GeoByte1:The state takes its name from the Mississippi River. ^Mississippi^ means "father of waters" in the language of the Indians who lived in the area.
GeoByte2:Mississippi is the native state of some of America's best known authors and playwrights, including Tennessee Williams, William Faulkner and Eudora Welty.
GeoByte3:Before the Civil War, Mississippi was divided into large plantations where cotton, the state's most important crop, was grown.
GeoByte4:Mississippi's nickname is the "Magnolia State." Its state flower is the magnolia.
GeoByte5:The capital of Mississippi is Jackson.
GeoByte6:The capture of Vicksburg, Mississippi, by Union forces in 1863 was a turning point in the Civil War.
