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Mississippi is located in the Southern region of the United States and ranks as the 32nd largest state
in total area by covering 48,434 square miles (125,443 square kilometers or 12,544,348 hectares).
Land areas of Mississippi cover 46,914 square miles (121,507 square kilometers or 12,150,670 hectares),
whereas 1,520 square miles (3,937 square kilometers or 393,678 hectares) of Mississippi are covered by
water. Mississippi is bordered to the north by Tennessee, to the east by Alabama, to the west by
Arkansas and Louisiana, and to the south by the Gulf of Mexico.
Mississippi’s geography is distinguished by generally low elevation hills, prairie, piney woods,
coastal grasslands, and the alluvial plain between the Mississippi and Yazoo rivers. The state’s
highest point is Woodall Mountain, at 806 feet (246 meters) above
sea level. Major rivers include the mighty Mississippi, the Yazoo, Big Black, and Pearl Rivers.
Major lakes include Arkabutla Lake, Sardis Lake, Ross Barnett Reservoir, and Grenada Lake.
The climate of the Magnolia State is considered humid subtropical, although it is more temperate in
the northern part of the state. Winters are short and temperate, whereas summers are long and hot.
Temperatures show little variation throughout the state; the Gulf coast averages 82 degrees F (27.8
degrees C) in July, whereas the north-central part of the state averages 80 degrees F (26.7 degrees
C). January temperature averages range from 52 degrees F (11.1 degrees C) along the Gulf to 41
degrees F (5 degrees C) to the north. Rainfall averages at 50 inches (127 centimeters) to the north
and 65 inches (165.1 centimeters) to the south annually, with a fairly even distribution across the
seasons. However, the state is subject to dry spells and floods. High humidity in the spring and
summer months results from prevailing southerly winds, and the influence of the Gulf of Mexico.
Mississippi also receives thunderstorms, some of which can be severe; tornadoes can also occur, most
often in the spring. The Magnolia State’s location on the Gulf of Mexico leaves it vulnerable to
landfall by hurricanes. Snowfall occurs occasionally in the northern and central regions of the
state.
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