The Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta is part of the central bank of the United States. The Federal Reserve System-the Fed, as it is often called-consists of twelve Reserve Banks located around the country and the Board of Governors in Washington, D.C. The Atlanta Fed territory covers the Sixth Federal Reserve District, which includes Alabama, Florida, and Georgia, and portions of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Tennessee. The Atlanta Fed has branch offices in Birmingham, Jacksonville, Miami, Nashville, and New Orleans. The Atlanta Fed and the other Reserve Banks play an important part in all three of the Fed's functions: monetary policy, bank supervision and regulation, and the operation of a nationwide payment system.