Composition of the country (USA)

The territory of the US is historically divided into 8 regions New England The Mid-Atlantic region The South The Midwest The Southwest The Rocky Mountain region The Pacific northwest and Alaska California and Hawaii

New England New England is highly industrial, but it also has many fields, woods and small towns. New England is the part of the US that is most like “old” England. It includes six states: Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut

The Mid-Atlantic Region The MAR is not uniform. Geographically, historically and economically, the MA states are quite different from one another. For example: the state of New York borders on Canada and has cold winters; Maryland has much in common with the American South. The MAR plays an important role in the US. Its cities include Washington D.C., the nation’s capital, and New York City, the nation’s financial centre. The MAR is densely populated. It includes six states: New York, New jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland and West Virginia

The South  Economically, historically and culturally, the South is a distinct region. With its warm climate and rich soil, it developed an economy based on cotton export. Conflicts between the North and the South, especially over slavery, led to the Civil war in 1861. The South preserves its traditions, for example good cooking and a slower, more hospitable way of life. The South includes eleven states: Kentucky, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, and Florida.

The Midwest  The Midwest is a large, economically important region. It contains major industrial cities and much farmland. Geographically, the Midwest can be subdivided into three small regions: the Great Lakes area with many lakes, hills and forests; the prairie area south of it, which is flat and has good soil for farming; the Great Plains area to the west, much drier than the prairie.      The Midwest includes twelve states: Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota, and North Dakota.

The Southwest   The Southwest is characterized by geographical variety: from humid lands in eastern Texas to drier prairies in Oklahoma and western Texas to mountains and deserts in Arizona and New Mexico. The Southwest area is rich in minerals. Cattle-breeding is also an important part of the Southwest’s economy.     The Southwest includes five states: Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and Nevada.

The Rocky Mountain Region The Rockies are among the earth’s youngest mountains. They have steep slopes and many peaks and picturesque valleys. The region is very sparcely populated. Most of the population is engaged in mining, cattle-breeding and farming.     The Rocky Mountain region includes five states: Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Utah, and Colorado.

The Pacific Northwest and Alaska  This region is noted for its natural beauty: high steep mountains, forests and greatly indented coastlines. Portland and Seattle are important ports for trade with Asia.      This region includes three states: Washington, Oregon and Alaska.

California and Hawaii These two states are grouped together mainly because they are relatively near each other: California is a state which is situated nearer to Hawaii than any other state. They are not alike: California is one of the largest and most populated states; Hawaii is one of the smallest and least populated ones. Yet there is one thing these two states have in common: lots of sun and sand.