Postal abbreviation: MS. Official (yearn) title: State of Mississippi.

A state requires its title from either a Mississippi River, which flows along the american boundary. A title itself probably means "big waters" around an old form of Ojibwe, a Native American language spoken around a flow of any stream's headwaters. More nicknames bonded to Mississippi come a Magnolia State & a Hospitality State.

USS Mississippi was named in honor of this state.

History
Independent article: History of Mississippi

Mississippi was a portion of the Mississippian culture in the early part of the second millennium AD; descendant Native American tribes include the Chickasaw and Choctaw. More tribes world health organization inhabited a territory of Mississippi (& gave their list to local towns) include a Natchez, the Yazoo, and a Biloxi.

A foremost expedition into a territory that became Mississippi was that of Hernando de Soto, who passed across around 1540. Nonetheless, a 1st class action settlement was that of Ocean Springs (or Old Biloxi), settled by Pierre Le Moyne d'Iberville in 1699. Within 1716, Natchez wwhen founded on the Mississippi River (as Fort Rosalie); it became a dominant town & country store of the vicinity. Fallowing spending a select few instance under Spanish, British, & French nominal jurisdiction, a Mississippi front yard was deeded to the United States after the French and Indian War under the terms of the Treaty of Paris.

A Mississippi Territory was organized on April 7, 1798, from territory ceded by Georgia and South Carolina; it was later twice expanded to include disputed territory claimed by both the U.S. and Spain. Land was purchased (usually across unequal accord) from either either Native U.s. tribes from 1800 to about 1830.

Mississippi was a Twentieth state admitted to the Uniin, on December 10, 1817.

Whenever cotton was king during the 1850s, Mississippi plantation owners—especially victims of the Delta and Black Belt regions—became increasingly flush due to a high fertility of the soil & the high price of get it the international market. the severe wealth imbalances & a necessity of heavily-shell knuckle down populations to sustainside such income played a heavy role in each state politics & in the trend lines for secession.

Mississippi wwhen a 2nd state to secede from either a Union as one of a Confederate States of America on January 9, 1861. When you took a Civil War the Confederate States were defeated. Under a terms of Reconstruction, Mississippi was readmitted to the Union on February 23, 1870.

Mississippi was considered to typify a Deep South during the era of Jim Crow. Still, at the equivalent instance, Mississippi became a center of rich, quintessentially Western music traditions: gospel music, jazz music, blues, and rock and roll all were invented, promulgated, or heavy developed by Mississippi musicians. Mississippi was as well noted for its authors in the early twentieth century, especially William Faulkner and Tennessee Williams.

Mississippi was the center of the civil rights movement. When numbers of in a state supported the effort to locate balloting & more rights for African-Americans, a vocal opposition of numbers of politicians & officials & the violent tactics of Ku Klux Klan members and sympathizers gave Mississippi a reputation as a reactionist state when you took the 1960s.

A state was a go to repeal prohibition and to ratify the Thirteenth Amendment, in 1966 and 1995 respectively.

In August 17, 1969, Category 5 Hurricane Camille hit the Mississippi coast killing 248 humans & stimulating Me$1.Five billion around damage (1969 dollars).

In August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina caused even greater destruction through a entire Ninety miles of Mississippi Gulf Coast from Louisiana to Alabama.

Mississippi inside recent years has been noted for its political conservativism, improved civil rights record, & increasing industrial enterprise. Additionally, the guide in the 1990s to permit riverboat gambling has led to economic gains for the state. Still, an calculated $500,000 by the day around taxation was misused below Hurricane Katrina's severe damage to several riverboat casinos in August 2005. Play towns around Mississippi include a Gulf Coast towns of Gulfport and Biloxi and the flow of any stream towns of Vicksburg and Tunica. Before Katrina, Mississippi was a 2nd big gaming state in the Union, ahead of New Jersey and behind Nevada.

Law and government

When a Civil War, mistreatment of Southerners during Reconstruction by a federally-appointed Republican governors led to considerable resentment toward the Republican Party. Following, Mississippi's state government got the super yearn unbroken record of only-person dominance. For 116 years, from either 1876 to 1992 Mississippians just elected Democratic governors. For virtually all of that period, Democrats as well held a majority of seats in a state legislative assembly (which it however clean) does'nt to mention virtually all more elective agents, including the state's federal representation (although a bit of Republicans began to win Congressional elections in the Seventies).

