United States, Gulf Coast South

The united states gulf coast states form one vernacular region, but several subregional areas can be delineated based on soils, characteristic vegetation, relief, and climate. These states include Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, and Mississippi. Beginning in the far southeast, subtropical South Florida encompasses the Everglades and a variety of mangrove, marsh, and forest zones, all resting on a foundation of limestone. To the west, the Gulf Coast comprises barrier islands and sounds protecting pine and palmetto forests. Coastal Louisiana, formed by deltaic sediments from the Mississippi River, consists of salt and fresh water marshes, cypress swamps, and areas of relatively high ground formed by distributary channels of the river. Heading north, the Mississippi Valley bisects the region with a broad alluvial plain of oxbow lakes, hardwood ...