Located in the Deep South of the U.S., Mississippi is known as the "Magnolia State," as well as the "Hospitality State." Organized as a territory in 1798 from land ceded by Georgia and South Carolina, Mississippi eventually expanded to include disputed Spanish land as well. Mississippi was admitted as the 20th state in the U.S. in 1817. The Delta soil proved especially fertile for cotton, which was in high international demand at the time. Through the use of large-scale slave labor, the plantation owners were able to amass fortunes, and Mississippi became one of the wealthiest states in the nation. The Civil War saw an end to slavery, along with the decimation of Mississippi's population and the ravaging of its land. The state never recovered from this economic blow and, while cotton remains a viable crop, it is no longer Mississippi's lifeblood.