The US state of Mississippi is situated in the southern part of the United States. The biggest city and the state capital is Jackson. "Mississippi" is a name that was derived from the Mississippi River, which flows along the states western borders. In fact, the river got its name from the Ojibwe word "misi-ziibi," which literally translates to the "Great River." The state of Mississippi is heavily forested outside of the Mississippi Delta area, which had been cleared for cotton cultivation in the 19th century. At present its catfish aquaculture farms produce the majority of farm-raised catfish consumed within the US. The state symbol is the magnolia grandiflora tree.
The state of Mississippi is surrounded by the state of Tennessee towards the north, Louisiana to the south and Alabama to the east. There is a small narrow coast on the Gulf of Mexico that borders the state, whereas the states of Arkansas and Louisiana sit across the Mississippi River.
Together with its namesake, major rivers within the state of Mississippi include the Pearl River, the Big Black River, the Tombigbee River, the Yazoo River and the Pascagoula River. Major lakes consist of Arkabutla lake, Ross Barnett Reservoir, Grenada Lake and Sardis Lake. Grenada Lake is the biggest lake in the state of Mississippi.
Mississippi is a state which is made up entirely of lowlands, with its highest point lying in the foothills of the Cumberland Mountains, known as Woodall Mountain. This particular mountain is 246m or 806 feet above sea level. The lowest point is sea level at the Gulf coast. The mean elevation in the state of Mississippi is 300 feet (91 m) above sea level.
Most of Mississippi is part of the East Gulf Coastal Plain. The Coastal Plain is generally composed of low hills, like for example the Pine Hills within the south and the North Central Hills. The Pontotoc Ridge and the Fall Line Hills in the northeast have somewhat higher elevations. Yellow-brown loess soil is found in the western parts of the state. The northeast is a part of fertile black earth which extends into the Alabama Black Belt.
The United States Census Bureau's 2007 report, had indicated that the Mississippi was the poorest state in the nation. In the Delta, a lot of the cotton farmers have mechanized large plantations; a few of these do receive extensive Federal subsidies. Though many of the states other people still live as poor, rural, landless laborers. 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. Over 100,000 individuals have left the area in search of work somewhere else. The state had a median household income of $34,473.
The state of Mississippi still ranks as the 2nd highest ratio of spending over all other states, despite the fact that Mississippi's fiscal conservatism, such as in the social programs of food stamps, Medicaid and welfare are usually cut, with the eligibility requirements are being tightened, and stricter employment criteria are imposed. During 2005, Mississippi citizens were given 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 third highest nationally.