement was built in 1699. Southern Mississippi, as part of Spanish Florida, came under British control in 1763. By treaties signed in 1783 and 1795, the United States gained control of all the land that forms the present state except the panhandle (the piece of land that juts further south than the rest of the state). This area was acquired from Spain in 1812. Mississippi joined the Union as the 20th state in 1817. American Civil WarThe years after 1820 were marked by the creation of the cotton plantation system, which was based on slave labor. When the continuation of slavery was threatened, Mississippi withdrew from the Union and joined other Southern states in forming the Confederate States of America. The American Civil War (1861–65) turned Mississippi into a battlefield. One of the state's harshest battles was fought at Vicksburg in 1863. Many soldiers lost their lives, and much property was destroyed. After the Confederacy's defeat, Mississippi was readmitted to the United States in 1870. The state gradually rebuilt its economy. New crops were planted to lessen the dependence on cotton, and the timber industry boomed. Mississippi in the 20th and 21st centuriesThe economy of Mississippi remained mostly rural until the 1930s. During World War II the number of industries grew, with war plants opening in the state. Wartime opportunities in other states, however, led many African Americans to leave Mississippi. Like many other states, Mississippi experienced racial problems. Despite the end of slavery, African American residents lacked the political, educational, and economic opportunities available to whites. The civil-rights movement that swept the nation in the 1960s made an impact on Mississippi and slowly helped to change things. New industries developed in Mississippi during the last quarter of the 20th century. The state made significant economic progress in the 1990s, when average incomes grew and the poverty level dropped. Nevertheless, Mississippi remained one of the poorest states in the nation as the 21st century began. Population (2000 census), 2,844,658. |