Transcript Michigan and the Theme of Regions

Unit One: Lesson Nine
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Connecting back to Lesson 1 – Circle of
regions
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Dividing Michigan in to regions
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The Upper Peninsula and Lower Peninsula
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Other Michigan regions: e.g. the Thumb
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U.S. Regions to which Michigan belongs
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A region is an area that has at least one feature that
sets it apart from other areas.
Regions can be many different sizes.
One way to divide Michigan into regions is the Upper
Peninsula and the Lower Peninsula.
Michigan also has some unique regions like the
Thumb.
Michigan belongs to U.S. regions such as the Midwest
Region and the Great Lakes Region.
an area with one or more common features
Example: The Upper Peninsula can be one
region of Michigan.
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is an area with at least one feature, or
characteristic that sets it apart from other
areas.
Geographers say that these common features,
or characteristics, help “bind a region
together.”
Can be large or small.
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Communities are examples of regions.
They can be defined as a region because the
people of a community share a government.
Communities can also be divided into smaller
regions.
Think of examples of regions in our local
community.
Regions to Which My Community Belongs
continent
country
state
county
community
 What
regions could be identified in
Michigan that are larger than communities
but smaller than the state itself?
Counties can be considered regions.
 What
characteristics make counties qualify
as regions?
People in a county share a government.
People in a county often share a park system and/
or a system of roads.
Like each of the fifty states in the United
States, Michigan is a region. It has its own
government and also other characteristics
that distinguish it from other states.
Michigan can be subdivided into smaller
regions also.
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You will work with a partner to
try and find at least two
different ways to divide
Michigan into regions.
Use a map to help you.
Consider human and natural
(physical) characteristics such as
rivers, cities, highways,
vegetation, population, etc.
when dividing Michigan into
regions.
You should make lines on the
outline maps to show the
regions and then describe why
you divided Michigan in this
way.
The Lower Peninsula has more people.
The Lower Peninsula has better farmland.
The Lower Peninsula has more roads, cities, and factories.
The Upper Peninsula is more dependent on lumbering and
mining.
The Upper Peninsula has higher elevations.
The Upper Peninsula is less dependent on manufacturing.
They are two distinct land masses
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Upper Peninsula: not very populated, short growing season,
cold winters, two main land areas, lots of natural resources
Northern Lower Peninsula: sandy soil not very good for
farming, less people than southern Lower Peninsula, higher
elevation than southern Lower Peninsula, big tourist area
Southern Lower Peninsula: lots of industry, plenty of land that
is good for farming, lower in elevation than other two
regions, lots of cities.
Central Lowland
(Great Lakes Plains)
•All of the Lower Peninsula
and the eastern part of the
Upper Peninsula
•Part of the Interior Plains of
the United States
•A mainly flat area with a
few areas of hills
Superior Upland
•Part of the Canadian Shield,
a large rocky area
•Lots of natural resources
•Includes the Huron and
Porcupine Mountains
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There are several
other ways to divide
Michigan into
regions.
This map, created
by the Michigan
Advantage, divides
Michigan into five
regions based in
general on the
economic activities
of the regions.
The “Fruit Belt” located in the
northwestern part of the Lower Peninsula.
The “Thumb”
Metropolitan Detroit
The “Straits” region
Describe the unique human and natural (physical)
characteristics that make each of these areas a region.
Unique
Regions
of
Michigan
Michigan is also a part of larger regions.
Because the United States is such a large country, it
would be difficult to study the country one state at a
time.
Therefore, geographers have found ways to divide the
country into regions.
One common way is to divide the United States into
five regions: Northeast, Southeast, Midwest,
Southwest and the West.
<http://www.eduplace.com/ss/maps/pdf/midwestus_nl.pdf>.
a region of the United States that includes the
state of Michigan
Example: States in the Midwest Region have
many things in common.
 Which Midwest states do you think are most like
Michigan?
 What impact do you think the Mississippi River
has had on this region?
 Why do you think the region is also called “The
Heartland” of the U.S.?
 Why do you think the region is also called “The
Breadbasket” of the U.S.?
The Midwest Region
•Mainly flat land
•Lots of fertile farm land
•Includes with lots of manufacturing
near cities
•Largest city is Chicago, which is an
important port and railroad center.
•Includes four of the Great Lakes
•Also called the “Heartland”
•Also called the “Breadbasket” of
the U.S. because a lot of food crops
like corn and wheat come from here.
 This map shows another
U.S. region to which
Michigan belongs.
 This region is called the
“Great Lakes Region.”
 Each of the states
borders one or more of
the Great Lakes.
 Explain that common
characteristics
distinguishing this region
include: they border the
Great Lakes, Great
Lakes shipping, Great
Lakes issues, and
tourism.
the states of that border the Great Lakes along
with the province of Ontario, Canada
Example: Michigan belongs to the Great Lakes
Region
Lesson 9: Michigan and the Theme of Regions
Regions
Lesson 9: Michigan and the Theme of Regions
Dividing
Michigan
into
Regions
Regions
Lesson 9: Michigan and the Theme of Regions
Dividing
Michigan
into
Regions
Regions
Regions to
which
Michigan
belongs
Lesson 9: Michigan and the Theme of Regions
Dividing
Michigan
into
Regions
Regions
Regions to
which
Michigan
belongs
Unique
Regions
of
Michigan
Lesson 9: Michigan and the Theme of Regions
Dividing
Michigan
into
Regions
Regions
Regions to
which
Michigan
belongs
Unique
Regions
of
Michigan