South Los Angeles

South Los Angeles is a territory in Southern Los Angeles County that is primarily included within the city boundaries of Los Angeles and is located south of the downtown area. South Los Angeles is also known as South Central Los Angeles or simply South Central. It is "described as a 16-square-mile rectangle with two prongs at the south end" on the city maps of Los Angeles. This neighbourhood was rechristened "South Los Angeles" by the Los Angeles City Council in the year 2003.

The term "South Los Angeles" may also be used to refer to a broader region that spans a total area of 51 square miles and include not only places that are located within the city boundaries of Los Angeles but also five unincorporated communities that are located in the southern part of the county.

The South Los Angeles Community Plan region has a total landmass of 15.5 square miles, according to the City of Los Angeles's delineation of the area. Communities such as West Adams, Baldwin Hills, and Leimert Park are located to the west of Southeast Los Angeles, which is a region consisting of 26 neighbourhoods located east of the Harbor Freeway. Southeast Los Angeles is located to the east.

The University of Southern California is a prestigious private research institution that may be found in the University Park district in South Los Angeles. It has the distinction of being the nation's first private research university.