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Subregions of the United States. The Northeast covers only 5% of the nation’s land areas, but about 20% of the population. New England is made up of Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, & Connecticut .
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Subregions of the United States The Northeast covers only 5% of the nation’s land areas, but about 20% of the population. New England is made up of Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, & Connecticut.
Pennsylvania, New York, & New Jersey are sometimes referred to as Middle Atlantic States
The Northeast contains many of the areas 1st settled by Europeans. • This region served as the “gateway” to America for millions of immigrants.
The region’s coastal & inland waters turned it into the heartland of trade & industry for the nation. • Northeast is one of the most heavily industrialized & urbanized areas in the world.
Philadelphia, New York City, & Boston serve as international trade centers.
Growth of the Megalopolis • Megalopolis-a region in which several large cities & surrounding areas grow together. • “BosWash” megalopolis-stretches through 500 miles of highly urbanized areas from Boston in the north to Washington, D.C. in the south. • It contains 1/6 of the U.S. population.
The Midwest • Subregion that contains 12 north-central states in the U.S.
Because of its central location, it is called the American heartland. • Vast, largely flat plains are a distinctive feature. • Also the Great Lakes & the Mississippi River and its many tributaries.
Midwest is the nation’s “breadbasket”. • Fertile soil, adequate rainfall, & favorable climate enable Midwesteners to produce more food & feed more people in any comparable area in the world
Midwest’s central location & excellent waterways make it a trade, transportation, & distribution center. • Like other regions, the Midwest is changing. • Number of farms are declining & more Midwesteners are now employed in providing services than in traditional industries.
Regions metropolitan areas are expanding. • People and business are leaving the central cities for the suburbs.
The South • Subregion that covers about ¼ of the land area of the U.S. and contains more than 1/3 of its population. • Made up of 16 states, 11 of which made up the Confederacy during the Civil War.
Old South-site of early European settlement. • South has a mix of cultures that reflects the diversity of early settlers. • New South-agriculture was the South’s 1st economic activity & cotton, tobacco, fruits, peanuts, & rice are still grown there.
South’s humid subtropical climate at first hindered industrialization. • Widespread use of air conditioning in the beginning of the 1950s & the region’s vast stores of energy resources—oil, coal, natural gas, & water– gave a boost to industry.
The West • Subregion consisting of 13 states. • Stretches from the Great Plains to the Pacific Ocean & includes Alaska to the North & Hawaii in the Pacific. • Covers about ½ of the land area of the U.S. but only has about 1/5 of the population.
People settle in the West today as they did in the frontier days: wherever landforms & climate are favorable. • California is the country’s most populous state because of its excellent farmland, good harbors, & mild climate.
The West’s growth in the 20th century was helped by air conditioning & irrigation. • Economic activities are varied & include: farming, ranching, food processing, logging, fishing, mining, oil refining, tourism, & film production.