Southern USA - June 2nd, 2009
The Southern United States constitutes a large distinctive region in the southeastern and south-central United States. As defined by the US Census Bureau, this region includes sixteen states and the District of Columbia.
The Census Bureau also defined three smaller units, or divisions: the South Atlantic States, the East South Central States and the West South Central States.
The South Atlantic States division comprises Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Washington, D.C., and Delaware.
The East South Central States unit is composed of Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi and Tennessee.
Finally, the West South Central States division includes Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texas.
Biologically, the South is a vast, diverse region, having numerous climatic zones, including temperate, sub-tropical, tropical, and arid.
However, the South is generally regarded as being hot and humid, with long summers and short mild winters, being significantly warmer than the rest of the country. Many crops grow easily in its soils and can be grown without frost for at least six months of the year.
Several geographical features of note in this image are the the bayous and swampland of the Gulf Coast (bottom), especially in Louisiana, the Appalachian Mountains (running diagonally across from the center to the upper right), and the Mississippi River (flowing vertically parallel to the left edge).
