MISSISSIPPI

State of Mississippi

ORIGIN OF STATE NAME: Derived from the Ojibwa Indian words misi sipi, meaning "great river." NICKNAME: The Magnolia State. CAPITAL: Jackson. ENTERED UNION: 10 December 1817 (20th). SONG: "Go, Mississippi." MOTTO: Virtute et armis (By valor and arms). COAT OF ARMS: An American eagle clutches an olive branch and a quiver of arrows in its talons. FLAG: Crossed blue bars, on a red field, bordered with white and emblazoned with 13 white stars—the motif of the Confederate battle flag—cover the upper left corner. The field consists of three stripes of equal width, blue, white, and red. OFFICIAL SEAL: The seal consists of the coat of arms surrounded by the words "The Great Seal of the State of Mississippi." MAMMAL: White-tailed deer. WATER MAMMAL: Porpoise. BIRD: Mockingbird. WATERFOWL: Wood duck. FISH: Largemouth or black bass. INSECT: Honeybee. FLOWER: Magnolia. TREE: Magnolia. STONE: Petrified wood. FOSSIL: Prehistoric whale. BEVERAGE: Milk. LEGAL HOLIDAYS: New Year's Day, 1 January; Birthdays of Robert E. Lee and Martin Luther King, Jr., 3rd Monday in January; Washington's Birthday, 3rd Monday in February; Confederate Memorial Day, last Monday in April; Jefferson Davis's Birthday, 1st Monday in June; Independence Day, 4 July; Labor Day, 1st Monday in September; Veterans Day, 11 November; Thanksgiving Day, 4th Thursday in November; Christmas Day, 25 December. TIME: 6 AM CST = noon GMT.