Editing Southern United States (section)

==Geography==
[[File:Texas Hill Country 187N-2.JPG|thumb|right|[[Texas Hill Country]]]]
[[File:Kentucky horse farm.JPEG|thumb|right|[[Bluegrass region]], [[Kentucky]]]]
[[File:Gloss Mountains.jpg|thumb|right|[[Glass Mountains]], [[Oklahoma]]]]
[[File:Linville Gorge-27527-3.jpg|thumb|right|[[North Carolina]]'s [[Appalachian Mountains]]]]
[[File:Lone Oak in Saint Bernard Parish.jpg|thumb|right|Field of yellow wildflowers in [[Saint Bernard Parish, Louisiana]]]]
[[File:Pearl River backwater in Mississippi.jpg|thumb|right|[[Pearl River (Mississippi–Louisiana)|Pearl River]] backwater in [[Mississippi]]]]
[[File:Misty Bluff along the Buffalo River.jpg|thumb|right|Misty Bluff along the Buffalo River, [[Ozark Mountains]], [[Arkansas]]]]
[[File:ChesapeakeTidalWetlands.jpg|thumb|right|Tidal wetlands of the [[Chesapeake Bay]] in Maryland]]
[[File:Cherry River West Virginia.jpg|thumb|right|[[Cherry River (West Virginia)|Cherry River]] in West Virginia]]
[[File:Grayson County VA.jpg|thumb|right|The highlands of [[Grayson County, Virginia|Grayson County]] in [[Southwest Virginia]]]]

The South is a diverse meteorological region with numerous climatic zones, including [[temperate]], [[Subtropics|sub-tropical]], [[Tropical climate|tropical]], and [[arid]]—though the South generally has a reputation as hot and humid, with long summers and short, mild winters. Most of the South—except for the areas of higher elevations and areas near the western, southern, and some northern fringes—falls in the [[humid subtropical climate]] zone. Crops grow readily in the South due to its climate consistently providing growing seasons of at least six months before the first frost. Some common environments include [[bayou]]s and swamplands, the southern [[loblolly pine|pine forests]], the warm temperate montane forest of the Appalachians, the savannas of the southern Great Plains, and the [[laurel forest|subtropical jungle and maritime forests]] along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts. Unique flora include various species of magnolia, rhododendron, cane, palm, and oak, among others. [[Fauna of the Southern United States|Fauna of the region]] is also diverse, encompassing a plethora of [[amphibian]] species, reptiles such as the [[green anole]], the venomous [[cottonmouth]] snake, and the [[American alligator]], mammals like the [[American black bear]], the [[swamp rabbit]], and the [[nine-banded armadillo]], and birds such as the [[roseate spoonbill]] and the extinct but symbolic [[carolina parakeet]].

The question of how to define the boundaries and subregions of the South has long been the focus of research and debate.<ref>Howard W. Odum, [https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.46514 ''Southern regions of the United States''] (1936), University of North Carolina Press</ref><ref>Rebecca Mark, and Rob Vaughan, ''The South: The Greenwood Encyclopedia of American Regional Cultures'' (2004).</ref> As defined by the [[United States Census Bureau]],<ref name=CensusBureau>{{cite web |publisher = U.S. Census Bureau |url = https://www2.census.gov/geo/pdfs/maps-data/maps/reference/us_regdiv.pdf |title = Census Regions and Divisions of the United States |access-date = June 9, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160617004241/https://www2.census.gov/geo/pdfs/maps-data/maps/reference/us_regdiv.pdf |archive-date=June 17, 2016}}</ref> the Southern region of the United States includes sixteen states and the District of Columbia. As of 2010, an estimated 114,555,744 people, or thirty-seven percent of all U.S. residents, lived in the South, the nation's most populous region.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/prod/cen2010/briefs/c2010br-01.pdf |title=Population Distribution and Change: 2000 to 2010 |date=March 2011 | publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |access-date=February 28, 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170228042129/http://www.census.gov/prod/cen2010/briefs/c2010br-01.pdf |archive-date=February 28, 2017}}</ref> The Census Bureau defines three smaller divisions:
* '''The [[South Atlantic states]]''': Delaware, the District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia.
* '''The [[East South Central states]]''': Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi and Tennessee.
* '''The [[West South Central states]]''': Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Texas.

