Mississippi

State of Mississippi
Flag Seal
Nickname(s): "The Magnolia State", "The Hospitality State"
Motto(s): Virtute et Armis
Official language	English
Demonym	Mississippian
Capital (and largest city)	Jackson
Area	Ranked 32nd
• Total	48,430 sq mi (125,443 km2)
• Width	170 miles (275 km)
• Length	340 miles (545 km)
• % water	3%
• Latitude	30° 12′ N to 35° N
• Longitude	88° 06′ W to 91° 39′ W
Population	Ranked 32nd
• Total	2,992,333 (2015 est)
• Density	63.5/sq mi  (24.5/km2) Ranked 32nd
• Median household income	$40,037 (51st)
Elevation
• Highest point	Woodall Mountain 807 ft (246.0 m)
• Mean	300 ft  (90 m)
• Lowest point	Gulf of Mexico sea level
Before statehood	Mississippi Territory
Admission to Union	December 10, 1817 (20th)
Governor	Phil Bryant (R)
Lieutenant Governor	Tate Reeves (R)
Legislature	Mississippi Legislature
• Upper house	State Senate
• Lower house	House of Representatives
U.S. Senators	Thad Cochran (R) Roger Wicker (R)
U.S. House delegation	3 Republicans, 1 Democrat (list)
Time zone	Central: UTC −6/−5
ISO 3166	US-MS
Abbreviations	MS, Miss.
Website	www.ms.gov

Mississippi state symbols
The Flag of Mississippi
The Seal of Mississippi
The Coat of arms of Mississippi
Living insignia
Bird	Northern mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos)
Butterfly	Spicebush swallowtail (Papilio troilus)
Fish	Largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides)
Flower	Magnolia
Insect	Western honey bee (Apis mellifera)
Mammal	White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus)
Reptile	American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis)
Tree	Southern magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora)
Inanimate insignia
Beverage	Milk
Colors	red and blue
Dance	Clogging
Food	Sweet potato
Gemstone	Emerald
Mineral	Gold
Motto	Virtute et armis
Rock	Granite
Shell	Eastern oyster (Crassostrea virginica)
Slogan	First Flight (unofficial)
Song	"Go, Mississippi"
State route marker
State quarter
Released in 2002
Lists of United States state symbols

Mississippi state symbols
The Flag of Mississippi
The Seal of Mississippi
Living insignia
Bird	Mockingbird (1944) Wood duck (1974)
Butterfly	Spicebush swallowtail (1991)
Fish	Largemouth bass (1974)
Flower	Magnolia (1952) Coreopsis (tickseed) (1991)
Insect	Honey bee (1980)
Mammal	White-tailed deer (1974) Red fox (1997) Bottlenose dolphin (1974)
Reptile	American alligator (2005)
Tree	Magnolia (1938)
Inanimate insignia
Beverage	Milk (1984)
Dance	American folk dance (1995)
Fossil	Basilosaurus (1981) Zygorhiza (1981)
Rock	Petrified wood (1976)
Shell	Oyster (1974)
Slogan	Virtute et armis
Soil	Natchez silt loam (2003)
Song	"Go, Mississippi" (1962)
Toy	Teddy bear (2003)
Other	Grand Opera House of Meridian (1993) Tupelo Auto Museum (2003) Mississippi Industrial Heritage Museum (1972)
State route marker
State quarter
Released in 2002
Lists of United States state symbols

Mississippi ⁱ/ˌmɪsᵻˈsɪpi/ is a state in the southern region of the United States, with part of its southern border formed by the Gulf of Mexico. Its western border is formed by the Mississippi River.

The state has a population of approximately 3 million. It is the 32nd most extensive and the 32nd most populous of the 50 United States. Located in the center of the state, Jackson is the state capital and largest city, with a population of approximately 175,000 people.

The state is heavily forested outside of the Mississippi Delta area, between the Mississippi and Yazoo rivers. Before the American Civil War, most development in the state was along riverfronts, where slaves worked on cotton plantations. After the war, the bottomlands to the interior were cleared, mostly by freedmen. By the end of the 19th century, African Americans made up two-thirds of the Delta's property owners, but timber and railroad companies acquired much of the land after a financial crisis.