Mississippi state general data
- Time zone: 7 hours less than Italy
- Capital: Jackson
- Main towns: Biloxi, Greenville, GulfportHattiesburg, Southaven.
- Area: 125.433 km²
- Population: 3.000.000 inhabitants approximately.
- Population density: 23,9 residents / km²
- State abbreviation: MS
- Entry into the United States: It joins the United States on December 10, 1817, it is the 20th state to join the union.
According to thembaprograms.com, the state of Mississippi is located in the eastern section of the coastal gulf plain. With the exception of the north, where the land rises to form a landscape of hills, Mississippi can be considered a flat state. The average height of the state is therefore low as it does not exceed 90 m. The highest point in the Mississippi is Mount Woodall, which stands at 246m.
Generally, Mississippi divides into two major zones: the Mississippi floodplain and the coastal plain region. The first occupies the region known as the Delta, it is a region with fertile soil formed by the floods of the Mississippi and Yazoo rivers.
The coastal plain of the gulf includes several different areas. The coastal area, only 71 km long, is characterized by its bays (Saint Louis, Biloxi, Pascagoula, etc.) and its prairies. The coast is protected from the waters of the gulf by several islands, among them Petit Bois, Horn, Ship and Cat. The eastern section of the Mississippi is dominated by a landscape of hills, (Pine Hill and North Central Hills) to the northeast, the land rises forming the Pontotoc Hills, a formation that extends south to the border with Tennessee. To the west of the Pontotoc hills is the Black Prairie, a region of great fertility. East of the Black Prairie lies another section of hills, the Tennessee Hills. In the end,
The Mississippi River that gives the state its name dominates the landscape of this region. Its most important tributaries are the Yazoo and Big Black rivers. In addition to these rivers, others such as the Pearl, Pascagoula and Tombigbee flow through the territory before flowing into the Gulf of Mexico. After the construction of canalization works, (63 km through the Pontotoc Hills), the main river system is currently the Tennesse-Tombigbee. Wetlands and lakes abound in Mississippi, many of them engineering works, such as Lake Arkabutla, Lake Grenada, and Lake Pickwic.
Flora and fauna– Forests cover 55% of the state’s territory, with various species of oak, hickory and pine. In alluvial soils there are cypress, elm, willow, laurel and pecan. Hunting animals include squirrels, deer, rabbits, wild turkeys and quail.
The climate of Mississippi is humid and temperate. Winters are mild, with average temperatures ranging between 6 ° C and 10 ° C in January, and hot summers with averages of 28 ° C in July. In summer there are no significant differences in temperatures, with highs up to 35 ° C, in winter temperatures are milder in the southern section. Average rainfall recorded in the Mississippi area is 1,270 mm, although slightly more abundant in the south, 1,550 mm. The region is located within the area of influence of tropical hurricanes, between June and October, and tornadoes, between February and May.
Mississippi: what to see
It is in the Mississippi Valley that images of the old south can be found. Like that of the splendid mansions of the planters of yore. Many are open to the public all year round, but about thirty of them, among the most beautiful, welcome tourists only during the Southern Spring Pilgrimage festival. The initiative of these parties is due to some ladies of Natchez who conceived them during the “Great Crisis” of the 1930s. Thus were born the historical reconstructions that revive a past prior to the Secession war. However, there are other regions of Mississippi that retain the memory of the splendor of the “white masters”: along the Natchez Trace Parkway, the tourist circuit that follows the old Indian tracks, numerous old plantations can be discovered. On the way, certain locations evoke the history of battles. The trenches with their walkways and cannons still remain in Vicksburg. The state of Mississippi struggles with all its might against the oblivion that seeks to erase the past: it is perhaps in the image of the giant trees of the Petrified Forest, carved in stone for millions of years around Jackson, trying to preserve ancient cities (in Columbus, not far from Oxford where William Faulkner lived, a hundred pre-war homes have been restored) and ghost villages (such as Rodney, depopulated by the Mississippi floods).
In the scenario of the “American Riviera” (coast of the State of Mississippi on the Gulf of Mexico), the old planters’ residences have the charm of discretion, alongside the noisy ostentation of the seaside resorts near Biloxi.
Tupelo – Elvis Presley’s hometown. Born in a two-room hunting lodge on the outskirts of the city, together with his twin Jesse, who died as soon as he was born. Today Elvis Presley Birthplace is a pilgrimage destination for Elvis fans from all over the world. In the next museum there is a precious collection of objects that belonged to him. The Tupelo Automobile museum exhibits more than 100 restored cars.
Other places of historical interest include the home of President of the Confederation Jefferson Davis, Fort Massachusetts, a prison used by the Union located on Ship Island. According to topschoolsoflaw.com, in August 1965, Hurricane Camille, one of the most violent ever to hit the United States, split Ship Island in two, West and East Ship (but the place name is still used in the singular), which today form the Gulf Islands National Seashore. A ferry takes passengers to the beach and the fort. Tour the deserted islands by canoe or kayak, or go shrimp fishing on traditional boats. The scenarios of some important battlefields during the Civil War are: Brices Cross Roads, Tupelo and Vicksburg. In Oxford is the home of William Faulkner.
Cultural tourist places– The most important museums are: the Mississippi State Historical Museum, the Mississippi Museum of Art, the Museum of Natural Sciences, the Mississippi Craft Center, the Delta Blues Museum, the Lauren Rogers Museum and Library, the Museum of Meridian Art, the Cobb Institute of Archeology and the Spanish Museum and Ancient Fort.
Curiosity– The most important artistic institutions are: the Mississippi Symphony Orchestra, the Jackson Symphony Orchestra, the Mississippi Opera and the New Stage Theater. Three of Mississippi’s four official holidays are dedicated to the remembrance of the Confederacy and its leading figures: Confederacy Memorial Day, and the birthdays of Jefferson Davis and Robert E. Lee. According to countryaah.com, the fourth local holiday is the State Fair which is celebrated every fall in the capital, Jackson.
