Chapter Eleven - The Great Plains

The Great Plains is a region of North America that includes all or part of Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, North and South Dakota, Wyoming, and Montana in the United States, and all or part of Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba in Canada.  

Topography & Agriculture

The Great Plains has a topography of rolling hills and a significant agricultural economy.  This region's main export crop is wheat - the United States provides approximately 90% of the world's wheat supply, of which 60% is grown in the Great Plains.  

Farmers of the Great Plains region have two growing seasons for wheat, one for Spring Wheat and another for Hard Winter Wheat.

Weather
Weather in the Great Plains region is variable from day to day. Tornadoes are a large part of the lives of those living in the Great Plains.  Tornadoes are more prevalent in the southern portion of this area as well as what is known as "Tornado Alley."  This video showcases one such tornado:

Settlement
The original inhabitants of the region, known as the Plains Indians, were found throughout the Great Plains area.  The first Europeans to settle in the region created their economic base through bison hunting, nearly rendering the species extinct in the process.
In recent years, the Great Plains has experienced population loss, particularly among this nation's youth. There is not an abundance of economic or cultural opportunities within the region, and so the younger generations turn to where these opportunities do exist, such as New York City.

Works Cited -
http://plainshumanities.unl.edu/encyclopedia/

Chapter Ten - The Coastal South

The Coastal South region of the United States encompasses the land and offshore islands along the coast of the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico, extending south from Virginia to south Texas. The region therefore includes: all of Florida, parts of Louisiana, Alabama, Texas, Georgia, Mississippi, North and South Carolina, and Virginia.  The Coastal South is part of the Atlantic Coastal Plain, which extends all the way to New York City.

Climate

The Coastal South experiences a humid, subtropical climate, with long, rainy summers and mild, wet winters.  In winter, snowfall and freezing temperatures are generally absent throughout much of the region.  This climate allows for the production of frost-intolerant products, such as citrus fruits.  The Coastal South experiences many thunderstorms annually, which tend to generate significant amounts of rainfall, and lightning in the area kills hundreds of residents per year.  

Florida orange groves

Settlement

Much like New York City, Galveston, Texas was a center for immigration.  It was a port of entry for tens of thousands of immigrants, many of whom were from Germany,  into the United States from the 1840s to the 1920s.  Galveston is therefore known as the Ellis Island of the Coastal South.  

Recreation & Tourism

NYC is known as the nation's business and financial hubbub - but the Coastal South region is famous for its recreation and tourism industries.  Millions of tourists are drawn to this region every year by the numerous resort communities and attractions, the most well-known of which is Walt Disney World.  

The presence of Walt Disney World alone, not taking other Disney-owned parks and other non-Disney enterprises located in the immediate area, increased the tourism of Orlando, Florida by ten-fold within twenty years of its opening.  

Works Cited - 

"The Coastal South." The Geography of North America: Environment, Culture, Economy. Pearson

     Education, Inc., n.d. Web. 20 Mar. 2014. <https://reader.cafescribe.com/reader/Reader.html?

     activationToken=LTSEV25ZSS7F2EK2&credential=K9ZJQ16J>.

Chapter Nine - The Inland South

The Inland South is a very large region of the southeastern United States, including Virginia, West Virginia, North/South Carolina, Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, Arkansas, and portions of Louisiana, Texas, Oklahoma, and Missouri.  This region also encompasses portions of the Atlantic Coastal Plain, the Piedmont, the Appalachian Mountains, and the American Central Lowland.

The Inland South is known for its weather to be hot and humid.  Winters are usually mild, but the region experiences precipitation year-round, particularly in the spring and summer months.  The Inland South is also notorious for its flash floods, which plague the region more than any other natural disaster.

The Inland South was home to many members of the Native American population, both before and after their removal on "The Trail of Tears."  The region later became the economic center of the nation during the American Revolution, as it utilized slave labor to produce and export mass quantities of cotton, as well as other goods.

Works Cited -
http://cascourses.uoregon.edu/geog471/pdfs/Topic12Inlandsouth.pdf

Chapter Eight - The Great Lakes & Corn Belt

The Great Lakes and Corn Belt are the heartland of America, due to its central location in the United States.  This label is placed on this region, particularly the state of Ohio, due to the fact that it is "at the heart of it all" (being the United States).

The Great Lakes-Corn Belt region of the United States encompasses the areas adjacent to and south of the Great Lakes, as well as eight US states (Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, Illinois, Iowa, Wisconsin, Indiana, Minnesota), and the southern portion of Ontario, Canada.  Because of this region's location, the area's economy is highly integrated and diverse.  

The Great Lakes-Corn Belt includes the region's largest city, Chicago, which is very similar to New York City.  Both are considered to be the metropolitan centers of their respective regions, with transportation connections extending to all over the world.  Chicago and New York City alike are influential global financial and commercial centers.  

Chicago

Like NYC, Chicago has many ethnic enclaves, including Little Italy and Chinatown, creating a diverse and unique living space.  

Little Italy, NYC

Works Cited - 

http://cascourses.uoregon.edu/geog471/pdfs/Topic12Greatlakescornbelt.pdf