REGIONS OF THE UNITED STATES CHAPTER 8 SECTION 2 REGIONS OF THE UNITED STATES

BR #2 (PGS173-179) 1)Define the following terms & tell what specific region of the country they refer to: A) Megalopolis B) Textiles C) Erie Canal D) Metropolitan Area E) Arable F) Silicon Valley G) Alaska & Hawaii H) Smog

ANSWERS TO BR #2

F) Located south of San Francisco (West) became the leading center of computer technology G) The last 2 states admitted to the Union, both in 1959, are considered Pacific States H) Fog hanging over L.A. caused by chemical reactions involving sunlight & pollutants from automobiles & industry, West

Facts about the Northeast-1)Smallest & most densely populated region in the U.S. 2)Home to about a fifth of the country’s population which is concentrated in Megalopolises 3) Political, financial & industrial center of country

Major Cities- 1)New York (largest metro area in U.S.) 2)Boston & Philadelphia (date back to colonial times) 3)Baltimore (major port on Chesapeake Bay) Washington, DC (Our nation’s capital)

Midwest 1)Country’s major farming region 2)The Great Lakes & Mississippi River link the midwest’s major cities to each other & other regions 3)Many settlers moved here because of excellent transportation routes & farming

4) One of most productive farming regions in world 5) Corn Belt (stretches from Nebraska to Ohio), major producer of corn (U.S.-world’s leading producer of corn), & soybean (used to make margarine & vegetable oil) 6) Dairy Belt (located north of the Corn Belt), includes Wisconsin, Minnesota & Michigan (milk,cheese)

Major Cities of the Midwest 1)Chicago is the region’s largest city & has the country’s 3rd largest metropolitan area 2) The Great Lake cities of Detroit (home of the U.S. auto industry), Cleveland, Milwaukee, & Toledo are major manufacturing centers

3) Twin cities of Minneapolis & St. Paul, located on the upper Miss 3) Twin cities of Minneapolis & St. Paul, located on the upper Miss. River are transportation centers for the upper Midwest 4) St. Louis, Mo., located where the Miss., Mo. & Illinois Rivers flow together became the meeting place for pioneers heading west & was called the “Gateway to the West”

Facts about the South 1)Stretches in a great arc from Virginia to Texas 2)Home to 30% of the country’s population (more than any other region) 3)Historically rural & agricultural, it used slave labor to sustain its Plantation System

4)The Civil War wrecked the South’s economy & made it the poorest region in the country 5)The Modern South has become highly industrialized (cotton, textile, & lumber) 6) Florida has become a huge tourism (Disney) & retirement (climate) destination

Major Southern Cities 1)Dallas-Fort Worth is the largest metro area in the South 2)The Houston Metropolitan area is 2nd 3)Atlanta, New Orleans, & Miami are also large transportation & commercial centers

FACTS ABOUT THE WEST 1)Largest & most sparsely populated region of the country 2)25% of the U.S. population lives here 3)Plateaus, deserts, & high mountains made this area very inhospitable, but the opening of the Transcontinental Railroad brought many settlers to the region

The Interior West 1) Includes the Great Plains, Rocky Mountains, & the Inter-Mountain region west of the Rockies 2)Wheat Farming (part of the wheat belt), raising livestock, mining (all metals) & tourism are the major economic activities

The Pacific States 1)Most people in the West live here 2)California is home to some 34 million people 3)The warm Mediterranean climate allows for plant growth year around 4)The growth of technology (Silicon Valley) has vastly improved the economy

Major Cities of the West 1)Los Angeles- the largest metro area in the West ( 2nd largest in the country), famous for motion picture industry (Hollywood) 2)San Francisco-located on an excellent deepwater harbor, has always attracted immigrants making it one of the most diverse cities in the country

3)Seattle-Port city in the Pacific NW, does much trade with Asia 4)San Diego-Large port city, great climate, most important naval base on the West Coast 5)Denver-Commercial & trade center in Rocky Mountain area

1A) What is Pittsburgh’s location? NOWWORK #2 (PGS.173-179) 1A) What is Pittsburgh’s location? B) What did this location help the city become? 2)Define: America’s Dairyland

4)List 3 popular ski resorts in the West. HW#2-CONTINUED 3)List 3 reasons why Chicago is one of the world’s major transportation centers. 4)List 3 popular ski resorts in the West. 5)List 4 famous national parks in the West.

ANSWERS TO HW #2 1)Located at junction of 2 rivers 1B) close to rich iron ore & coal deposits making city the center of the steel industry 2) Wisconsin-produces more butter & cheese than any other state

HW#2 ANSWERS-CONTINUED 3)Port on Lake Michigan, country’s most important railroad hub, O’Hare Airport is one of the busiest in the world 4)Aspen & Vail-Colorado,Taos-New Mexico 5)Glacier-Montana, Grand Canyon-Arizona, Grand Teton & Yellowstone-Wyoming