Description: The Physical map of Mississippi State, USA showing major geographical features such as rivers, lakes, topography and land formations.
The physical map of Mississippi shows a state shaped by rivers and gentle hills. On the west edge, the winding Mississippi River forms the border with Arkansas and Louisiana, carving broad floodplains and cutoffs. At the center, the Pearl River runs through Jackson.
To the east, the Tombigbee River heads toward Alabama. In the south, pine-covered uplands step down to a sandy Gulf Coast dotted with cities like Gulfport, Biloxi, and Pascagoula. Towns and roads line up with landforms: Vicksburg sits on high bluffs above the river, Greenville and Clarksdale lie in the flat Delta, and Hattiesburg anchors the Piney Woods.
This geographical map of Mississippi is obvious: you can trace reservoirs like Sardis Lake, Enid Lake, Grenada Lake, Arkabutla Lake, the Ross Barnett Reservoir, and Okatibbee Lake. You can also follow the Yazoo River system in the Delta and the Pascagoula River system in the south. This guide explains every visible feature, enabling students, residents, and travelers to read land and water with confidence.
Nickname: Magnolia State.
Capital: Jackson. Largest metro: Jackson.
Highest point: Woodall Mountain near Iuka, about 806 ft.
Lowest point: Sea level at the Gulf of Mexico.
Borders: Tennessee to the north, Alabama to the east, the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Louisiana and Arkansas to the west across the Mississippi.
Major lakes: Sardis, Enid, Grenada, Arkabutla, Ross Barnett Reservoir, Okatibbee, Bay Springs, Pickwick.
Main rivers: Mississippi, Yazoo, Sunflower, Big Black, Pearl, Strong, Bogue Chitto, Tombigbee, Luxapallila, Leaf, Chickasawhay, Pascagoula.
Natural regions: Yazoo-Mississippi Delta, Loess Bluffs, North Central Hills, Black Prairie, Tombigbee Hills, Jackson Prairie, Piney Woods, and Gulf Coast.
Popular scenic routes: Natchez Trace Parkway, Great River Road from Tunica to Natchez, US 49 from Jackson to the Coast, US 61 through the Delta.
From Tunica down past Clarksdale, Cleveland, Greenville, Indianola, and Yazoo City, the map shows a broad, light-green plain. This is the Delta, a level floodplain built by the Mississippi and its backwater streams. The Yazoo River drains the area, created where the Tallahatchie River and Yalobusha River meet near Greenwood. The land is flat and fertile. Oxbow lakes, abandoned channels, and straight levees are easy to spot on the detailed map. The Delta ends abruptly at the Loess Bluffs near Vicksburg, where wind-blown silt forms high, steep hills.
East of the Delta, the land rises into rolling hills. Towns like Oxford, Batesville, Grenada, New Albany, Tupelo, and Houston scatter across this upland. Rivers cut narrow valleys, and the long, low Pontotoc Ridge trends north to south. Major flood-control reservoirs dot this hill belt: Sardis, Enid, Grenada, and Arkabutla. On the map, they appear as large blue lakes linked by the Yocona, Little Tallahatchie, and Coldwater rivers.
Moving east toward Columbus and Starkville, the terrain opens into the Black Prairie, a belt of rich, dark soils on soft chalk and clay. It is smoother than the hills to the west and east. Beyond it, the Tombigbee Hills rise again, cut by the Tombigbee River and the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway. Look for long, narrow lakes and straightened channels near Aberdeen and Columbus. These show locks and navigation cuts that connect the Tombigbee with the Tennessee system near Bay Springs Lake and Pickwick Lake up by Iuka.
Around Jackson, Brandon, Canton, and Raymond, the Jackson Prairie forms a low, gently rolling region. The map marks the Pearl River curving through the area and expanding into the Ross Barnett Reservoir north of the city. This prairie holds chalky soils and grassy openings, different from the pine forests to the south.
From Hattiesburg, Laurel, and Wiggins across to Columbia and McComb, the map shades dense uplands called the Piney Woods or Pine Hills. The Leaf River and Chickasawhay River wind through this region. They meet near Merrill to form the Pascagoula River, one of the largest free-flowing river systems in the lower 48 with no main-stem dams. Short, branching creeks and forest cover tell you why this area is famous for timber and paper mills.
The coast from Bay St. Louis through Gulfport and Biloxi to Pascagoula is low and sandy with broad bays. Offshore, thin barrier islands (like Ship Island and Horn Island, shown as narrow strips) shelter the Mississippi Sound. The Pearl River reaches the Louisiana marshes, while the Pascagoula empties straight into the Gulf near Pascagoula. The coast sits at sea level, which the map makes clear with smooth, broad tidal areas.
Sardis Lake - north of Oxford, fed by the Little Tallahatchie River.