A survey conducted by social geographers in 2010 selected thirteen states as the <em>cultural</em> South: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Cooper |first1=Christopher A. |last2=Knotts |first2=H. Gibbs |date=2010 | title=South Polls: Rethinking the Boundaries of the South |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/26214292 |journal=Southern Cultures |volume=16 |issue=4 |pages=72–88 |doi= 10.1353/scu.2010.0002|jstor=26214292 |jstor-access=free|access-date=September 21, 2024 }}</ref> The [[Council of State Governments]], an organization for communication and coordination between states, includes the same thirteen states as well as Texas and Missouri in its South regional office.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.csg.org/about/regionaloffices.aspx |title=CSG Regional Offices |publisher=Council of State Governments |year=2012 |access-date=February 13, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140220052340/http://www.csg.org/about/regionaloffices.aspx |archive-date=February 20, 2014 }}</ref>

Other terms related to the South include:
* '''The [[Old South]]''': Can mean either southern states that were among the [[Thirteen Colonies]] (Virginia, Delaware, Maryland, Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina) or all southern slave states before 1860 (which also includes Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, Florida, Mississippi, Missouri, Arkansas, Louisiana and Texas).<ref>James Oakes, ''Slavery and Freedom : An Interpretation of the Old South'' (1998)</ref>
* '''The [[New South]]''': All southern states following the American Civil War, post–[[Reconstruction era]].<ref>[https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/New%20South New South | Definition of New South by Merriam-Webster] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210126132049/https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/New%20South |date=January 26, 2021 }}. Retrieved February 12, 2021.</ref>
* '''[[Southeastern United States]]''': Usually includes [[the Carolinas]], [[the Virginias]], [[Tennessee]], [[Kentucky]], [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]], [[Alabama]], [[Mississippi]] and Florida.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://sedaag.org/ |title=SouthEastern Division of the American Association of Geographers |website=SouthEastern Division of the American Association of Geographers|access-date=January 26, 2017|archive-date=January 21, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170121000800/http://sedaag.org/|url-status=live }}</ref>
* '''[[Appalachia|Southern Appalachia]]''': Mainly refers to areas situated in the southern [[Appalachian Mountains]], namely [[Eastern Mountain Coal Fields|Eastern Kentucky]], [[East Tennessee]], [[Western North Carolina]], [[Western Maryland]], [[West Virginia]], [[Southwest Virginia]], [[North Georgia]] and [[Upstate South Carolina|Northwestern South Carolina]].<ref>Rudy Abramson and Jean Haskell, eds. (2006)</ref>
* '''[[Upland South|Upper South]]''': Usually includes Kentucky, Virginia, West Virginia, [[Tennessee]], [[North Carolina]] and on rare occasions Missouri, Maryland and Delaware.<ref>[https://archive.today/20071013131808/http://www.britannica.com/eb/art-3822 "United States: The Upper South"]. ''Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.''</ref> When combined with the southern Appalachian Mountains, it is sometimes referred to as "[[Greater Appalachia]]" following [[Scotch-Irish Americans|Ulster Protestant]] migrations to the United States in the 18th and 19th centuries.<ref>{{cite book|last=Trende|first=Sean|author-link=Sean Trende|title=The Lost Majority: Why the Future of Government Is Up for Grabs – and Who Will Take It|year=2012|publisher=[[St. Martin's Press]]|isbn=978-0230116467|pages=[https://archive.org/details/lostmajoritywhyf0000tren/page/ xxii–xxviii]|url=https://archive.org/details/lostmajoritywhyf0000tren/page/}}</ref>
* '''[[Deep South]]''': Various definitions, usually includes Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi and South Carolina.<ref>Neal R. Peirce, ''The Deep South States of America;: People, politics and power in the seven Deep South States'' (1974)</ref>
* '''[[Border states (American Civil War)|Border States]]''': Includes Missouri, Kentucky, Maryland, Delaware and West Virginia. These were southern slave states on or near the border of the Confederacy that did not secede or only partially seceded from the U.S. in the 1860s. Large numbers of residents who joined both the Union and Confederate armed forces. Kentucky and Missouri had Confederate state governments with the [[Confederate government of Missouri]] and the [[Confederate government of Kentucky]]. The Confederacy controlled more than half of Kentucky and the southern portion of Missouri early in the war but were in-exile after 1862 and were represented in the Confederate Congress and by stars on the Confederate battle flag. West Virginia formed in 1863, after the western region of Virginia broke away to protest the Old Dominion's joining of the Confederacy, but residents of the new state were about evenly divided on supporting the Union or Confederacy.<ref>{{cite web|url = http://www.wvculture.org/history/wvcivilwar.html |title=The Civil War in West Virginia |work=wvculture.org |url-status=dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20131130074415/http://www.wvculture.org/history/wvcivilwar.html |archive-date=November 30, 2013}}</ref>
* '''[[Dixie]]''': Nickname applied to Southern U.S. region, various definitions include certain areas more than others, but most commonly associated with the eleven former Confederate States.
* '''[[Solid South]]''': Electoral voting bloc largely controlled by the Democratic Party from 1877 to 1964, largely resulting from [[disenfranchisement after the Reconstruction era]] in the late 19th century. Disfranchisement effectively denied most of the black and sometimes poor white population from voting or holding public office during this time period.<ref>McConarty, Colin. (October 21, 2015). [http://werehistory.org/disenfranchisement/ The Process of Disenfranchisement] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220829005646/http://werehistory.org/disenfranchisement/ |date=August 29, 2022}}. ''werehistory.org''. Retrieved February 13, 2021.</ref>
* '''[[Gulf Coast of the United States|Gulf Coast]]''': Includes Gulf coasts of Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas and Alabama.
* '''[[Tidewater (region)|Tidewater]]''': Low-lying [[Atlantic coastal plain]] regions of Maryland, Delaware, Virginia and North Carolina.
* '''[[Mid-South (region)|Mid-South]]''': Various definitions, includes states within the Census Bureau of the East and West South Central United States.<ref name="CensusRegionsMap"/> In another informal definition, Tennessee, Arkansas, and Mississippi are included, with adjoining areas of other states.<ref>[http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2010/feb/07/gop-eyes-potential-seats-in-mid-south/ "GOP eyes potential for picking up U.S. House seats in Mid-South"], 2010, {{webarchive |url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140113092853/http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2010/feb/07/gop-eyes-potential-seats-in-mid-south/ |date= January 13, 2014}}, ''Memphis Commercial Appeal''</ref><ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eKdBQFZdVygC&q=mid-south |title=VA health care resource allocations to medical centers in the Mid South Healthcare Network |publisher=DIANE |isbn=9781428938656 |access-date=November 21, 2020 |archive-date=August 14, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210814125833/https://books.google.com/books?id=eKdBQFZdVygC&q=mid-south |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LZAaHAAACAAJ&q=mid-south |title=The Mid-South |work=google.com |last1=Thomas |first1=Richard K. |last2=Jones |first2=Virginia Anne |year=1977 |access-date=November 21, 2020 |archive-date=August 13, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210813152214/https://books.google.com/books?id=LZAaHAAACAAJ&q=mid-south |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CYOSHQAACAAJ&q=mid-south |title=The Tchula Period in the Mid-South and Lower Mississippi Valley |isbn=9780938896487 |last1=Dye |first1=David H. |last2=Brister |first2=Ronald C. |year=1986 |publisher=Mississippi Department of Archives and History |access-date=November 21, 2020 |archive-date=August 16, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210816094748/https://books.google.com/books?id=CYOSHQAACAAJ&q=mid-south |url-status=live }}</ref>

