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70 Mississippi Trivia Questions, Answers, and Fun Facts

How much do you know about Mississippi? This category is for trivia questions and answers related to Mississippi (Geography). Each one is filled with fun facts and interesting information.
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1 Mississippi's official nickname is both "the Magnolia State" and the...?
Answer: Hospitality State

Mississippi also has the magnolia as its state tree. The magnolia blossom is its state flower.

The nickname of "the Hospitality State" comes from the pride of Mississippi regarding Southern hospitality.
  From Quiz: U.S.A: All about Mississippi
2 Mississippi borders four other states. With three of those four it shares actual land borders, but from which state is it entirely separated by the Mississippi River?
Answer: Arkansas

Mississippi is bordered to the north by Tennessee and to the east by Alabama. To the west, across the Mississippi River, lie Arkansas and Louisiana, but there is also a land border between Mississippi and Louisiana to the south. It is with Arkansas, therefore, that the only border is across the mighty river.
    Your options: [ Tennessee ] [ Louisiana ] [ Arkansas ] [ Alabama ]
  From Quiz: Welcome to the Hospitality State
3 The capital of Mississippi is Jackson, but for whom was it named?
Answer: Andrew Jackson

The area surrounding present-day Jackson was originally inhabited by the Choctaw and Chickasaw. A French-Canadian trapper, Louis Le Fleur, built a trading post nearby in the early 1790s, and this location came to be known as Le Fleur's Bluff. In 1821 this location became the state capital and was named in honor of Andrew Jackson, who at that time was a military hero celebrated for his campaigns in the South against the British and the Native Americans. Of course, he later became the seventh President of the United States.
  From Quiz: You're in Mississippi Now!
4 Jackson is the capital city of Mississippi. What river is it situated on?
Answer: Pearl

The Pearl River runs through Mississippi and Louisiana. It forms the eastern border of the city of Jackson.

Other cities of Mississippi that are located on or near this river (listed north to south) include Philadelphia, Carthage, Flowood, Pearl, Columbia and Picayune.

There is also a county in Mississippi named after the river: Pearl River County.

Jackson is named after Andrew Jackson, who was the seventh President of the United States. It was founded in 1821 and was intended as the new capital.
  From Quiz: U.S.A: All about Mississippi
5 The largest city and state capital of Mississippi is Jackson, named after the War of 1812 hero and subsequent President of the United States. What, though, was President Jackson's first name?
Answer: Andrew

Mississippi is one of four states with a capital named for a U.S. President (Missouri, Nebraska and Wisconsin are the other three). Andrew Jackson was born in 1767 to Scots-Irish immigrants in the Waxhaw Settlement in the Piedmont region between North Carolina and South Carolina, at the time part of British America.

As a 13-year old, Andrew Jackson served as a courier for the local militia during the Revolutionary War. His eldest brother was killed in action, and both Andrew and his other brother, Robert, were captured during by the British. Both boys contracted smallpox whilst prisoners and just a few days after their release Robert died of injuries sustained during his captivity. Orphaned at 14, the young Jackson blamed the British for the loss of his entire family. When he was given a second chance to fight against his old enemy, this time as a General in the War of 1812, he did so bravely and successfully, notably during the Battle of New Orleans.

Jackson subsequently became the seventh US President in March 1829 and served his full two four-year terms. He died aged 78 in 1845.
  From Quiz: Welcome to the Hospitality State
6 Which interesting place is close to the Gulf of Mexico and has many streets and buildings that have Hawaiian names and was named after a dormant volcano in Hawaii?
Answer: Diamondhead

Diamondhead was named after a volcanic tuff cone, known to the Hawaiians as "Lçʻahi" and is located on the Hawaiian island of Oahu. Diamondhead, Mississippi was planned to be a retirement community in the 1970s, and the Hawaiian names were designed to attract tourists and residents. Over time, this small community has grown into a tourist suburb because of its close location to the Gulf of Mexico and the Gulfport city metropolitan area.
    Your options: [ Escatawpa ] [ Diamondhead ] [ Conehatta ] [ Saucier ]
  From Quiz: Towns and Places of the Magnolia State
7 What city in Mississippi is one of only two cities in the United States to be named after a famous Revolutionary War hero who would also become an important military hero to Poland?
Answer: Kosciusko

