Mississippi

Mississippi

Mississippi is located in the Southern United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Alabama to the east, Mexico to the west, and the Gulf of Mexico to the south. The state has the largest percentage of African American population in the United States. Mississippi's landscape includes farmland and forested hills. Jackson is the state's capital and largest city.

Mississippi takes its name from the Mississippi River, which runs along the state's western border. The Indians called the river the "Father of Waters." The word "Mississippi" probably comes from "mici zibi," a Chippewa Indian word meaning "great river" or "gathering-in of all the waters." Mississippi is nicknamed the "Magnolia State" because of its beautiful magnolia trees.

In the past, Mississippi's economy was largely dependent upon agriculture. The state is a leading producer of chicken and cotton. However, Mississippi is going through changes; it is becoming more industrial. Today, Mississippi plays an important role in technological developments in the medicine and space exploration fields. In addition to being important because of technology, Mississippi has significant deposits of petroleum and gas. However, despite all of this, Mississippi continues to be the state with the lowest average income.

The Magnolia state has many public and private universities which out-of-state and international students in Mississippi can make their home away from home. Large public universities like the University of Mississippi, popularly known as Ole Miss, and Mississippi State University (MSU) provide students with a range of academic opportunities, as well as thriving athletic programs and extracurricular activities. These universities attract thousands of international students from across the globe who study abroad in Mississippi for great academic programs, like MSU's College of Veterinary Medicine, Delta State University's College of Arts and Science and Jackson State University's business department.

List of colleges and universities in Mississippi

Official Website of the State of Mississippi

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