1 Midwestern United States

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3 Postal Abbreviations MIMichigan OHOhio INIndiana WIWisconsin ILIllinois MNMinnesota IAIowa MOMissouri NDNorth Dakota SDSouth Dakota NENebraska KSKansas OKOklahoma State Capitals MI Lansing MO Jefferson City OH Columbus ND Bismarck IN Indianapolis SD Pierre WI Madison NE Lincoln IL Springfield KS Topeka MN St. Paul OK Oklahoma City IA Des Moines

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5 Midwestern United States There are 13 states in the Midwestern Region AKA “The Heartland” AKA “The Breadbasket” because the farms supply much of the country’s food

6 Physical Features Midwest lies in the Interior Plains region (relatively flat, consisting either of plains or of rolling and small hills) Divided into Interior Lowlands and Great Plains Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway Mississippi River

7 Great Lakes Largest freshwater lake system in world Contains 1/5 of world’s fresh water on surface

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9 Lake Superior is the largest, deepest, and highest elevation of all the Great Lakes

10 Lakes were made by: Glaciers moved rocks over land, leaving behind large basins (holes) in Earth When glacier melted, water filled these holes Lake Michigan is the only lake that is entirely within the USA’s boundaries

11 St. Lawrence Seaway Connected St. Lawrence River (which leads to the Atlantic Ocean) to Chicago, IL or Duluth, MN Uses locks to change water levels Built in 1959; 183 miles long Problem: Seaway cannot be used during winter because of ice

12 Mississippi River Tributaries of Mississippi include: Ohio, Missouri, Illinois River These rivers have been dredged (cleaned out) and channeled (straightened) to accommodate boats Using these tributaries and the Mississippi, boats can go from the Midwest to the Gulf of Mexico

13 Climate/Weather humid, continental climate Tornadoes great variance between seasons from northern to southern portions of regions Notice the great variance in temperatures in the region ! Video: Tornado Storm story National Geographic: Inside the Tornado

14 Economy of the Midwest Resources Corn Dairy Wheat Minerals Industry Lead in Wisconsin Copper in Michigan Iron in Minnesota Some coal in Illinois, Indiana, Ohio (has been used) Products of the United States

15 Agriculture

16 Overview of Agriculture Crops/ Animals raised include: cows, pigs, corn, soybeans, grain Farms appear to be exact squares Why? Land Ordinance of 1785 –land divided and sold by Federal Government Easy to divide land into squares because of landscape Typically farms are family farms, but amount of corporate owned farms is increasing

17 The Midwest has 3 “belts”

18 Corn Belt States stretching from Ohio to Iowa (and other states in Great Plains) Corn Belt also referred to as the Feed and Grain Belt Most of corn grown is used for cattle feed, not “people” food Soybeans introduced into region after World War II – helped in crop rotation

19 Dairy Belt Located North of Corn Belt Located around cooler climate Located in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Michigan Wisconsin is “America’s Dairyland” – produces most dairy products of any state

20 Wheat Belt The Wheat Belt is found in the Great Plains. Kansas and North Dakota produce the most wheat in the region. Wheat crops do well in this area because they do not need a lot of water to survive. Wheat is ground into flour and is then used in products like pasta, cakes, and bread. Other crops in this belt are sunflowers, oats, and barley.

21 Midwestern Resources At one time, logging was a major industry Trees have been depleted (used up) Logging is no longer a major industry Forests used as recreation Ex. Ozark Mountains in Missouri

22 Iron ore processed in region (Detroit, Toledo, Cleveland) Cars/ Trucks – Detroit is the “Motor City” Paper Products made in Wisconsin Plastics, glass, fertilizers made in region Easy to transport goods because of Great Lakes and access to Mississippi Economy of the Midwest Industry

23 Places of Interest Some of the largest cities include: -Chicago, IL - Indianapolis, IN -Detroit, MI -St. Louis, MO -Minneapolis -St. Paul -Cleveland, OH -Kansas City, MO Twin Cities

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26 Chicago Largest and dominant city in the region Center of transportation “gateway to West” Became famous for meat packinghouses during 1800s Now known as a center of business “Cultural hub” of Midwest Burned in 1871 – Mrs. O’Leary’s Cow Home of O’Hare Airport Home of Sears Tower (USA’s tallest building)

27 Detroit French fur-trading port – 1701 Known for automobile production Henry Ford – Ford Motor Company Automobile industry has declined – led to unemployment in city Recently ranked second most dangerous city in United States

28 St. Louis, MO Began as French fur-trading post – 1764 Became known as a major port on Mississippi River – riverboats Gateway Arch found here Recently ranked most dangerous city in USA

29 Twin Cities Minneapolis – St. Paul Major city in the Northeast Midwest Known for being a port for Minnesota and Missouri River In the last few years a bridge collapse occurred in this region

30 Cleveland Port along Lake Erie Known for industrialization which has declined making unemployment an issue Kansas City, MO Known for being a cattle depot & as starting point for settlers journeying west

31 Historic Route 66 Chicago…St. Louis…Oklahoma City

32 Places of Interest Landmarks Sears Tower Ford Motor Company Gateway Arch Great Lakes Mount Rushmore Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Badlands National Park

33 Great Plains

34 History People Native Americans During early colonization French Fur Traders used this area, some settled there Soon after founding of USA, Americans (European Settlers) moved to region (called Northwest Territory) to acquire land

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36 Culture of the Midwestern states

37 History Culture The mix of industry and cultures in cities led to new types of music in the 20th century in the Midwest, including jazz, blues, rock and roll. Techno music came from Detroit and house music and blues came from Chicago.

38 “Fly Over States” Listen to this song…on a scrap piece of paper list as many characteristics of the Midwest that are mentioned in the lyrics or shown in the video. Click map for music Video

: Northwest territory created 1804: Start of Lewis and Clark exploration 1854: Bleeding Kansas 1860’s Underground Railroad 1980’s: Rust Belt (description of an area straddling the Midwestern and Northeastern United States, in which local economies traditionally specialized in large scale manufacturing ) 2007: Mississippi River Bridge collapse History Events