Area code 228 is the North American telephone area code that covers the Gulf Coast of Mississippi, serving the three counties in the state's southeastern tip–Jackson, Harrison and Hancock. It was the second Mississippi area code, created in 1997, when it was split off from the original area code 601, which had covered the entire state. Area code 601 was further reduced in size when area code 662 was created in 1999 for the northern half of Mississippi.