The Southern Section includes North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Florida, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, Tennessee, Arkansas, and Oklahoma.

Texas is the largest of all our States. It is four times as large as all the New England States, and is larger than any country in Europe except Russia.

COTTON REGION

The leading occupation of the people of the South is agriculture.

The leading crop is cotton.

More than two-thirds of all the cotton produced in the world is raised in the South.

It was the importing of slaves from Africa to do the work in the cotton fields of the South that led to the Civil War. Many of our colored people, although no longer slaves, still live in the South.

Rice and sugar are two important southern crops.

A large amount of tobacco is raised, as well as fruit, Indian corn, and wheat.

Large herds of cattle and sheep are raised on the plains of Texas.

Coal and iron are found in the South, and many public buildings are made of Georgia marble.

The largest forest regions of the country are in the South. The most common tree is the pine. Much of its wood is used for floors, and the inside finishing of buildings.

Turpentine is obtained from the sap of the pine trees, and millions of dollars have been made from its sale in a single year.

Questions and Topics for Discussion

How does the land surface of the Southern Section differ from that of the Northeastern?

What states are included in the Southern Section?

Describe Texas.

What is the leading occupation of the South?

What is the leading crop? Name other important crops.
Tell about the forests of the South.

What are some of the other southern products?

LESSON X

SOUTHERN CITIES

There are not as many large cities in the South as there are in the North.

One reason for this is that most of the people are engaged in agriculture rather than in manufacturing and

commerce.

Another reason is that the southern coast does not have as many good harbors as the northern coast.

New Orleans

New Orleans is in Louisiana. It is the chief city of the South.

It has large cotton mills and sugar refineries.

It is situated about one hundred miles above the mouth of the Mississippi River, and can be reached by large ocean-going steamers.

For hundreds of miles above the city, flatboats and barges may be seen carrying cotton, coal, wheat, corn, and other products down the river.

Some of these products will be shipped to Europe.

New Orleans is connected with the interior of the country by rail as well as by water.

It is the natural center of commerce for the Mississippi

Valley, and is fast becoming one of the largest shipping centers of the country.

Galveston

Galveston is the principal seaport of Texas.

It exports more cotton than any other city in the world. Galveston's growth, as well as that of New Orleans, has been due largely to the fact that it is easier to send the products of the great farming regions of the Mississippi Valley to the sea by way of the Mississippi River, than by railroads over the Appalachian Mountains.

Such vast quantities of goods are being shipped out of the country by way of the Gulf of Mexico that New Orleans and Galveston rank next to New York as exporting

centers.

Birmingham

Birmingham, Alabama, is near the southern end of the Appalachian system.

It is rich in iron ore, coal, and limestone, and is the chief iron manufacturing city of the South.

For this reason it is sometimes called the "Pittsburgh of the South."

Atlanta

Atlanta is often called the "Gate City."

It is in Georgia near the southern end of the Appalachian Mountains.

It is an important railroad center.

The development of Atlanta as a manufacturing and trading center is rapidly increasing its population.

Savannah

Savannah is a city in Georgia. It has a deep harbor eighteen miles from the sea. It is one of the chief coastal cities from which lumber is shipped.

The first steamboat to cross the Atlantic Ocean sailed from Savannah in 1819.

Other Southern Cities

Gulfport and Pensacola are now among the leading ports of the South.

Charleston has a good harbor. It is located between two rivers. Therefore, it has water on three sides.

Tampa is one of the chief gulf ports. It is a large cigar manufacturing center.