Tadeusz Kooeciuszko was a Polish, Belarussian, and Lithuanian soldier and master engineer recruited by Benjamin Franklin. His engineering skills were credited for the successes of Ticonderoga and Saratoga, and General Washington entrusted him with the fortification of West Point. The Continental Congress eventually promoted him to Brigadier General. Kosciusko, Mississippi, is northeast of Jackson in Attala County and is the original home of Oprah Winfrey, James Meredith, and former Brigadier General Nick Halley. Another city named Kosciusko is in Texas.
  From Quiz: You're in Mississippi Now!
8 There is an extinct volcano beneath Mississippi's capital city, Jackson. Which sports stadium of Mississippi does it lie directly under?
Answer: Mississippi Coliseum

Jackson volcano is an extinct volcano lying approximately 3,000 feet below the city, directly below the Mississippi Coliseum. Luckily for the sports and music fans of the area, it is believed that Jackson volcano has been extinct for about 66 million years.

The Mississippi Coliseum is used for both concerts and sports games and features approximately 7,000 seats for sports games such as baseball, basketball, hockey, etc. It can be expanded to have a 10,000 person capacity for music concerts.
    Your options: [ Mississippi Coliseum ] [ M.M. Roberts Stadium ] [ Vaught Hemingway Stadium ] [ Joe Barlow Stadium ]
  From Quiz: U.S.A: All about Mississippi
9 What is the state waterfowl?
Answer: Wood Duck

Male wood ducks are red, yellow, white, purple, blue, and green. They are the most colorful ducks in North America. Mississippi has both a state bird and a state waterfowl. The state bird is the mockingbird.
  From Quiz: Mississippi--The Magnolia State
10 Mississippi produces about 60% of America's what?
Answer: Catfish

Around 60% of the USA's farm-raised catfish are produced in Mississippi - specifically Humphreys County. Most of these catfish are farmed within a 65 mile radius of the city of Belzoni, Mississippi.
  From Quiz: U.S.A: All about Mississippi
11 Composed almost entirely of lowlands, the mean elevation of Mississippi is only 300 feet. The highest point in the state is Woodall Mountain, just 807 feet above sea level, which lies in the foothills of which mountain group?
Answer: Cumberland Mountains

Located in the southeastern part of the larger Appalachian mountain chain, the Cumberland mountains stretch 130 miles from western Virginia and southern West Virginia into eastern Tennessee. The foothills then cross the border into northern Mississippi, where you will find Woodall Mountain, the state's highest point.

The alternatives are three more mountain ranges within the Appalachians. The Blue Ridge mountains run from Georgia in the south, across Virginia and into Pennsylvania. The Allegheny Mountains start in Pennsylvania and extend south into Virginia. The Catskill Mountains are part of the northern Appalachians, located between Albany and New York City in southeastern New York.
    Your options: [ Catskill Mountains ] [ Blue Ridge Mountains ] [ Cumberland Mountains ] [ Allegheny Mountains ]
  From Quiz: Welcome to the Hospitality State
12 What is Mississippi's state shell?
Answer: Oyster

Oysters are renowned for their delectable taste, and have been imported to areas far from their natural homes by oyster-farming enterprises.
  From Quiz: Mississippi--The Magnolia State
13 What island off the coast of Mississippi is actually two separate islands--an East and a West--because of the sweeping erosion brought about by Hurricane Camille in 1969?
Answer: Ship Island

Since Ship Island had the only deep-water harbor between Mobile Bay and the Mississippi River, the island served as a vital anchorage for ships bearing explorers, colonists, sailors, and soldiers. French explorer Pierre Le Moyne d'Iberville discovered Ship Island in February 1699, and used it as a base of operations to discover the mouth of the Mississippi River. Since then, it has been occupied by French, Spanish, British, American, Confederate, and Union forces. During World War II, the Coast Guard used the island as a base for anti-submarine patrol. In 2005, Hurricane Katrina almost completely submerged East Ship Island and caused tremendous damage to West Ship Island by obliterating the visitors' and employees' buildings as well as the island's boardwalk.
  From Quiz: You're in Mississippi Now!
14 Woodall Mountain is the highest point in Mississippi. What county of Mississippi is it in?
Answer: Tishomingo County

Tishomingo County is situated in the north-east of Mississippi. The city of Iuka is the county seat.

