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The Midwest

Land and Water There are twelve states in the Midwest region. The Midwest region lies in the middle of the . The form part of the Midwest's northern . These lakes are so large they hold one fourth of all the fresh water in the world—over 6 quadrillion gallons! That is enough to cover the United States with water 12 feet deep! The land of the Midwest is very different from the land in the to its east. Almost all of the Midwest is flat, gently rolling land with very few trees, called the Central . grasses cover much of the land. grasses help make the soil extremely fertile. The Central Plains are low, but rise slowly of the . The are to the west of the Central Plains. Here the soil isn't as fertile, and there is less rainfall. The land is higher, drier, and rockier. The Great Plains are mostly dry with few trees. The in are the hilliest part of the Great Plains. The Black Hills have The very high peaks made of . of North There are areas of the Dakota are Great Plains that are very dry. covered with These areas are called the beautiful rock Badlands because the land is formations. useless for farming and many other human purposes. In the Badlands, there are steep slopes

made of clay and soft rock. When it , the clay and rock erode, creating canyons and many strange shapes in the soft rock. These exposed rock layers are often wonderful places in which to find fossils. Water in the Midwest is very important. Four of the five Great Lakes touch the Midwest region. and connect the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of . can travel from the Atlantic Ocean to along the Great Lakes through these waterways. Most major cities in the Midwest formed near these waterways. Before railroads, travel on waterways was faster and less expensive than traveling on land. Although the Midwest has flat land, the Great Lakes are not all at the same level. Locks are needed to lift and lower ships from one lake Over 12,000 ships pass through the Soo to the next. Locks are parts of waterways that are Locks each year. closed off by gates. 's Soo Locks lift ships from up 21 feet to Lake Superior. The Soo Locks are the busiest locks in the world, with over 12,000 ships passing through each year. The is one of our country's most important waterways. The Mississippi River is the longest river in the United States. The Mississippi River runs through the Central Plains to the . The River and the River are of the Mississippi River. A is a river or that flows into another river. The Mississippi River is a busy water highway for boats and . The riverbanks are lined with , high river banks that stop the river from overflowing.

The Mississippi River runs across the United States, all the way from the Midwest region to the Gulf of Mexico.