2.  People define regions in order to identify places that have similar characteristics or close connections  US divided both historically, by the ways people live, work, and play in them; or by political orientation  For the purpose of collecting statistics; US gov’t divided country – based on physical, economic, cultural, ad historical factors

3. Northeast

4.  Cities along coast grew as harbors of international trade and shipbuilding  Manufacturing grew and cities attracted industries – reason for influx in population in mid-1800s through the 1900s  Megalopolis – region of very large cities  Suburbs of one city stretch to the suburbs of another (from Boston to D.C.)

5. The Northeast  Few natural resources  Thin, rocky soils and steep hills  Not suitable for farming  Appalachian’s make area rugged  Most valuable resource?  Water – turned it into a center of trade, commerce, and industry

6. Northeast  Fishing industry strong because of rocky/jagged shorline (provides great harbors)  1/6 th US population, but number is now declining  New York City – business capital of the world

7. The South

8.  Considered the states that were part of Confederacy in Civil War  Includes 5 others  Humid-subtropical climate  Mixed forests  Rich soils – great for agriculture  Long growing season

9. The South  US largest oil reserves  Washington D.C.  The nation’s first planned city  New Orleans – major trading center on mouth of MS  Miami – gateway to Caribbean and South America  Atlanta – major airline hub  South is considered retirement center because of climate

10. Midwest

11. The Midwest  Farms unite region  Agricultural “heartland”  Relatively flat; very fertile soil  Climate varies  Nicknamed the “Nation’s Breadbasket”  Grain, wheat, dairy products, and hogs produced in the region

12. The Midwest  Major cities are located along rivers or the Great Lakes  Detroit, St. Louis, Minneapolis, Chicago, Cleveland, Omaha, etc.  Water transportation aided the growth of heavy industries  600 million tons of goods travel MS River system annually  Cities home to heavy manufacturing  Minnesota leads in iron ore production  Illinois and Indiana – coal

13. West

14. The West  Natural landscape is most outstanding feature  The landscape is varied  Physical characteristic that most affects the West?  Water  Abundance or scarcity of water is a major factor that affects natural vegetation, economic activity, and population density

15. The West  Arid or semiarid climate  Many minerals: gold, silver, uranium, and other metals  Gold rush in 1800s caused the population to increase  Deposits of natural gas and oil

16. The West  Alaska’s economy was greatly influenced by the discovery of oil in the 1960s  Natural resources of West allow for forestry and commercial fishing  ½ nation’s lumber comes from Pacific Northwest

17. The West  Fishing off Pacific Coast, Alaska, & Hawaii bring in $2billlion annually  Built aqueducts to move water  Large pipes built for transporting water  Juneau – capital of Alaska can only be reached by plane or boat  Hawaii – 2,000 miles from the U.S. mainland

18. The West  Residents of the West of adapted to their environment by: 1. Building aqueducts 2. Overcome distances by using boat or airplane 3. Working in forestry and commercial fishing