----------------------------Original message---------------------------- MAPS-L Subscribers: Geographers are generally best at naming, identifying, and delineating regions - whether physical, cultural, or economic. And, of course many are not always in total agreement and it is NO EASY TASK. Just try describing the U.S. "South" to someone. Recently I was contacted by a person from National Public Radio who later did a show about defining the Midwest (US). Very interesting. However, other disciplines enter into the discussion of what defines a rgion. Economists, geologists, ... have all had a stab at various and sundry region-naming and identification. Librarians (sometimes geographers or geologists themselves) have attempted to define a region. However, most practicing librarians consult tolls and then cite someones elses work for defing regions. This latest discussion on MAPS-L shows real well this "problem." I learned the Mississippi Delta from a physical geography approach (Lobeck & Fenneman et al) It is best shown on an Erwin Raisz land- form map of the US. The Mississippi Delta and/or Mississippi alluvial flood plain runs approximately from the St. Louis, MO area south, widening the further south ones moves. It is interesting to hear about the Blues, USGS water-people, etc. definitions. This discourse is more than mere fun. Has anyone posted this to GEOGRAPH-L? Jim Minton University of Tennessee-Knoxville [log in to unmask]