ATLAS Regions of the U.S.

Idaho Panhandle Great Plains WEST The grasslands of the Great Plains— MIDWEST parts of North Dakota, South Dakota, NORTHEAST Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Upper Peninsula Great Lakes States Me. Wash. New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming, and rior upe New York, Pennsylvania, e S Montana—are important for growing Minn. ak Mont. L Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, New England

Pacific Northwest grain, raising cattle, and mining. Illinois, Wisconsin, and Vt. Maine, New Hampshire, Mich. L N.D. a Washington, Oregon, k Minnesota border the N.H. Vermont, Massachusetts, e H five Great Lakes. Idaho, and western Montana u Connecticut, and Rhode Island r ario n t Ore. o e On Mass. a k n La N.Y. Wis. g Ida. S.D. i

h

c

i Conn. R.I.

The geographic center M

Mich. e Mid-Atlantic States

of all 50 states is k

a rie

Rocky Mountain States L E Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey,

located near Belle Fourche, ke

a L Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Wyo. South Dakota. Pa. N.J. and New York border the Atlantic Ocean, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Iowa but Pennsylvania does not. Pacific States Arizona, and New Mexico Ohio Washington, Oregon, Neb. The Mason-Dixon Line is the boundary that separates Ill. Maryland California, Alaska, and Ind. Panhandle Pennsylvania from Maryland and part of West Virginia, as well as Hawaii border the Nebraska Panhandle Del. Maryland from Delaware. Before the Civil War, it symbolized Pacific Ocean. Md. the dividing line between free (Northern) states and Nev. Utah Colo. Kan. West Virginia slave (Southern) states. Mo. Panhandles Calif. The geographic center Alaska is located northwest W. Va. of the lower 48 states is Va. Washington, D.C., is a federal district, of the lower 48 states and the site of the nation’s capital. west of Canada. It is part of located near Lebanon, Ariz. N.M. Ky. continental North America. Kansas. Four Corners N.C. The only place in the U.S. Appalachia Alaska Oklahoma Although the Appalachian Mountains stretch from Alabama to Canada, where four states—Arizona, Panhandle Tenn. Appalachia as a region generally refers to the mountainous parts of New Mexico, Colorado, Okla. CANADA and Utah—come together. Ark. S.C. Maryland, Virginia, Kentucky, North and South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas Georgia, Alabama, and all of West Virginia. Appalachia is often thought Panhandle of, many say wrongly, as an isolated and impoverished region. Alaska Panhandle Southwest Miss. Ala. Ga. Arizona and New Mexico, and parts Southeast of California, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Tex. Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, La. Oklahoma, and Texas North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia

Located in the Florida South Atlantic States Pacific Ocean, Hawaii is Panhandle Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, the only state that is Hawaii “The Lower 48” are the 48 Fla. North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, not part of continental contiguous states located south and Delaware border the Atlantic Ocean. North America. Gulf States of Canada. Not included are Alaska, Texas, Louisiana, Hawaii, or Washington, D.C. Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida border the Gulf of Mexico. SOUTH

When you read about This map will help you make which states belong to which region L Questions Write your answers on a separate sheet of paper. news events in the U.S., you’ll sense of the way areas in the U.S. are or subregion—for example, whether ™ notice that places are often referred to. It shows the nation’s four Delaware is a Mid-Atlantic or South 1. What are the four main regions 5. In which state is the geographic which main region are these AN PM A referred to by region. For instance, main regions as defined by the Census Atlantic state. of the United States? center of the lower 48 states? states located? /M AHON M the oil spill last spring affected the Bureau: the West, Midwest, South, and The map shows other points of 2. In which of the four regions Of all 50 states? 8. Which region does not border C M M Gulf states. In the Southwest, there Northeast. Several subregions (regions interest, including geographic cen- 6. JI

are most of the Great Plains? The Upper Peninsula is part an ocean? D AN has been concern about violence within larger ones, such as New ters—the exact middle of given land 3. What is a “panhandle”? How of which state, region, and 9. Which state is not part of along the border with Mexico. And England) are also labeled. These areas areas. The U.S. has two geographic many does West Virginia have? subregion? continental North America? CIALISTS PE S G in the Midwest, after months of dis- are often defined by physical, cultural, centers. (Our map explains why.) 4. Which states make up the 7. The boundaries of which states 10. The District of Columbia is IN PP mal news, the economic outlook has and economic traits, not just location. After studying the map, answer the Pacific Northwest? meet at the Four Corners? In not a state. What is it? A P BY M A begun to brighten. Geographers don’t always agree on questions on p. 23. M

SOURCES:ÊœÀÊÌ iÊvœÕÀʓ>ˆ˜ÊÀi}ˆœ˜Ã\Ê i˜ÃÕÃÊÓäää]Ê1°-°Ê i˜ÃÕÃÊ ÕÀi>ÕÊUÊœÀÊ>ÊœÌ iÀÃ\ÊMerriam-Webster’s 22 JUNIOR SCHOLASTIC / JANUARY 10 & 24, 2011 Geographical Dictionary, The Nystrom Desk Atlas, and World Book Encyclopedia JUNIOR SCHOLASTIC / JANUARY 10 & 24, 2011 23