Unit I: Mississippi Geography
Coach Johnston
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Location – every place has a specific location on earth.
Place – every place has physical (natural) and cultural
(man made) characteristics.
Human-Environment Interaction – how humans use and
interact with the environment.
Movement – the ways we are linked with regions,
cultures, and people beyond our immediate environment
Regions – Regions are defined as areas with similar
characteristics
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Four Geographical
Regions
 Delta
 Hills
 Piney Woods
 Gulf Coast
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MS has a humid subtropical climate.
 Summers are hot and winters are cool.
 State is humid and has ample rainfall
MS climate & rainfall helped create an agricultural
state
Avg. Temp. in MS is 62°F
 Highest Ever 115°F
 Lowest Ever - 19°F
Avg. Precipitation is 52’’ per year
 60’’ on the Gulf Coast
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T-Storms are frequent and can result in flooding
Lightning is a problem in MS
Tornadoes – measured on the Fujita Scale (F1-F5)
Hurricanes – measured by the Saffir-Simpson Scale
(1-5)
Earthquakes – low chance, but NW MS does sit
near the New Madrid Fault
Fujita Scale
Saffir-Simpson Scale
Hurricane Katrina
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Atmosphere – The Earth’s gases.
Lithosphere – all of the Earth’s land.
Hydrosphere – all of the Earth’s water.
Biosphere – all of the Earth’s life.
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Surface Water – trapped in lakes, ponds, rivers,
oceans, etc.
Groundwater – below the earths surface.
Aquifers – when groundwater accumulates & is
brought to the surface through springs or wells.
MS River makes up most of MS’s western border. The river
is 2,438 miles long.
 MS River drains the interior of the U.S. between the Rocky
& Appalachian Mts.
 MS has 9 major river systems
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 Yazoo, Big Black, Homochitto, & Bayou Pierre-Coles Creek Rivers
drain into the MS
 Noxubee-Tombigbee, Pearl, Amite, Pascagoula, & Biloxi-WolfJourdan rivers drain into the south.
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Reservoirs are used as flood control measure.
They capture and hold flood waters.
MS has 6 major Reservoirs
1. Pickwick Lake
2. Arkabulta Lake
3. Sardis Lake
4. Enid Lake
5. Grenada Lake
6. Ross Barnett Reservoir
MS Rivers
MS Rivers Drainage
MS is part of the Gulf Coastal Plain
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All lands in MS are fairly low elevation
The highest point in MS is Woodall Mountain (806 ft above sea
level)
MS has 10 landform regions
Tombigbee Hills
Black Prairie
Pontotoc Ridge
Flatwoods
North Central Hills
Loess Hills (Bluff Hills)
Yazoo Basin (Delta)
Jackson Prairie
Pine Hills (Piney Woods)
Gulf Coastal Meadows
Black Prairie
Tombigbee Hills
Jackson Prairie
Flatwoods
North Central Hills
Pontotoc Ridge
Loess Bluff
Yazoo Basin (Delta)
Pine Hills (Piney Woods)
Coastal Meadow
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MS has historically
been an agricultural
state.
MS has 4 general soil
regions.
1.
2.
3.
4.
Hills
Alluvial Plain (Delta)
Loess Hills
Black Prairie
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MS has very few minerals
Petroleum and Natural Gas in South
Gravel & Sand
Limestone
Fire Clay
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Biota describes the Flora & Fauna of a region
Flora
 MS is 55% forested
 Magnolias, Oak, Hickory, Pine, Gum, Cypress
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Fauna
 MS has squirrels, white-tailed deer, rabbit, raccoons,
opossums, foxes
 Freshwater and saltwater fish & migratory birds.
MS Forest Types
MS has 4 major Ecoregions
1. Coastal Meadows
2. Hilly Coastal Plain
3. Loess/Bluff Hills
4. Alluvial Plain
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Coastal Meadows
 Mainly flat plains, barrier islands, marshes, lagoons, swampy
lowlands
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Hilly Coastal Plain
 ½ of MS Land. Forest, Pasture, & Crops
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Loess/Bluff Hills
 Forest & Cropland. Portions great for Agriculture
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Alluvial Plain
 Fertile Soil. Large wetland system. Levees control flooding