Arkabutla Lake - closer to the Memphis line, on the Coldwater River.
Enid Lake - south of Batesville, on the Yocona River.
Grenada Lake - just above Grenada, on the Yalobusha River.
Ross Barnett Reservoir - just north of Jackson on the Pearl River; a major boating and water-supply lake that is impossible to miss on the map.
Okatibbee Lake - northeast of Meridian on Okatibbee Creek.
Bay Springs Lake - a long, straight reservoir along the Tenn-Tom near Booneville.
Pickwick Lake - touches the northeast tip by Iuka and the Tennessee line.
These lakes also act like road signs for trip planning. For example, the series of four big flood-control lakes west of the Natchez Trace Parkway gives a ready-made north-south route for camping and fishing weekends.
From Tunica County to the Louisiana line, the Mississippi’s blue ribbon bends past Helena (across in Arkansas), Greenville, Rolling Fork, Vicksburg, and Natchez. You can see cutoff lakes, chute channels, and levee traces. Vicksburg stands out where the Big Black River joins from the east. Natchez sits on high loess bluffs overlooking the west bank. Floodplains near Greenville and Lake Providence are wide and flat.
Two hill streams, the Tallahatchie and Yalobusha, join at Greenwood to form the Yazoo River, which flows south to meet the Mississippi north of Vicksburg. The Sunflower River runs parallel to the Yazoo through Cleveland and Indianola, draining the heart of the Delta. On the detailed map, this network looks like slow, looping lines with bayous and oxbows.
The Pearl forms in the central hills and passes through Jackson before turning south, threading the pine country toward the Louisiana marshes. The broad Ross Barnett Reservoir north of Jackson and the sandy channels below it are apparent on the map. Tributaries include the Strong River, Yockanookany, and Bogue Chitto near McComb and Liberty.
The Leaf River out of Hattiesburg and the Chickasawhay River out of Waynesboro join near Merrill to form the Pascagoula, which flows through Lucedale and into the Gulf near Pascagoula. Because it has no main-stem dams, its Delta still shifts with storms and floods, a detail that explains the broad wetlands drawn near the mouth.
Along the east border near Amory, Aberdeen, and Columbus, the Tombigbee is straight in places because the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway modernized curves to fit barge traffic. Long, narrow lakes and locks appear on the map between Bay Springs Lake and Columbus Lake. North of there, the system links to the Tennessee River near Pickwick Lake.
Woodall Mountain near Iuka in Tishomingo County is Mississippi’s highest natural point at about 806 feet. While small by mountain standards, it marks the edge of the Appalachian foothills that brush the state.
Loess Bluffs run along the east side of the Delta from Memphis to Natchez, rising suddenly above the flat floodplain.
Pontotoc Ridge and Fall Line Hills add relief in the north and east.
The Piney Woods cover most of the south with longleaf and loblolly pine.
The Black Prairie is an open, fertile belt around Starkville, Columbus, and West Point, easy to spot because valley shapes are broader and the color tone on the map softens.
Jackson is placed where the Pearl River corridor crosses a natural road hub. The Ross Barnett Reservoir to the north supplies water and recreation.
Vicksburg commands the Mississippi at a high, defensible bluff where the Big Black joins from the east.
Greenville, Clarksdale, and Greenwood are in the Delta on rich farmland and gentle waterways.
Oxford sits on hill ground above Sardis Lake and the Little Tallahatchie, which kept it safe from large floods.
Tupelo and Corinth lie on crossroads between the hills and the Tombigbee basin.
Meridian grew on a high point between the Chunky and Sowashee creeks and near rail links, now close to Okatibbee Lake.
Hattiesburg sits on the Leaf River near the center of the Pine Belt’s timber region.
Gulfport, Biloxi, and Pascagoula line the coast on firm ground next to protected bays and harbors.
Flood risk is highest on the Mississippi floodplain around Greenville, Rosedale, and Vicksburg, and along backwater streams of the Delta.
Hurricane surge and tidal flooding threaten the Gulf Coast, which is why barrier islands and wide bays are drawn offshore.
Flash flooding on small hill creeks can happen after tropical rains in the Piney Woods and North Central Hills.
Drought vulnerability is lowest where aquifers and big reservoirs are present, such as the Pearl basin around Ross Barnett and the Yocona and Tallahatchie lakes north of Grenada.
Study tasks: Trace the Yazoo River from Greenwood to its mouth, label the four big northern reservoirs, and sketch the Pascagoula from Hattiesburg to the Gulf.
Road trip frames:
Delta Heritage Loop: Clarksdale to Cleveland to Greenville to Vicksburg along the river bluffs.
Lake Weekend Chain: Sardis, Enid, Grenada, Arkabutla, with stops in Oxford and Batesville.