When sustaining everthing other U.S. States and the federal government, Mississippi's government is based on the separation of legislative, executive and judicial power. Executive authority in a state rests by having the Governor, currently Haley Barbour (Republican). A Lieutenant Governor, currently Amy Tuck (originally elected as a Democrat, she switched to the Republican Party within 2002), is elected in the separate ballot. Two a Governor and Lieutenant Governor are elected to four-month terms of professional. Unrather a federal government, however like several more U.S. States, virtually all of the heads of major executive departments come elected per citizens of Mississippi, like than appointive per governor.

(Understand: List of Governors of Mississippi)
(Look at: List of Lt. Governors of Mississippi)
(View: List of State Treasurers of Mississippi)
(Watch: Mississippi general election results, 2003)

Legislative authority lives in the state legislature, composed of the Senate and House of Representatives. A Lieutenant Governor presides over a Senate, when a Home of Representatives selects their have Speaker. A state Constitution permits a legislative to establish by law a total of Senators & Representatives, as much as the utmost of 52 Senators & 122 Representatives. Todays state law sets a total of Senators at 52 & Representatives at 122. A term of professional for Senators & Representatives is foursome years.

(Understand: List of state legislatures of the United States.)

Supreme Judicial authority rests by using a state Supreme Court, which has statewide authority. Additionally, there is a statewide Court of Appeals, too when Circuit Courts, Chancery Courts & Justice Courts, which keep close at hand extra limited geographical jurisdiction. A nine Judges of the Supreme Court come elected from either trio territory (leash Judges per territorial dominion) by the state's citizens around non-nonpartizan elections to eight-season staggered terms. A decade Judges of the Court of Appeals come elected from either 5 territory (ii Judges by the territorial dominion) for eight-season staggered terms. Judges for the little courts come elected to quaternary-season terms per state's citizens world health organization survive inside that court's jurisdiction.

At a federal level, Mississippi's ii U.S. senators come Trent Lott (Republican) and Thad Cochran (Republican). As of the 2001 reapportionment, the state has Quadruplet congressmen in the U.S. House of Representatives.

(View: List of United States Representatives from Mississippi)

Mississippi has 82 counties. Citizens of Mississippi counties elect a 5 members of their county Board of Supervisors from either only-member dominion, also when more county officials.

(View: List of Mississippi counties)

Economics

[http://www.bea.gov/ The Bureau of Economic Analysis] estimates that Mississippi's amount state product inside 2003 was $72 billion. By the capital portable income within 2003 was $23,466, 51^st in a united states (ranking includes the District of Columbia).

Transportation
Mississippi is served by sestet Interstate highways

Interstate 10 Interstate 20 Interstate 55 Interstate 59 Interstate 110 Interstate 220

& xiv main U.S. Highways

U.S. Highway 11 U.S. Highway 45 U.S. Highway 49 U.S. Highway 51 U.S. Highway 61 U.S. Highway 65 U.S. Highway 72 U.S. Highway 78 U.S. Highway 80 U.S. Highway 82 U.S. Highway 84 U.S. Highway 90 U.S. Highway 98 U.S. Highway 278

besides as a body of State Highways.

For supplementary tools, visit a [http://www.gomdot.com/ Mississippi Department of Transportation] web site.

Demographics

Population

The 2000 Census reported Mississippi's people when 2,844,658 [http://www.censusscope.org/us/s28/chart_popl.html]. 2004 estimates indicate a people when with risen to 2,902,966. [http://www.census.gov/popest/states/tables/NST-EST2004-01.pdf]

Racial Makeup and Ancestry

A Census Bureau considers race and Hispanic origin to be ii separate categories. This information, nevertheless, is exclusively for non-Hispanic members of both class action: non-Hispanic Whites, non-Hispanic Blacks, etc. For other reference in race & a Nosecount, see [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Race_%28U.S._Census%29 here.]

