The+regions+of+the+USA

Americans often speak of their country as one of several large regions. These regions are cultural units rather than governmental units -- formed by history and geography and shaped by the economics, literature and folkways that all the parts of a region share. A region's multicultural heritage makes one region different from another as well as distinct demographic characteristics like age and occupation. Within several regions, language is used differently and there are strong dialects. There are also differences in outlook and attitude based on geography. The several regions are New England, The Middle Atlantic, The South, The Midwest, The Southwest and The West.
 * The regions of the USA **


 * New England: **
 * States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, Rhode Island
 * smallest region
 * played a dominant role in the development of the new nation because settlement occurred early
 * 1700-1900 century: cultural and economic center (ship building, fishing, trade, a little bit farming, clothing)
 * many of the old industries moved and microelectronics took over
 * Boston: important city, Harvard


 * The Middle Atlantic States: **
 * States: Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland, Delaware, New York
 * the early settlers had more varied backgrounds than the ones in New England
 * Philadelphia: was the seat of the revolutionary American government, place of the Declaration of Independence (1776)
 * New York and Pennsylvania are the largest states: center of heavy industry, but most of these industries are moved to other regions.AMERICAN REGIONS
 * The South: **
 * States: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Lousiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia
 * fast growing
 * settled by English Protestants
 * raised cotton and tobacco
 * the South needed slaves because of their plantations, but the North was strongly against it. It built up to a war called the Civil War. It lasted from 1861-1865 and in 1863 slavery was abolished.
 * it is very hot, so air-condition is a must to be able to live there.


 * The Midwest: **
 * States: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota and Wisconsin.
 * people moved from the east to the Midwest because they wanted better farmland.
 * flat and fertile land gives good opportunities to farm wheat, oats and corn
 * the center is Chicago: heavy industry


 * The Southwest: **
 * States: Arizona, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas.
 * dry and small population, large desert areas, wide open spaces.
 * the Mexican-American War (1846-1848) between the Southwest and the South because both of them wanted Mexico. The land ended up being shared.


 * The West: **
 * Alaska, Colorado, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming.
 * a lot of mountains,
 * small population (except from California, most populous in the whole US.)


 * Sources: **

[|**http://usa.usembassy.de/travel-regions.htm**]

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