Mississippi’s Ten Regions
in Pictures and Words
Yazoo Delta
Yazoo Delta
Yazoo Delta
Yazoo Delta
• Also called the Delta, the Yazoo Delta lies along the Mississippi River
on the western border of our state. Regular flooding from the
Mississippi River and other area rivers helped to create a deep, rich
soil that encouraged the development of large-scale cotton farming
during the decades following the Civil War.
• A region of economic and geographic extremes, the Delta is also is
the home of tremendous artistic achievement. It is the longacknowledged "birthplace" of blues music; countless numbers of
influential blues musicians were born and learned to play music in
the Delta. The region is also home to many influential gospel
musicians and this music continues to be a strong component of
community life in the Delta, even as the art transforms.
Yazoo Delta
Listen to B.B. King sing “Playing with my
Friends”.
Black Belt
Black Belt
Black Belt
• The Black Belt is one of two prairie or grassland
regions. It is located in the northeastern part of
the state. The black fertile soil gave the area its
name. Long ago the rolling hills were covered
with grasslands and wild flowers, but is now
mostly farmland covered with cotton, corn, and
soybeans. It has very few trees.
• Columbus is one of this area’s major cities.
Tupelo, the birthplace of Elvis Presley and
Starkville, the home of the MSU Bulldogs are
located in the area.
Jackson Prairie
Jackson Prairie
Jackson Prairie
• Jackson Prairie stretches east from Jackson
across the state. It is a prairie region, much
like the Black Belt. While the Jackson Prairie
has more trees and soil that is not as rich as
the Black Belt, it is still good for growing crops,
raising cattle, and growing pine trees.
• Jackson, the capital of Mississippi and our
largest city is in this region.
Gulf Coast
Gulf Coast
Gulf Coast
• Along the Gulf of Mexico, you will find the
Mississippi Gulf Coast. The region is flat, 85 miles
long and extends inland approximately 20 miles.
Fishing and ship building are two of the
important ways that people along the Gulf Coast
make a living. There are many visitors to the
beaches, restaurants, islands, and casinos of the
Mississippi Coast.
• Gulfport, Biloxi, and Pascagoula are three of the
state’s largest cities.
Loess Hills
Loess Hills
Loess Hills
• The Loess Hills region begins south of Natchez
and runs east of the Yazoo Delta from the
southern most boundary of the state to the
northern most boundary. This hilly region is
good for farming and grazing cattle because of
the loess or wind blown soil that was blown
east from the fertile Yazoo Delta.
• Natchez and Vicksburg, historical cities of our
state are located in the Loess Hill.
North Central Hills
North Central Hills
North Central Hills
• The tree covered red clay hills of the North Central Hills rise 400600 feet above sea level. This region is located east of the Loess
extends north to the Kentucky-Tennessee border. The climate is
generally cooler and there is a greater density of hardwood forests
than in regions to the south.
The soil here is of generally poor quality, therefore few farms exist.
The land is mostly used for raising livestock, timber cutting, and
some smaller factories.
The region is also home to a number of ethnic communities,
including the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians.
• Meridian and Oxford (Ole Miss) are located in the North Central
Hills.
Flatwoods
Flatwoods
Flatwoods
• The Flatwoods are comprised of a mostly
forested level or lowland area. Most of the
land is covered with forests, pastures or hay
lands, and some cropland. It is a narrow strip
of land along the eastern border of the North
Central Hills.
• Scooba, a small town in the Flatwoods is
about 35 miles from Meridian.
Pontotoc Ridge
Pontotoc Ridge
Pontotoc Ridge
• Sandwiched between the Black Belt and the
Flatwoods is the highland area, called the
Pontotoc Ridge. It ranges south from to the
Tennessee border. This ridge, averaging 400 to
600 feet above sea level, is one of the state's
most distinctive features. Its fertile, red sandy
soil is excellent for orchards.
Tennessee River Hills
Tennessee River Hills
Tennessee River Hills
• The Tennessee River Hills area is composed of rugged hills
drained by tributaries of the Tombigbee and Tennessee
rivers. The steep hills have narrow ridge tops and narrow
valleys. The land is covered with predominately oakhickory-pine forests. Elevations are mostly 400 to 700 feet,
and the region includes Mississippi’s highest point, Woodall
Mountain in Tishomingo County at 806 feet.
This small region is in the extreme northeastern tip of the
state. The hills and rocky soil allowed for only small
farming operations. The development of the TennesseeTombigbee Waterway that runs through the region has
helped to spur new industrial development.
Piney Woods
Piney Woods
Piney Woods
• The Piney Woods is in the southern region of
the state. It is covered in large pine tree
forests. It is important to Mississippi’s lumber
business. Hay, cattle, and poultry farms are
located across the region.
• This area includes the cities of Hattiesburg and
Laurel.
Mississippi’s Ten Regions
•
•
•
•
•
Yazoo Delta
Black Belt
Jackson Prairie
Gulf Coast
Loess Hills
• North Central
Hills
• Flatwoods
• Pontotoc Ridge
• Tennessee River
Hills
• Piney Woods