Name
Touring the United States Regions
By Trista L. Pollard
Our country is the land
of variety. As you travel
across the United States
(U.S.), you will see a
mixture of landforms. You
will also see different types
of vegetation. Many
people from different
cultures and ethnic
backgrounds also call the
U.S. their home. The U.S.
is even the fourth largest country in land area! So you can see why
geographers use regions to study our country.
Some geographers divide the U.S. into six or seven regions. The
United States Census Bureau divides our country into four regions.
Every four years, the bureau counts our population. They have
created four regions. The states in each region have common
features. These features are climate, geography, history, economy,
and culture. Each region also has subregions. Subregions are
smaller groups of states inside a larger region. Remember,
geographers may create many different types of regions. You just
need to know what information you will learn from those regions.
The Census Bureau's four regions are the Northeast, the Midwest,
the South, and the West.
The Northeast Region includes the New England Region and
the Middle Atlantic Region. The Atlantic Ocean is the eastern
border for the Northeast. This region has a lot of history. The first
Pilgrim settlers from England came to the New England Region
during the 1600's. They wanted to practice their religion freely. The
New England states are Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New
Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. This region is known for
its fishing, shipbuilding, and trade.
The Middle Atlantic region also has a place in history. New
Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania were very important when our
country fought for freedom. Many of the Revolutionary War battles
were fought in these states. Some geographers also include
Delaware and Maryland in this region. Many farmers settled in this
area. This is also a manufacturing region. There is shipping in both
regions because there are natural harbors and many rivers.
Our tour continues with the Midwest Region. It was born when
our country expanded. People from the Northeast migrated to the
Midwest in the 1800's. They went for better farmland. This region
is now a major farming area. The Midwest has two smaller
regions-the East North Central Region and the West North
Central Region. The East North Central region has Indiana, Illinois,
Michigan, Ohio, and Wisconsin. This is the region where the Great
Lakes are located. The West North Central region contains Iowa,
Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South
Dakota. This land is mostly flat and has fertile soil for farming.
The South Region has the most states. Many major events in
American history happened in this region. English immigrants came
to the South and started large farms called plantations. These
plantations produced most of the tobacco, cotton, and sugar for our
country. This is also the region where slavery started and continued
until the late 1800's. Today the South Region is a manufacturing
region. In addition to farms, there are large businesses. Your tour
through the South begins with the South Atlantic Region. As you
travel, you will pass through Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Maryland,
North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, and the
District of Columbia. The District of Columbia is known to you as
Washington, D.C., our country's capital. It is not a state. It is
located in Maryland. The East South Central states are Alabama,
Kentucky, Mississippi, and Tennessee. The other four states,
Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texas, make up the West
South Central Region.
The last region on our tour is the West Region. This area was the
last to be settled. As people moved to the Midwest, they continued
to the Pacific Coast. This region has beautiful mountains and huge
forest areas. There are also deserts in the West Region. If you tour
the Mountain Region, you will visit Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, New
Mexico, Montana, Utah, Nevada, and Wyoming. In the past,
geographers have grouped Arizona, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and
Texas as the Southwest Region. The climate in the Mountain Region
changes as you move from north to south. Mountain states in the
north tend to have colder climates. The states in the south tend to be
drier and warmer.
3. What are subregions?
Name
The Pacific Region includes Alaska, California, Hawaii, Oregon,
and Washington. The Pacific Ocean is the western border for this
region. As you travel from Hawaii to Alaska, there is a huge change
in climate. Hawaii is one of our tropical states. Southern California
has a warmer, drier climate. Northern California's climate tends to
be cooler and wetter. Alaska, since it is close to the Arctic, has a
very cold climate and snow for most of the year. It also has very
large areas of wilderness or forests. The Pacific and Mountain
regions have many industries. There is fishing, manufacturing,
mining, logging, and farming. Many of our fruits and vegetables
come from California. These regions also have areas where people
can vacation and have fun.
Your tour of the United States regions is not over! The best is yet
to come. You will learn more about each region and the features that
make them unique. Enjoy your tour of the regions!
4. Why do you think the Census Bureau created subregions?
5. True/False: States within the Mountain Region have the same
type of climate.
A. True
B. False
Touring the United States Regions
Questions
6. As you move farther west on a United States map, the land
size of the states becomes bigger. Why does this happen?
1. Based on context clues, what does the word fertile mean?
2. Michigan and Wisconsin belong to the ______.
A. Mountain West Region
B. East North Central Region
C. West North Central Region
D. Middle Atlantic Region
7. Arizona, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas were part of the
______ in the past.
A. Pacific West Region
B. Mountain Region
C. Southwest Region
D. South Central Region
You are one of the four regions that were created by the U.S. Census
Bureau - Northeast, Midwest, South, and West. Write a song that
explains why your region is important to your classmates. Be creative!
Name
8. The first Pilgrim settlers arrived in the ______ during the
1600's.
A. New England Region
B. East North Central Region
C. Pacific Region
D. Middle Atlantic Region
Geographers create regions based on the information they want to
study. In the past, geographers have included Delaware and
Maryland in the Middle Atlantic Region. Which region do you think
they belong to-the Middle Atlantic or the South Atlantic region?
Why? Write an essay that explains your opinion.