Mississippi is situated in the southern region of the United States of America. The capital city of the state of Mississippi is called Jackson, which also happens to be the largest city of the region. The total area occupied by the state of Mississippi is approximately 48,434 sq miles or 125,443 km² and the state ranks on number 32 amongst all the states of the United States of America in terms of area. The name of the state originated from the River of Mississippi that flows across the boundary in the region of the west of the state. The word is from a language called Ojibwe and can be translated in English into the Great River and hence the huge river that flows across the state of Mississippi is referred by the name. The total population of the state of Mississippi is approximately 2,910,540 and in terms of the total number of residents Mississippi ranks on number 31 amongst all the states of the United States of America. The state of Mississippi is symbolized by the Magnolia on its seal and the land animals that represent the state are White-tailed deer and Red Fox. The Bottlenose Dolphin is the marine animal while the American Alligator is the reptile representing the state. The beverage of the state is milk. To the North of the state of Mississippi lies the state of Tennessee and to the east lies the state of Alabama. Towards the south is situated the state of Louisiana and a coastal rim of the Gulf of Mexico. In the direction of west lies the Mississippi River. Major rivers in Mississippi, apart from its namesake, include the Big Black River, the Pearl River, the Yazoo, the Pascagoula, and the Tombigbee. Major lakes include Ross Barnett Reservoir, Arkabutla Lake, Sardis Lake and Grenada Lake. The state of Mississippi comprises also of many forest and is thus a beautiful state.