Woodall Mountain is just over 800 feet high. In 1862, the Battle of Iuka was fought here during the American Civil War. Back then Woodall Mountain was called Yow Hill.
  From Quiz: U.S.A: All about Mississippi
15 Which Mississippi city listed among the four choices does NOT lie along the bank of the Mississippi River?
Answer: Pascagoula

Pascagoula is on Mississippi's coastline, near the state border shared with Alabama. It's the birthplace of singer/songwriter Jimmy Buffet, famous for his "Margaritaville" hit. The city is also the setting for singer Ray Stevens' "Mississippi Squirrel Revival." To the west of Pascagoula are a couple of larger Mississippi cities: Biloxi and Gulfport. Just a little farther west is New Orleans, Louisiana.
    Your options: [ Vicksburg ] [ Pascagoula ] [ Greenville ] [ Natchez ]
  From Quiz: You're in Mississippi Now!
16 Jackson may be the capital city of Mississippi, but what is the county seat of Jackson County?
Answer: Pascagoula

Before World War II Pascagoula was a small fishing town. Now it is one of Mississippi's major industrial cities. In 2005, Pascagoula was heavily damaged by Hurricane Katrina. Over 90% of the city was flooded.
  From Quiz: U.S.A: All about Mississippi
17 What mountain is the Magnolia State's highest land point and stands 802 ft above sea level. It is located in the northeastern part of Mississippi, just south of the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains?
Answer: Woodall Mountain

Woodall Mountain is located in the southwestern Appalachian Mountains. It was originally known as Yow Hill, but in 1878 it was rechristened and named Woodall Mountain after Zephaniah Woodall. Woodall was a sheriff of Tishomingo County, where the mountain is located. During the Civil War, this mountain was the site of the battle of Inka on September 19, 1862, a Union victory against the Confederates. Because it is a state landmark, and the highest land point in Mississippi, the mountain is a skiing attraction for many of the locals and tourists in the area.
  From Quiz: Towns and Places of the Magnolia State
18 What county in the state of Mississippi was named for a famous explorer of pre-colonial America?
Answer: DeSoto

DeSoto County was named for the Spanish explorer Hernando De Soto, who is often credited with having "discovered" the Mississippi River. In 1542, he died at the end of a four-year expedition to find gold and silver in the present-day southeast United States and was buried in the banks of the Mississippi River. Interestingly, DeSoto's county seat of government is a city named Hernando. DeSoto County, which lies along the Mississippi River, has been one of the fastest growing counties in the state of Mississippi. It is located in the far northwest corner of the state and shares a border with the southwest corner of Tennessee, where Memphis lies.
  From Quiz: You're in Mississippi Now!
19 What is Mississippi's highest point?
Answer: Woodall Mountain

Woodall Mountain is 806 feet above sea level.
  From Quiz: Mississippi--The Magnolia State
20 Lee County features a lake named after what musician?
Answer: Elvis Presley

Elvis Presley lake is located near Tupelo, Elvis Presley's birthplace. Blue catfish are plentiful in this lake. Fishing is allowed but with conditions.
  From Quiz: U.S.A: All about Mississippi
21 A 444-mile long national park extends from Mississippi's southwest corner to its northeast corner. Can you name it?
Answer: The Natchez Trace Parkway

The Natchez Trace begins in Natchez, Mississippi, along the Mississippi River and crosses the Mississipi/Alabama border near Tishomingo, Mississippi. From there it extends through a small corner of Alabama and through a portion of Tennessee, ending in Nashville. The majority of the park is within the borders of Mississippi. Originally, the trail was created by migrating animals but was eventually used by Native Americans traveling between the Cumberland and Mississippi Rivers. Later, European explorers used the trail for trade and transit. By the early 1800s, use of the highway had faded due to bandits and bushwhackers as well as the shifting in significance of ports and trading centers.
  From Quiz: You're in Mississippi Now!
22 How many states border Mississippi?
Answer: 4

Tennessee to the north, Alabama to the east, and Arkansas and Louisiana to the west.
  From Quiz: Mississippi--The Magnolia State
23 The last known bank robbery committed by Machine Gun Kelly took place in what city of Mississippi?
Answer: Tupelo

Machine Gun Kelly robbed a bank in Tupelo in 1932. The heist resulted in Machine Gun Kelly being in possession of $38,000 (about the equivalent of $721,000 today). Four years later in 1936, Tupelo was hit by one of the most disastrous hurricanes of the 20th century. Elvis Presley survived this hurricane as a baby. Over 200 people were killed and about 700 people were injured.

