Mississippi Delta

The Mississippi Delta is the distinctive northwest section of the U.S. state of Mississippi that lies between the Mississippi and Yazoo rivers. The region has been called "The Most Southern Place on Earth" ("Southern" in the sense of "characteristic of its region, the American South") because of its unique racial, cultural, and economic history. It was one of the richest cotton-growing areas in the nation. Before the American Civil War (1861-1865), the region attracted many speculators who developed land for cotton plantations; they became wealthy planters dependent for labor on black slaves.

The majority of residents in several counties across the region are African American, although tens of thousands left the region in the 20th century Great Migration to northern industrial cities. The agricultural economy does not support much business, and the region has worked to diversify. The strong musical tradition of African Americans developed American blues and jazz. At times the region has suffered heavy flooding from the Mississippi River, notably in 1927 and 2011.