Pine Belt Drive: Hattiesburg to Laurel to Wiggins, then south to the coast.
Capital and Reservoir: Tour Jackson, circle Ross Barnett Reservoir, continue to Canton and Brandon.
Tenn-Tom Waterway Route: Tupelo to Amory to Columbus, following the navigation lakes.
These trips line up with topographic changes you can actually see on the map, which is why they feel natural to drive.
Starting near Memphis, the border follows the Mississippi’s levees. The Loess Bluffs sit just east of the Delta and rise sharply near Clarksdale and Cleveland. Between the river and the bluffs, the land is almost billiard-table flat, which explains the long, straight highways and canals you see on the map. Lake Beulah and other oxbows mark former river paths.
At Greenville, the floodplain widens. The Yazoo Backwater toward Rolling Fork is a tangled wetland network that drains slowly into the main river. By Vicksburg, the ground climbs quickly, so the city shows up on the map at a bend where riverboats could dock beneath tall hills. The Big Black River approaches from the east, cutting a valley across clay plains.
East of Clarksdale, the Little Tallahatchie River winds through tight valley bends. A dam creates Sardis Lake, a long blue shape with coves where campgrounds and boat ramps cluster. South of Batesville, the Yocona River forms Enid Lake, and above Grenada, the Yalobusha spreads into Grenada Lake. Northwest of Hernando, Arkabutla Lake pools along the Coldwater River. These lakes cut flood peaks downstream and offer steady fishing water during dry spells. On the physical map, the lakes sit right at the edge where hills meet the first flat farmlands.
From Oxford through New Albany to Tupelo, the Pontotoc Ridge and North Central Hills roll under highways. Small blue springs and short creeks feed the Tombigbee. Near Amory and Aberdeen, map lines straighten into the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway. Here you can practice reading artificial versus natural channels: natural bends are irregular, while navigation cuts run arrow-straight. Farther northeast, Bay Springs Lake and Pickwick Lake show long basin shapes typical of the Tennessee River valley.
At Starkville and Columbus, the Black Prairie opens into smooth fields. Streams like Luxapallila Creek have gentle curves and broad floodplains. Old sea sediments underlie this belt, creating rich prairie soils. The map’s road network reflects easy travel across this low-relief zone. It is a great lab area for measuring meander length and point bar size on aerials.
The Pearl River arcs around Jackson and Brandon. The Ross Barnett Reservoir appears as a vast, irregular lake notched with bays. The Natchez Trace Parkway skirts the west side of the reservoir and continues north toward Kosciusko and south toward Hattiesburg. East of Jackson, the Bienville National Forest marks sandy hills that feed clear, tea-colored streams into the Pearl.
From Hattiesburg, the Leaf River flows south through long pine ridges. East of Laurel, the Chickasawhay River runs through Waynesboro and Quitman before joining the Leaf. Together they create the Pascagoula, which slides through Lucedale to a broad estuary at Pascagoula. Marsh patterns on the map show sheltered waters, essential for fish nurseries and hurricane protection.
The map draws three core cities along the shore. Bay St. Louis is a bay guarded by the Pearl River delta; Gulfport sits on a central sandy reach; Biloxi lies by a protected sound, with bridges to barrier islands like Ship Island. Pascagoula anchors the east end with shipyards at the river mouth. The coast’s straight, light-blue edge reminds you that the land is almost at sea level. You can also see the way the coastline bows outward near Biloxi and Gulfport, hinting at dune and beach building.
Watershed split exercise: Stand on the Pontotoc Ridge north of Houston on the map line. Streams west drain to the Yazoo, streams east drain to the Tombigbee. Sketch the divide.
Oxbow timeline: In the Delta between Greenville and Vicksburg, pick three oxbows. Use their sharpness and cutoffs to rank them from youngest to oldest.
Floodplain profile: Draw a simple cross-section at Yazoo City. Include levee, natural levee crest, backswamp, and loess bluff.
Reservoir purpose check: For Sardis, Enid, Grenada, and Arkabutla, note the inflow river and the downstream town most protected by the dam.
Coast wind map: Circle barrier islands and align arrows with the likely longshore drift that pushes sand toward Biloxi and Gulfport.
Delta culture corridor: Clarksdale to Indianola to Greenville for blues history along slow, straight rivers.
High bluffs tour: Vicksburg to Natchez along the loess hills with views over the river bends.
Pine Belt loop: Hattiesburg, Laurel, Wiggins, with a final coast day in Ocean Springs or Biloxi.
Reservoir chain camping: Start at Sardis, continue to Enid, Grenada, and Arkabutla during spring wildflowers.
River confluence day: Watch the Leaf and Chickasawhay meet, then follow the Pascagoula to its estuary.
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