FOUR SPECIES OF COTTON
Pima cotton is mostly known for its unusual softness, silkier fibers, and smooth fabric compared with regular cotton. But there's so much more! Within that extra-long staple group there are more-or-less 4 divisions: Pima, Egyptian, Sea Island, & other. They are nearly identical strains, just grown in different regions.
Pima cotton is grown in Peru & the US Southwest. Egyptian cotton is grown along the Nile River valley. Sea Island cotton is more from times past and now grows mainly in the famed sea islands of Barbados, Jamaica, and Antigua, with a tiny contingent in South Carolina.
The ’other’ category of extra long-staple cotton is grown by planting Egyptian or Pima cotton seeds in non-native areas - predominantly China, India, & Brazil, but across close to 20 countries total.
To confuse matters, many cotton growers under that ‘other’ umbrella, have adopted the term Pima – both as shorthand to the clumsier ‘extra-long staple’ and to snag a free ride from the reputation Pima has established for itself. Also, more sellers are using the term Egyptian cotton if the product contains any Egyptian cotton - whether extra long fibers or not. The longer fibers of Pima is extremely soft, high quality cotton.
It can be used to create luxuriously soft fabric that's pill resistant, incredibly strong, and often more wrinkle resistant than cotton fabrics made from lesser upland cotton.