Southern United States

The states that are in red are in the South Region of the United States Census Bureau.

The Southern United States (also known as the Southern States or the South) is a term for the southeast of the United States. All of the states in the Confederacy were in the South, but not all Southern states joined the Confederacy. The slave states that did not join are called the "border states." The Southern States that are the farthest to the south are called the "Deep South."

Even though Arizona, New Mexico, and Southern California are geographically south in the United States, they are usually classified as being part of the Southwest, not the South. Their climate, culture, and ethnic makeup of the Southwest are different from those of the South.

Most of the South is a land of long, hot summers. Winters are mostly short and cool. There is much rainfall. That combination gives the South a long growing season. Important crops include cotton, tobacco, peanuts, and peaches.

Also, the cuisine of the Southern United States is distinct from those of other regions.

As defined by the United States Census Bureau, these states make up the South:

1. Alabama
2. Arkansas
3. Delaware
4. Florida
5. Georgia
6. Kentucky
7. Louisiana
8. Maryland
9. Mississippi
10. North Carolina
11. Oklahoma
12. South Carolina
13. Tennessee
14. Texas
15. Virginia
16. Washington, D.C. (although not a state)
17. West Virginia

The border state of Missouri is also sometimes considered Southern although the Census classifies it as in the Midwest.

Except for Florida and Texas, most of the South had few immigrants, unlike the rest of the United States, in the late 19th and the 20th centuries. Most of the people in the South are of English, Scottish, or Irish ancestry or the descendants of African-American slaves. Some Southerners identify themselves as being of "American" ancestry.