	2000 Census [http://www.census.gov/popest/states/asrh/tables/SC-EST2003-03/SC-EST2003-03-28.pdf]	2003 Estimate [http://www.census.gov/popest/states/asrh/tables/SC-EST2003-03/SC-EST2003-03-28.pdf]
White	Lx.7%	Sixty.0%
Black	36.2%	36.8%
Hispanic	I.4%	Ace.5%
Asian	Cipher.7%	Cipher.8%
Two or Extra Races	Zero.5%	Zero.6%
Native American and Inuit	Nought.4%	Nought.4%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander	Nought.02%	Cipher.02%

Until astir 1940, Blacks made up the majority of Mississippians. Their part of the people has since declined, however has within recent years begun to increase, due primarily to the immature Melanise age structure from either the comparatively high Black birthrate, although this has subsided somewhat in recent years. Within Mississippi's public school models, a majority of students come Black. [http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/states/profile.asp] Blacks presently predominate in a northwestern Yazoo Delta, the west saxon, & central area of the state.

About 10,000 Indigene Americans (mostly Choctaw) live in a east central subdivision of the state. A little Chinese population found in the Delta is descended from either domestic manual laborer brought there from California in the 1870s. A Chinese did non adjust swell to the Mississippi plantation patterns, still, & virtually all of the babies became little merchandiser. A coastal camping industry has attracted Southeast Asian refugees.

A whiten people of Mississippi is remarkably homogenous & mostly of U.s. ancestry. Other than 98 percent native-born, preponderantly of Northern European descent, especially British (namely English, Scottish, and Scots-Irish). There are as well French and Italian populations. French Creoles come a big demographic class action within Hancock County on the Gulf Coast. A black, Choctaw Indian (around Neshoba County), & Chinese segments of the people come as well just about totally native-born.

Religion
Mississippi's religious affiliations primarily consist of evangelistic Protestant denominations, particularly a Baptists (Southern Baptist, Missionary Baptist, etc.), along with Methodists and Presbyterians. A little Roman Catholic people is witnessed primarily inside populated area & on a Gulf Coast, & the bantam Jewish population is also inside the main concentrated in populated area.

A todays religious affiliations of the population of Mississippi come when follows:

Christian – 92% Protestant – 86% Baptist – 58% Methodist – 10% Pentecostal – 3% Presbyterian – 2% Other Protestant – 13% Roman Catholic – 5% Other Christian – 1% Other Religions – <1% Non-Religious – 7%

Important cities and towns

Jackson Gulfport Biloxi Natchez Vicksburg Centreville Columbus Greenville Greenwood Kosciusko Tupelo

Hattiesburg Grenada Ridgeland Clinton Florence Richland Picayune Bay St. Louis Hernando Holly Springs

Moss Point Meridian Oxford Laurel McComb Batesville Flowood Madison Brandon Clarksdale Winona

Yazoo City Pearl Brookhaven Ocean Springs Pascagoula Pontotoc Poplarville Corinth Southaven Starkville West Point

D'Iberville Itta Bena Woodville Port Gibson Canton Gautier Petal Cleveland Vancleave Waveland Waynesboro

Education

Colleges and universities

Alcorn State University Belhaven College Blue Mountain College Copiah-Lincoln Community College Delta State University East Central Community College Hinds Community College Holmes Community College Jackson State University Magnolia Bible College Millsaps College Mississippi College

Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College Mississippi State University Mississippi University for Women Mississippi Valley State University Reformed Theological Seminary Rust College Tougaloo College University of Mississippi University of Mississippi Medical Center University of Southern Mississippi William Carey College

Miscellaneous information
State motto: "Virtute et Armis" (By Valor and Arms)
State song: "Go, Mississippi", adopted 1962
Patron saint: Our Lady of Sorrows
State flower and state tree: Magnolia
State bird: Mockingbird
State drink: Milk
State fish: Largemouth Bass
State insect: Honeybee
State h2o mammalian: Bottlenose Dolphin
State eggshell: Oyster
State fossil: A whale fossil nicknamed "ziggy"
State land mammalian: White-tailed Deer
State waterbird: Wood duck
State stone: Petrified wood
State wild flower: Coreopsis
State butterfly: Spicebush Swallowtail
State dance: Square Dance
Statehood Quarter was minted in 2002.

Pledge to the Flag: "I salute the flag of Mississippi and the sovereign state for which it stands with pride in her history and achievements and with confidence in her future under the guidance of Almighty God."