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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
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to be drier and warmer.
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!
Touring the United States Regions
Questions
1. Based on context clues, what does the word fertile mean?
2. Michigan and Wisconsin belong to the ______.
A. Mountain West Region
B. Middle Atlantic Region
C. East North Central Region
D. West North Central Region
3. What are subregions?
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
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6. As you move farther west on a United States map, the land size of the states becomes bigger. Why does this
happen?
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
8. The first Pilgrim settlers arrived in the ______ during the 1600's.
A. Pacific Region
B. New England Region
C. East North Central Region
D. Middle Atlantic 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!
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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.