Now the rest of the South: the two South Central divisions, from Kentucky to Texas.
Key idea
The South Central states are East South Central: Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama and Mississippi; and West South Central: Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Texas. The Mississippi River splits the two divisions.
Why it works
Why does the Mississippi River split them? Big rivers were the highways of the 1800s, and they made easy borders to agree on. The Mississippi forms much of the line between Tennessee and Mississippi on the east and Arkansas and Louisiana on the west.
- Kentucky is on top, with the Ohio River along its north edge; Tennessee is the long, thin state below it.
- Mississippi and Alabama sit side by side below Tennessee.
- Arkansas is west of the river; Louisiana, shaped like a boot, is below it.
- Oklahoma, shaped like a pan with a handle, sits on top of Texas.
Worked example: The boot
Which state is shaped like a boot, at the mouth of the Mississippi?
- Follow the Mississippi River south to the Gulf.
- The last state it crosses has a boot shape, with the toe pointing east.
Answer: Louisiana.
Common mistake
Alabama and Mississippi get switched because they sit side by side with similar shapes. Use the river: Mississippi is the western one, along the Mississippi River. Alabama is the eastern one, next to Georgia.