State of Mississippi | |||||
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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) |
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• 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 |
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• Median household income | $40,037 (51st) | ||||
Elevation | |||||
• Highest point |
Woodall Mountain 807 ft (246.0 m) |
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• Mean | 300 ft (90 m) | ||||
• Lowest point |
Gulf of Mexico sea level |
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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 |
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U.S. House delegation | 3 Republicans, 1 Democrat (list) | ||||
Time zone | Central: UTC −6/−5 | ||||
ISO 3166 | US-MS | ||||
Abbreviations | MS, Miss. | ||||
Website | www |
Mississippi state symbols | |
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Living insignia | |
Bird |
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Butterfly |
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Fish |
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Flower | Magnolia |
Insect |
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Mammal | White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) |
Reptile |
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Tree |
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Inanimate insignia | |
Beverage | Milk |
Colors | red and blue |
Dance | Clogging |
Food | Sweet potato |
Gemstone | Emerald |
Mineral | Gold |
Motto | Virtute et armis |
Rock | Granite |
Shell |
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Slogan | First Flight (unofficial) |
Song | "Go, Mississippi" |
State route marker | |
State quarter | |
Released in 2002
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Lists of United States state symbols |
Mississippi state symbols | |
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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
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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.