Land

The entire state of Mississippi lies within two lowlands. Extending eastward from the Mississippi River, the Mississippi Alluvial Plain, popularly known as the Delta, becomes very narrow south of Vicksburg but stretches across the state farther north. The rest of the state is covered by the the Gulf Coastal Plain and, includes several sub regions, of which the Red Clay Hills of north-central Mississippi and the Piney Woods of the south and southeast are the most extensive. The maximum elevation at 806 ft (246 m) is at Woodall Mountain, in the extreme northeastern corner of the state.

The state's largest lakes—Grenada, Sardis, Enid, and Arkabutla—are all manmade. Numerous smaller lakes called oxbow lakes because of their curved shape extend along the western edge of the state. These lakes were all once part of the Mississippi River and were formed when the river changed its course. Mississippi's longest inland river, the Pearl, flows about 490 mi (790 km) from the eastern center of the state to the Gulf of Mexico, its lower reaches forming part of the border with Louisiana. The other important river of Mississippi is Big Black River which is some 330 mi (530 km) long. It begins in the northeast and cuts diagonally across the state, joining the Mississippi about 20 mi (32 km) below Vicksburg.