Transcript US Regions - TeacherWeb

Regions of the
United States of America
•Northeast
•South
•Midwest
•West
An abundance of Natural Resources made us who we are today…
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Most of the people live along the Coast and the Great Lakes
(Think)  Population Density..
The Northeast
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Manufacturing and Trade center
GROSS NATONAL PRODUCT - GNP
*
The total value of a nation’s output of goods and services
The Northeast
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MEGALOPOLIS
Boston, NY., Wash D.C.
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The Northeast has relatively few natural resources.
The Northeast has few mineral resources.
Apart from coal in Pennsylvania
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The Appalachian Mountains make some areas quite rugged.
The Northeast has been a center of :
Commerce and fishing since Colonial times.
FACTORIES
The Northeast’s rivers have been
vital to its history.
Jagged shorelines provided many
excellent harbors for merchant
ships sailing back to Europe.
Diffusion ?
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A Leader in Industry
Industrialists harness water power by building water wheels that
powered machines.
Factories were built at waterfalls along rivers.
• The factories produced goods.
* sold across the United States and
exported to markets around the world.
The rivers also served as:
trade routes
railroad routes
highway routes.
Erie Canal linked the Hudson River in New York Great Lakes
– this increased trade between : Midwest and North East!!
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The South
Hot sticky humid
Climate, Vegetation
SW Airlines biggest region
is in the south
(SUNBELT)
Air conditioning helped migration
to this area..
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Manufacturing
facilities
on Gulf of Mexico.
Due to raw materials and ocean ports.
The South
Warm, wet climate = thick mixed forests
stands of mangrove trees.
Textile mills were built close to farms
that grew cotton.
Climate, Vegetation
Marshy inlets of lakes and rivers in Louisiana are called bayous.
Rich soils, ideal for agriculture,
 built large plantations.
Farming is still important to the South’s economy.
GULF COAST ACCESS – for trade = HUGE…
(Lack of Labor Unions)
Some parts of the South, such as Appalachia, are deeply impoverished.
Oil was discovered in east Texas in 1901
Oil = $
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The Midwest
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The Midwest
An Agricultural Economy
Flat
Fertile soil that is rich in a dark-colored
organic material called HUMUS.
The Midwestern climate favors
agriculture with its long, hot summers.
The Nation’s Breadbasket
Midwestern farms, the most productive in the world ,
produces the nation’s grain, dairy products, and pork.
Nation’s Auto industry
Railway system brought
farm products to Chicago
Chicago Mercantile Exchange is the world’s
busiest market for many farm products.
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The West
The West
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Abundance or scarcity of water affects
-natural vegetation
-economic activity
-population density
Much of the West has a semiarid or arid climate, with short grasses,
shrubs, sagebrush, and cactuses for vegetation.
Hawaii has a wet tropical climate
and dense tropical vegetation.
The tundra of Alaska is dry, treeless plain that sprouts grasses,
mosses only when the top layer of soil thaws in the summer.
The West
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Natural Resources and the Economy
The Rocky Mountains and the Sierra Nevada
are rich in minerals such as :
gold, silver, uranium, copper, and tin.
Most of the mineral wealth :
(Gold and Silver) deep underground
prospectors who swarmed into the area in the 1800s.
Gold Rush
1960s - Major oil field in Alaska
transformed the state’s economy.
The Trans-Alaska pipeline carries crude oil
from northern Alaska to the southern coast.
Forestry and commercial fishing
are also important to the economy of the region.
ers
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The Transcontinental railway in 1869 spurred
the growth of towns and cities along its length.
Due to : harsh landscape and climate
Few people settled in the region’s countryside.
Most people live in cities.
Los Angeles = 2nd Largest city in the United States
Originally a cattle town that provided
beef for prospectors during the gold rush.
To support its growing population - Los Angeles
MOVED water through aqueducts,
large pipes that carry water long distances.
Alaska is an immense but sparsely populated
state with few roads through its rugged mountains.
Hawaii is an island chain more than 2,000 miles from the mainlandwas annexed in 1898 to provide a refueling station for naval vessels.