Tupelo also has a well known automobile museum.
  From Quiz: U.S.A: All about Mississippi
24 In the state of Mississippi, what site of interest is the city of Flora's claim to fame?
Answer: A petrified forest

One of the major petrified forests in the United States is found right here in Flora, Mississippi. The forest consists of the remains of a log jam that were created nearly 36 million years ago in a raging river that flowed across the young continent. The site is a registered National Landmark, and some of the logs have been displayed in The Smithsonian.
  From Quiz: You're in Mississippi Now!
25 What state does Mississippi border to the east?
Answer: Alabama

Mississippi's long border with Alabama originates from a mixed variety of reasons: Native American territorial boundaries, a past British treaty, the land companies of Georgia, erroneous maps of the past and politics.
  From Quiz: U.S.A: All about Mississippi
26 What is now the state of Mississippi was previously the western half of the Mississippi Territory. (The eastern half became the state of Alabama). Mississippi was the 20th state admitted to the Union, but on what date did it achieve statehood?
Answer: December 10, 1817

Britain ceded the Mississippi Territory to the Union following the American Revolutionary War. Officially designated in 1798, some land that had once been part of the original states of Georgia and South Carolina was included into the new territory. The territory twice then expanded further after the original boundaries were drawn. The territory was divided and Mississippi acquired statehood as the 20th state in 1817. Its neighbour, Alabama, would become the 22nd state almost exactly two years later, on December 14, 1819.

Of the alternatives, March 4, 1791 is the date on which Vermont became the first new state to join the original 13 colonies. On June 15, 1836, the Union expanded to 25 states with the addition of Arkansas. The Union extends to the West Coast, with California becoming the 31st state on September 9, 1850.
  From Quiz: Welcome to the Hospitality State
27 Which city is located in the northeastern corner of the Magnolia state and draws thousands of tourists each year to visit the birthplace of Elvis Presley?
Answer: Tupelo

Tupelo is nicknamed the "All American City" and is known to many as the birthplace of Elvis Presley. At the Elvis Presley Birthplace and Museum, visitors can view the cottage, replicas of furniture, and many items from Elvis' childhood. Close to the site is the church where Elvis Presley started his singing career. Elvis Presley's birthplace draws over 100,000 visitors each year, and is the main attraction in Tupelo's tourism industry.
    Your options: [ Rolling Fork ] [ Tupelo ] [ Louisville ] [ Ellisville ]
  From Quiz: Towns and Places of the Magnolia State
28 Near what community in Mississippi's Sharkey County did Theodore Roosevelt participate in a most famous bear hunt?
Answer: Onward

In 1902, President Theodore Roosevelt was in Mississipi to settle a border dispute between Mississippi and Louisana. During some time off, he participated in a bear hunt in Sharkey County. After an unsuccessful hunt, some men captured a young black bear, bludgeoned it, tied it to a tree, and presented it to President Roosevelt for him to shoot. Teddy Roosevelt refused, believing that to do so would be highly unsportsmanlike. The Washington Post political cartoonist Clifford Berryman drew a picture of Roosevelt with a young cuddly bear and entitled it "Drawing the Line", a pun on Roosevelt's settling the border dispute and his refusal to shoot the bear. The image became a famous one, and soon after the first teddy bear toy was created for kids.
  From Quiz: You're in Mississippi Now!
29 What is the state butterfly?
Answer: Spicebush Swallowtail

The spicebush swallowtail butterfly is beautifully colored brown, orange, white, and gray.
  From Quiz: Mississippi--The Magnolia State
30 Root beer was invented in Mississippi. What city of Mississippi was it invented in?
Answer: Biloxi

The inventor of root beer was born to French parents in New Orleans. But root beer was invented in Biloxi, Mississippi, by Edward Adolf Barq, Sr. Barq's company is now owned by Coca Cola.
  From Quiz: U.S.A: All about Mississippi
31 The National Military Park, commemorating the soldiers who fought and died during the Mississippi campaign in the American Civil War, can be found in which city?
Answer: Vicksburg

The Vicksburg National Military Park is primarily a site preserving the history surrounding the forty-seven-day siege of the port of Vicksburg on the Mississippi River. The Confederacy surrendered Vicksburg on July 4, 1863, and the United States established control of the Mississippi River. The park includes at least 1,325 monuments and markers, 20 miles of trenches, a 16-mile tour path, 144 cannons, two antebellum homes, the restored gunboat "The Cairo," and the Grant's Canal site.
    Your options: [ Corinth ] [ Vicksburg ] [ Raymond ] [ Port Gibson ]
  From Quiz: You're in Mississippi Now!
32 Which city of Mississippi is situated approximately 80 miles south of Mississippi's capital, Jackson?
Answer: McComb

During the 1960s McComb was the site of several murders against the African American community by the terrorist group, the KKK.

