Facts and Information for Mississippi

Map of U.S. Fish & Wildlife Refuges in Mississippi

Reference: www.fws.gov/refuges/refugeLocatorMaps/Mississippi.html

Official Mississippi State Website	http://www.ms.gov/
State Capital	Jackson
Origin of State Name	The State of Mississippi takes its name from the Mississippi River which forms the state's western border. The river was first called "Messipi" by early French explorers as their interpretation of the Ojibwa Indian name for the "Big River".
Joined the Union	Mississippi became the 20th state on December 10, 1817
State Bird	Common Mockingbird also known as Northern Mockingbird
State Waterfowl	Wood Duck
State Fish	Largemouth Bass
State Land Mammals	White-Tailed Deer Red Fox
State Water Mammal	Bottle-nosed Dolphin
State Reptile	American Alligator
State Insect	Honeybee
State Butterfly	Spicebush Swallowtail
State Tree	Magnolia
State Flower	Magnolia
State Stone	Petrified Wood
State Soil	Natchez Silt Loam
State Shell	Oyster Shell
State Dance	Square Dancing
State Fossil	Prehistoric Whale
State Song	"Go, Mississippi"
State Motto	"By Valor and Arms"
State Nickname	"The Magnolia State"
State Beverage	Milk
State Toy	Teddy Bear
Time Zone Location	CST - Central Standard (GMT - 6 hours)
Population projected estimate for year 2010 based on U.S. Census 2000 results.
Male	1,444,458
Female	1,526,954
Total	2,971,412
Crime Information	Crime Statistics for 1997 - 2006
Median Household Income (latest figures available)	$33,659
Unemployment Rate	6.3
10 Largest Cities by Population	Jackson Gulfport Biloxi Hattiesburg Southhaven Greenville Meridian Tupelo Olive Branch Clinton
Cities and Towns	Mississippi Cities & Towns
Counties	Mississippi Counties
Major Universities	Major Mississippi Universities
Major Rivers	Major Mississippi Rivers
Major Lakes	Major Mississippi Lakes
Total Land Area	46,906.96 Square Miles
Total Water Area	1,523.24 Square Miles
Total of Both Land And Water Area	48,430.19 Square Miles
General Coastline	44 Miles
Lowest Elevation	Gulf of Mexico; sea level
Highest Elevation	Woodall Mountain; 806 feet

REFERENCES
• Mississippi.gov, 2/16/2008, http://www.ms.gov/
• "Definition of Mississippi", 2/17/2008, http://education.yahoo.com/reference/dictionary/entry/Mississippi;_ylt=ApAIU7tl7SsCw_Kom3G6KvasgMMF
• State Symbols, 02/24/2008,http://www.search.mississippi.gov/cs.html?url=http%3A//www.visitmississippi.org/resources/state_symbols.asp&charset=iso-8859-1&qt=state+symbols&col=allqi+allqs+disqi&n=1&la=en
• NWRS - Refuge Locator Map, 2/16/2008, http://www.fws.gov/refuges/refugeLocatorMaps/
• Interim Projections of the Male Population for the United States and States: April 1, 2000 to July 1, 2030, 2/16/2008, http://www.census.gov/population/projections/SummaryTabA2.pdf
• Interim Projections of the Female Population for the United States and States: April 1, 2000 to July 1, 2030, 2/16/2008, http://www.census.gov/population/projections/SummaryTabA3.pdf
• United States Crime Rates 1960 - 2006, 2/16/2008, http://www.disastercenter.com/crime/uscrime.htm
• Mississippi, http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mississippi&oldid=191643303 (last visited Feb. 17, 2008).
• "Definition of Mississippi", 2/17/2008, http://education.yahoo.com/reference/dictionary/entry/Mississippi;_ylt=ApAIU7tl7SsCw_Kom3G6KvasgMMF