Population: 2 978.512 thousand people (2011)
Area: 125443.0 sq. km
Located in the south of the United States and being the 20th state of Mississippi, it occupies a worthy place in the state of North America. The capital Jackson is one of its major cities. According to citypopulationreview.com, the Mississippi shares a common border with Tennessee to the north, Arkansas to the northwest, Alabama to the east, and Louisiana to the southwest. The southern lands are washed by the waters of the Gulf of Mexico. The origin of the state’s name is associated with the Mississippi River, which flows near its western borders.
In 1540, a Spanish expedition led by Hernando de Soto arrived to explore these places. They represented the first Europeans in Indian lands. Their goal was not only to familiarize themselves with new territories, but also to form colonies for permanent settlement and residence.
The symbolic tree of the state of Mississippi is the magnolia, the flower is the flowers of coreopsis and magnolia, the animal world is the red fox, the white-tailed bear and the bottlenose dolphin is the bottlenose dolphin, and the toy is the teddy bear. The Carolina duck and the mockingbird are emblematic birds of the Mississippi. The symbol of insects is the industrious honey bee.
The territory of Mississippi became part of the new state – the United States in the middle of winter 1817. The main landform of the state is a slightly hilly plain. Between the full-flowing Mississippi River and the Yazoo, its left tributary, lies a flat and low-lying territory, which is framed on the eastern part by the Delta Ridge. The local lands are fertile chernozem soils, giving a rich harvest. In addition to the northeast, hot and humid summers prevail throughout the state. Winters are generally warm with little snow. The major river is the Mississippi and its tributaries, the Big Black and the Yazoo.
Pine forests grow on most of the land, and deciduous forests grow in the north. In addition, there are seven national parks here. The Mississippi Territory is subject to the arrival of a tornado (hurricane) from the Gulf of Mexico. Most often, the southern lands suffer from its invasion.
JACKSON
Population: 173.514 thousand people (2010)
Area: 276.7 sq. km
Founded: 1822
Time zone: UTC-6, summer UTC-5
Altitude: 85 m
Jackson is both the largest city and the capital of Mississippi. It is located on the Pearl River in the western part of the state. The Ross Barnet Reservoir, north of Jackson, supplies the city with water and serves as a recreational area for citizens. Jackson is located in the crater of an ancient volcano, which died out 65 million years ago and rests under the city’s stadium at a depth of about 900 meters underground. See Mississippi counties.
Before the colonization of the state by Europeans, the Choctaw tribes lived here. The expedition of Hernan de Soto penetrated here in 1540, but only in 1820 did a settled settlement of colonists appear, called Parkville. In 1821, in connection with the selection of a site for the new capital of the Mississippi, the commission chose Parkville, as it had all the necessary conditions, including the location on the important Natchese Trace. The capital was moved here and renamed in honor of General Jackson, the future 7th President of the United States.
The city, despite its capital status, grew slowly. However, in the 1930s, deposits of natural gas and oil were discovered in the area, which brought Jackson to the forefront of the region’s economy. By the end of the 1950s, resources were exhausted, but the city authorities managed to reorient the economy. In the 1960s and 70s, the city was swept by a movement to abolish racial segregation. Jackson’s African Americans now make up about 80% of the population.
Jackson is rich in attractions that allow you to fill your leisure time with a variety of pastimes. The city has museums, art centers, theaters, old mansions that have survived to this day after the battles of the Civil War, beautiful administrative buildings, fountains, park areas and sports arenas.