The Bible Belt primarily refers to a region in the southeastern United States where Christianity, particularly evangelical Protestantism, plays a strong cultural and social role. It generally includes the states of Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana, Arkansas, South Carolina, Tennessee, North Carolina, Georgia, Oklahoma, and parts of Texas. The region often extends from southern Virginia and West Virginia in the northeast, through the southern states, down to northern Florida and Texas in the south, and westward to include Missouri, Kentucky, and parts of Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio

. In terms of popular perception, Americans most commonly associate the Bible Belt with Alabama and Mississippi, with many also including Tennessee, South Carolina, Arkansas, Louisiana, Kentucky, and Georgia. The boundaries are informal and vary somewhat depending on who you ask, but about 14 states are generally considered at least partly within the Bible Belt

. There is also a Bible Belt in the Netherlands, which stretches from Zeeland in the southwest through central parts of the country to Overijssel in the northeast, named for its concentration of conservative Protestant communities

. In summary:

• U.S. Bible Belt: Southeastern and south-central states including Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, South Carolina, Arkansas, Louisiana, Kentucky, Georgia, Oklahoma, Texas, and surrounding areas

• Dutch Bible Belt: A region curving through the Netherlands from southwest to northeast with conservative Protestant populations