Mississippi is divided into six major geographic regions: the Delta, the Red Clay Hills, the Appalachian Foothills, the Black Prairie, the Piney Woods, and the Gulf Coast. Each region has distinct geographical features that help to distinguish them from the others. These natural characteristics also influenced the ways of life, labor, and creative pursuits for the groups of people who settled in each region. Because of this, each of Mississippi’s regions has developed its own cultural traditions that have been passed down from generation to generation.