Encyclopedia
Black Belt
physical region in Alabama and Mississippi, U.S., so named for its soil. The Black Belt is a fertile plain, generally 25-30 miles (40-50 km) wide and stretching approximately 300 miles (480 km) across central Alabama and northeastern Mississippi. A region of dark, calcareous soils, it was one of the South's most important agricultural areas before the American Civil War. Though corn (maize) was also grown, cotton was the most important crop until the destructive effects of the boll weevil encouraged agricultural diversification in the early years of the 20th century. Beef cattle and soybeans are now also raised in the area.
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[blak belt for 1, 2; blak belt, belt for 3, 4] 
) a narrow belt of dark-colored, calcareous soils in central Alabama and Mississippi highly adapted to agriculture, esp. the growing of cotton.