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Mississippi [misisiʹpi], abbreviated MS, US state; 125,443 km 2,
3 million inhabitants (2018).Mississippi is located east of the Mississippi
River on the Gulf of Mexico. The capital is Jackson.
Mississippi. State Map.
Nature
Mississippi has fairly flat terrain, lowering from just under 250 meters
above sea level. in the northeast to the Gulf of Mexico in the south. However,
some ridges and depressions, mainly with a north-south direction, give the state
a more varied relief. The backs include Pontotoc Ridge and the west-eastern
Southern Pine Hills. The lowlands include the alluvial plain on the Mississippi
River and the coastal plain, but also some prairie areas between the ridges. In
most of Mississippi, the bedrock is covered by fertile deposits from the
Quaternary period.
The climate in Mississippi is humid and subtropical. Vicksburg has an average
temperature in January of +8 °C and in July of +27 ° C. The annual rainfall here
amounts to 1,400 mm.
Population
During the 1990s, Mississippi had a slightly lower population increase than
the United States as a whole. Until the Second World War, the African American
population was in the majority, now accounting for 38 percent of the
population. About 50 percent of the population lives in cities. In addition to
Jackson, Mississippi has only one major metropolitan area, Biloxi – Gulfport –
Pascagoula.
Business
Good soil and favorable climate made early Mississippi a distinct
agricultural state, which until the 1940s was dominated by cotton
cultivation. This is still important, but also other crops, such as soybeans,
are now of great importance. Animal production plays an important role, as does
forestry. Oil and natural gas extraction is also important.
The previously insignificant industry has developed strongly and produces
food and forest products. There is also a significant oil and chemical industry
as well as shipbuilding. Despite rising incomes, Mississippi still has one of
the lowest per capita incomes of US states.
Tourism and gastronomy
Mississippi attracts visitors with their good opportunities for fishing,
golfing and swimming. Both natural and cultural experiences are offered on a
river trip along the Mississippi or a drive along the Natches Trace Parkway, a
tourist trail that is part of the US National Park system. In addition to the
capital Jackson, it touches on interesting nature sections as well as culturally
significant sites such as large temple and burial mounds. In Tupelo, Elvis
Presley's birthplace is transformed into a museum.
Mississippi. Elvis Presley's birthplace in Tupela.
In Natches, the cotton barons' stately palace from the time before the Civil
War attracts. Many of them are open to tourists. Vicksburg's higher up river is
more known for its national military park with memories of the Civil War, which
attracts many American visitors.
Fruits, rice, poultry, pork, seafood and fish are the foundation of all
Mississippi cooking. The rice dish jambalaya can include most of these
ingredients but is usually based on either seafood or chicken. Pan fried
catfish, a meal that is breaded in cornmeal and then fried, is a common
dish that has been granted the status of "national law". The pork can be served
as roasted pork or pork but is also included in vegetable dishes where
vegetables are cooked together with the meat.
History
Several advanced Native American cultures existed in the area, which became
French possession in 1682, moved to the United Kingdom in 1763 and 1783 to the
United States. Mississippi became territory in 1798 and the state in 1817, when
it reached its present limits. Early in Mississippi, an economy developed which,
in addition to self-sustaining small farms, was almost entirely based on large
cotton plantations. As a result, Mississippi became one of America's most
distinguished slave states and joined the Southern States in 1861. In 1870,
Mississippi regained its place in the Union but in 1890 adopted a constitution
that deprived blacks of almost all civil rights. Only during the 1960s was
segregation broken.
In recent years, Mississippi has begun a modernization of economy and
society. Politically, the Mississippi of 1875 came to be dominated by the
Democratic Party, which for a long time was extremely segregationist in race. As
the Democrats liberalized, Republicans have greatly increased their share of
white voters and appear to be the strongest party. Mississippi is one of the
poorest states in the United States, but the 1990 decision to allow casino
operations has resulted in an economic upswing. However, the state was hit hard
by Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
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