Regions of the United States

Northeast

The Northeast  Few natural resources  Some coal in Pennsylvania  Waterways (rivers, shoreline, Great Lakes, etc.)  Allowed for trade, fishing, industry  Factories were built along rivers waterfalls to take advantage of hydroelectric power  Megalopolis (Greek “very large city”)  The area from Boston to Washington, DC  Over 40 million people  Many descended from Immigrants

South

The South  Climate/Vegetation  Mostly Humid subtropical  Warm and wet  Less rainfall toward the West  Warm and semiarid in western Texas and Oklahoma  Mixed forests  Mangroves are tropical trees in swampy areas along the coast  Bayous in Louisiana  Everglades in Florida  Economy  Agriculture  Industry  Textile mills built along the fall line  Oil industry began in east Texas in 1901  NASA developed in 1960s in Florida, Alabama and Texas

The South  Population  Population growth  Sunbelt region grew faster than any other US region in the 19070s  Diverse Population  African America (over 50% live in the South)  Hispanic  Mexico (across the Rio Grande from Texas)  Cuba (Florida is only 90 miles from Cuba)  White/European  Louisiana-French/Cajun  West Texas-German

Midwest

The Midwest  Agricultural Economy (The Nation’s Breadbasket)  Large flat area with fertile soil  Warmer and wetter areas (Illinois, Iowa, Indiana)  Grow corn and soybeans and raise hogs  Drier Great Plains States grow grains  Wheat and sunflowers  Cooler areas with poorer soil in the north (Wisconsin)  Grow hay and raise dairy cattle

The Midwest  Transportation and Industry  Waterways allow growth of heavy industry  Great Lakes  Detroit-automobiles  Mississippi River  Over 400 million tons of freight each year  Railroad allow transportation of products  Chicago-grain is processed and livestock slaughtered

West

The West  Natural Resources/Economy  Minerals such as gold, silver, oil, etc.  Gold Rush—mid-1800s  Oil discovered in Alaska in 1960s  Pipelines carry oil from remote areas to port cities  Forests—provide nearly 50% of the nation’s lumber  Fish—billions of tons caught in waters off of Alaska, Hawaii, other Pacific coastal areas

The West  Alaska  Largest state but least populated  Few roads  Juneau can be reached only by plane or boat  Anchorage only has 2 roads into the city  Hawaii  8 main islands  More than 2,000 miles away from mainland US  Annexed by the US in 1898  Became 50 th state in 1959  Jet travel makes it a popular tourist destination  Satellites and Internet allow easier communications