West South Central states

West South Central
Left to right from top: Downtown Houston, San Antonio, Downtown Dallas, Austin, Oklahoma City, El Paso, Tulsa and New Orleans skyline
States in dark red are traditionally included in the West South Central states, while states in pink may be broadly included, although they form part of the Mountain states and East South Central states regions
States	Arkansas Louisiana Oklahoma Texas
Largest metropolitan areas	Dallas-Fort Worth Greater Houston Greater San Antonio Greater Austin Oklahoma metroplex Greater New Orleans
Largest city	Houston
Area [1]
• Total	444,052.01 sq mi (1,150,089.4 km2)
• Land	425,066.01 sq mi (1,100,915.9 km2)
• Water	18,986.00 sq mi (49,173.5 km2)
Population  (2019)[2]
• Total	40,619,450
• Density	91/sq mi (35/km2)

The West South Central states, colloquially known as the South Central states, is a region of the United States defined by the U.S. Census Bureau as covering four states: Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texas. The West South Central or South Central region is located within the Southern United States and Gulf Coast regions,^[3] bordering the Mountain states and Midwestern U.S. regions to its north and west. The Gulf of Mexico is to the south of the region. Houston is the South Central's largest city, and the Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington metropolitan statistical area is the region's largest metropolis.

A geographically diverse region, the southern portion of the states are covered by coastal plains and swamps,^[4][5][6][7] while the remainder is covered by forests such as the Cross Timbers,^[8][9][10] hills and mountains,^[11][12][13] and deserts near the Texas–Mexico border.

With European colonization of the Americas, this region of the U.S. has been heavily influenced by the French and Spanish.^{[14][15][16][17]} With American settlement, Anglo-American culture began to influence the states covering the region. Distinct from New England and the Mid-Atlantic states, and in common with the Western U.S. and South Atlantic states, the majority of its non-Anglo culture descends from the Spanish Empire and Mexico;^[14][18] within Louisiana, there is a significant French influence preserved through its Cajun and Louisiana Creole populations.^[19][20][21] In Oklahoma, Native American culture is prevalent through tribes such as the Cherokee and Seminole nations among others.^[22]

Within the region, Christianity is the prevalent religion as part of the Bible Belt; southern and southeastern Texas;^[23] and southern Louisiana are predominantly Roman Catholic and non- or inter-denominational Protestant, with Baptists constituting a great majority.^[24] From central and northern Texas, and central and northern Louisiana to the states of Oklahoma and Arkansas, Baptists, Methodists, and non- or inter-denominational Protestants constituted the majority.^[24]