Pop star Britney Spears was born in McComb.
    Your options: [ McComb ] [ Hernando ] [ Batesville ] [ Clarksdale ]
  From Quiz: U.S.A: All about Mississippi
33 Where in Mississippi did "Casey" Jones die during his famous but tragic train wreck?
Answer: Vaughan

John Luther "Casey" Jones, immortalized by the popular "Ballad of Casey Jones," died on April 30, 1900, after crashing his passenger train into a freight train stopped at Vaughan. He did his best to save lives by trying to stop his train before the collision; for this effort he was recognized as a hero, the only life lost being his own. Interestingly, investigators of the wreck found only Casey to be at fault for having failed to heed warning flags.
  From Quiz: You're in Mississippi Now!
34 What was the name of the hurricane that hit Mississippi in 1969?
Answer: Camille

Hurricane Camille's waters cut Ship Island in two. Now there are East Ship and West Ship Islands. The gap between the two was named "Camille Cut".
  From Quiz: Mississippi--The Magnolia State
35 The town of Tunica, Mississippi, was one of the poorest towns of the United States. This was until the introduction of what?
Answer: Gambling

Tunica is located about 20 miles south of Downtown Memphis, Tennessee. From the 1990s Tunica has become associated with the numerous casinos it features.

The original name of Tunica was "Robinsonville" but this was changed in 2005, over confusion as to where the casinos were located, as most of them were named "Tunica."

Despite the peak of economic growth in the 1970s, Tunica has experienced a decline in economy since - despite the casinos.
  From Quiz: U.S.A: All about Mississippi
36 In what town is the oldest public university in Mississippi, The University of Mississippi (Ole Miss), located?
Answer: Oxford

The University of Mississippi was chartered in 1844 and opened its doors to students in 1848. Oxford, in Lafayette County, has been the home of William Faulkner, Willie Morris, and John Grisham. A beautiful if not a magically peaceful retreat within the city is Faulkner's renovated antebellum home Rowan Oak, which has been open for touring. The Southern literary magazine "The Oxford American" was born here as well.
  From Quiz: You're in Mississippi Now!
37 Coca Cola was first bottled at a plant in what city of Mississippi?
Answer: Vicksburg

In 1894, Coca Cola was first bottled at a factory and sold. It had been invented in Atlanta in 1886, but it was first produced commercially in Vicksburg, Mississippi.
  From Quiz: U.S.A: All about Mississippi
38 Where is the B. B. King Museum located?
Answer: Indianola

While born near Itta Bena, Mississippi, the legendary blues musician B. B. King lived in Indianola, Mississippi for a significant part of his youth. The city has a museum dedicated to him and his music. The Blues is perhaps the only music indigenous to the United States, and a type of music that began in and around the Mississippi Delta. Indianola is also home to the famous Indianola Pecan House, where one can buy such varieties of flavors of nuts as Pralines, Rosemary Herb, and Jack Daniels. The Mississippi Cheese Straws sold there are heavenly!
  From Quiz: You're in Mississippi Now!
39 What city of Mississippi was Martin Luther King attacked in but not killed, in the 1960s?
Answer: Winona

While touring America, Martin Luther King stopped in Winona. He was attacked by a fanatical white supremacist barber. Luckily, King's body guard was nearby who protected him.
  From Quiz: U.S.A: All about Mississippi
40 Mississippi boasts the largest aquaculture industry in the United States because of its farming of which fish?
Answer: catfish

In 2005, Mississippi produced 350 million pounds of catfish, or 55 percent of all the United States' catfish production. In the same year, Humphreys County had the greatest amount of water acres devoted to catfish production--20,600. Belzoni (pronounced bel-ZON-ah by its residents), the Humphreys County seat, has designated itself "The Catfish Capital of the World."
    Your options: [ crayfish/crawfish/crawdad ] [ catfish ] [ bass ] [ tilapia ]
  From Quiz: You're in Mississippi Now!
The rest of the questions and answers can be found in our quizzes here:
Mississippi Quizzes