The US state of Mississippi is situated within the southern part of the country. The largest city and the state capital is Jackson. "Mississippi" is a name which was derived from the Mississippi River, which runs along the states western borders. The River in fact got its name from the Ojibwe word "misi-ziibi," that actually means the "Great River." The state is heavily forested outside of the Mississippi Delta region, that had been cleared for cotton cultivation during the 19th century. At present its catfish aquaculture farms produce the majority of farm-raised catfish consumed in the US. The magnolia grandiflora tree is the state symbol.
The state of Mississippi is bordered by the state of Tennessee to the north, Alabama to the east, and Louisiana to the south. There is a small narrow coast on the Gulf of Mexico which borders the state of Mississippi, whereas the states of Louisiana and Arkansas sit across the Mississippi River.
Along with its namesake, major rivers in the state of Mississippi consist of the Pearl River, the Big Black River, the Pascagoula River, the Tombigbee River and the Yazoo River. Major lakes consist of Arkabutla lake, Ross Barnett Reservoir, Grenada Lake and Sardis Lake. Grenada Lake is the biggest lake within the state of Mississippi.
Mississippi is a state that is made up entirely of lowlands, with its highest point lying within the foothills of the Cumberland Mountains, known as Woodall Mountain. This particular mountain is 806 feet or 246 m above sea level. The lowest point is sea level at the Gulf coast. The mean elevation within the state of Mississippi is 300 feet (91 m) above sea level.
A lot of the state is part of the East Gulf Coastal Plain, which is normally composed of low hills, such as the Pine Hills in the south and the North Central Hills. The Fall Line Hills and the Pontotoc Ridge within the northeast have fairly higher elevations. Yellow-brown loess soil is found in the western parts of the state. The northeast is a part of fertile black earth that extends into the Alabama Black Belt.
On the 30th of August, the year 2007, a report by the United States Census Bureau indicated that Mississippi was the poorest state within the nation. Lots of cotton farmers inside the Delta have large, mechanized plantations, some of which were given extensive Federal subsidies, yet many other residents still live as landless, poor, rural workers. Out of $1.2 billion from 2002-2005 in Federal subsidies to farmers within the Bolivar County region of the Delta, 5% went to small farmers. There has been little money apportioned for rural development. Small towns are struggling. More than 100,000 people have left the region in search of work somewhere else. Mississippi had a median household income of $34,473.
Mississippi still ranks as the 2nd highest ratio of spending over all other states, despite the fact that Mississippi's fiscal conservatism, like for instance in the social programs of Medicaid, welfare, and food stamps are usually cut, with the eligibility requirements are being tightened, and stricter employment criteria are imposed. In 2005, citizens of Mississippi received around $2.02 per dollar of taxes in the way of federal spending. This ranks the state second highest nationwide, and represents an increase from 1995, when Mississippi was given $1.54 per dollar of taxes in federal spending and was 3rd highest nationally.