The Ozarks cover much of the southern half of Missouri and an extensive portion of northern Arkansas, extending westward into northeast Oklahoma and southeast Kansas. The boundaries of the Ozarks are vague to most people and subject to interpretation and disagreement by scholars. Set apart by rugged terrain, the Ozarks form a cultural region defined largely by a population that professes political conservatism, religious conservatism and sectarianism, and a strong belief in the values of rural living.