USA. COUNTRY STUDIES: THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI

To start with I chose this state to explore not only because it is situated on the Mississippi river but becaused it is named after this beautiful river too. All in all you should be ready to learn some interesting facts about this great state. So let's explore it together.

Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary. Mississippi is the 32nd most extensive and the 31st most populous of the 50 United States. The state is heavily forested outside of the Mississippi Delta area, which was cleared for cotton cultivation in the 19th century. Today, its catfish aquaculture farms produce the majority of farm-raised catfish consumed in the United States. The state symbol is the Magnolia grandiflora tree.

GEOGRAPHY

Mississippi is bordered on the north by Tennessee, on the east by Alabama, on the south by Louisiana and a narrow coast on theGulf of Mexico and on the west, across the Mississippi River, by Louisiana and Arkansas.

In addition to its namesake, major rivers in Mississippi include the Big Black River, the Pearl River, the Yazoo River, thePascagoula River, and the Tombigbee River. Major lakes include Ross Barnett Reservoir, Arkabutla Lake, Sardis Lake andGrenada Lake. The largest lake in Mississippi is Grenada Lake.

Mississippi has a humid subtropical climate with long summers and short, mild winters.

Mississippi is heavily forested, with over half of the state's area covered by wild trees, including mostly pine, as well as cottonwood, elm,hickory, oak, pecan, sweetgum and tupelo.

The ecological problems of this state include flooding, from which a population suffers a lot.

Frankly speaking, a history of a state was always not interesting for me much, so I decided that it would be more interesting both for my readers and my teacher to learn a little about the culture of the state of Mississippi and famous people born there.

Notable natives

Mississippi has produced a number of notable and famous individuals, especially in the realm of music and literature. Among the most notable are:

· Actors: Lacey Chabert, Morgan Freeman, Jim Henson, James Earl Jones, Gerald McRaney, Parker Posey, Jamie Lynn Spears, Sela Ward, and Oprah Winfrey

· Artists: Walter Inglis Anderson and George E. Ohr

· Athletes: Ricky Stenhouse, Jr., Cool Papa Bell, Brett Favre, Al Jefferson, Monta Ellis, Archie Manning, Deuce McAllister, Steve McNair, Travis Outlaw, Walter Payton, and Jerry Rice

· Authors: William Faulkner, John Grisham, Charlaine Harris, Thomas Harris, Kathryn Stockett, Eudora Welty, Tennessee Williams, Shelby Foote, and Richard Wright

· Civil rights leaders: Medgar Evers, Fannie Lou Hamer, Aaron Henry, and Anne Moody

· Classical musicians: John Alexander, Ruby Elzy, Elizabeth Taylor Greenfield, Leontyne Price, and William Grant Still

Mississippi was the 20^th state in the USA; it became a state on December 10, 1817 .

State Abbreviation - MS
State Capital - Jackson
Largest City - Jackson

Area - 48,434 square miles [Mississippi is the 32nd biggest state in the USA]
Population - 2,844,658 (as of 2000) [Mississippi is the 31st most populous state in the USA]
Name for Residents - Mississippians
Major Industries - farming (cotton, corn, soybeans, rice), oil, textiles, electronic equipment, transprtation equipment, fishing

Major Rivers - Mississippi River, Big Black River, Pearl River, Yazoo River
Major Lakes - Ross Barnett Reservoir, Arkabutla Lake, Sardis Lake, Grenada Lake

Highest Point - Woodall Mountain - 806 feet (245 m) above sea level
Number of Counties - 82
Bordering States - Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Tennessee
Bordering Body of Water - Gulf of Mexico

Origin of the Name Mississippi - Mississippi is perhaps from the Ojibwa (Chippewa) Indian words "mici zibi," which means "great river" or "gathering of waters"
State Nickname - Magnolia State
State Motto - "Virtute et armis" - By valor and arms
State Song - Go Mis-sis-sip-pi