Southern means relating to the south, the direction on a compass opposite north. The southern part of a country, state, or region is the area toward the south. Southern California sits below Northern California. The Southern Hemisphere includes continents like Australia, most of South America, and Antarctica.

In the United States, the South (or “the Southern states”) refers to a specific region with its own history and culture. This area includes states like Texas, Louisiana, Georgia, Alabama, and the Carolinas. The South developed differently from some other parts of America partly because of its warm climate, which made it suitable for growing crops like cotton and tobacco. The region has distinctive traditions in food (barbecue, grits, sweet tea), music (blues, country, jazz), and architecture (large farmhouses, wide porches).

When we say someone has a southern accent, we mean they speak with the characteristic drawl and pronunciation patterns common in these states. A southerner is someone from this region.

The word can describe anything from a particular part of the world: southern cooking, southern hospitality (the tradition of being especially welcoming to guests), or southern literature. Writers like Mark Twain wrote about life along the Mississippi River, while authors like Harper Lee wrote about small southern towns.