Historically, the South was defined as all states south of the 18th-century [[Mason–Dixon line]], the [[Ohio River]], and the [[Parallel 36°30′ north|36°30′ parallel]].<ref name="The South"/> Newer definitions of the South today are harder to define, due to cultural and sub-regional differences throughout the region; however, definitions usually refer to states that are in the southeastern and south-central geographic regions of the United States.<ref>Abadi, Mark. (May 3, 2018). [https://www.businessinsider.com/south-states-usa-2018-5 "Why No One Can Agree Where The South Really Is"]. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210815093752/https://www.businessinsider.com/south-states-usa-2018-5 |date=August 15, 2021 }}. ''Business Insider''. Retrieved May 28, 2021.</ref>

Although not included in the Census definition, two [[Territories of the United States|U.S. territories]] located southeast of Florida ([[Puerto Rico]] and the [[U.S. Virgin Islands]]) are sometimes included as part of the Southern United States. The [[Federal Aviation Administration]] includes Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands as part of the South,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.faa.gov/about/office_org/headquarters_offices/arc/southern_region/ |publisher=Federal Aviation Administration |title=Southern Region |access-date=June 30, 2020 |archive-date=July 1, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200701113700/https://www.faa.gov/about/office_org/headquarters_offices/arc/southern_region/ |url-status=live }}</ref> as does the [[Agricultural Research Service]] and the [[U.S. National Park Service]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.ars.usda.gov/southeast-area/ |publisher=Agricultural Research Service |title=Southeast Area |access-date=June 30, 2020 |archive-date=June 4, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200604135837/https://www.ars.usda.gov/southeast-area/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nps.gov/orgs/rtca/contactus.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190705075545/https://www.nps.gov/orgs/rtca/contactus.htm |archive-date=July 5, 2019 |publisher=U.S. National Park Service. Rivers, Trails, and Conservation Assistance Program |title=Contact Us |access-date=June 30, 2020}}</ref>