Mississippi

Mississippi is one of the states of the United States. Its capital and largest city is Jackson. The state flower and tree are the magnolia. Other large cities are Biloxi, Greenville, Gulfport, Hattiesburg, Meridian, Pascagoula, Southaven, Tupelo, Starkville, and Vicksburg. It touches Arkansas (by the Mississippi River), Louisiana, Tennessee, and Alabama.

Mississippi
State
State of Mississippi
Flag Seal
Nickname(s):  "The Magnolia State", "The Hospitality State"
Motto(s):  Latin: Virtute et armis (By valor and arms)
Anthem: Go, Mississippi
Map of the United States with Mississippi highlighted
Country	United States
Before statehood	Mississippi Territory
Admitted to the Union	December 10, 1817 (20th)
Capital (and largest city)	Jackson
Largest metro and urban areas	Greater Jackson
Government
• Governor	Tate Reeves (R)
• Lieutenant Governor	Delbert Hosemann (R)
Legislature	Mississippi Legislature
• Upper house	State Senate
• Lower house	House of Representatives
U.S. senators	Roger Wicker (R) Cindy Hyde-Smith (R)
U.S. House delegation	1: Trent Kelly (R) 2: Bennie Thompson (D) 3: Michael Guest (R) 4: Steven Palazzo (R) (list)
Area
• Total	48,430 sq mi (125,443 km2)
• Land	46,952 sq mi (121,607 km2)
• Water	1,521 sq mi (3,940 km2)  3%
• Rank	32nd
Dimensions
• Length	340 mi (545 km)
• Width	170 mi (275 km)
Elevation	300 ft (90 m)
Highest elevation (Woodall Mountain[1][2][3])	807 ft (246.0 m)
Lowest elevation (Gulf of Mexico[2])	0 ft (0 m)
Population  (2019)
• Total	2,976,149
• Rank	34th
• Density	63.5/sq mi (24.5/km2)
• Rank	32nd
• Median household income	$43,567 [4]
• Income rank	50th
Demonym	Mississippian
Language
• Official language	English
Time zone	UTC−06:00 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−05:00 (CDT)
USPS abbreviation	MS
ISO 3166 code	US-MS
Traditional abbreviation	Miss.
Latitude	30°12′ N to 35° N
Longitude	88°06′ W to 91°39′ W
Website	www.ms.gov

Mississippi state symbols
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
Rock	Granite
Shell	Eastern oyster (Crassostrea virginica)
Slogan	First Flight (unofficial)
State route marker
State quarter
Released in 2002
Lists of United States state symbols

The climate of Mississippi is subtropical.

The first people to settle in Mississippi were Native Americans before the arrival of Europeans. African slaves worked on cotton plantations in the state. Mississippi has the highest percentage of African Americans of any state.