THE GEOGRAPHY OF THE USA
1.1.The main geographical and economic regions
New England
The thirteen original states (Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Georgia, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maryland, South and North Carolina, New Hampshire, Virginia, New York, Rhode Island) of two hundred years ago, strung out along the Atlantic coast, are still the most densely populated, with about a quarter of the American people living there. Beginning at the Canadian border in the north, the six New England states (Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut) are the most “English”. Today they are more prosperous and agreeable than the rest of the American Northeast. The city of Boston and its surrounding towns in Massachusetts have replaced their old textile industry by a development of new technology so successfully that unemployment is very low. There is good coastal scenery as well, and to the north there are the shores of Maine and the lakes and mountains of Vermont with their fast-developing ski-resorts.
The southern end of New England merges into the suburbs of New York City. New York City is composed of five boroughs: Manhattan, Brooklyn (on the South of Long Island), the Bronx, Richmond and Queen’s. Immense bridges join the boroughs with each other and with the suburbs in New Jersey across the Hudson.
Eastern New York State includes the whole valley of the Hudson river, but the state extends 500 km to the west to Lakes Ontario and Erie, with Niagara Falls between them. The state is as big as England. Half of its 17 million people live in or near New York City, while the rest are mainly concentrated in the line of Hudson valley towns near the Great Lakes, leaving much of the hill and lake country empty.
Mid- Atlantic Area
To the South is the metropolis of Pennsylvania, with 5 million people in its 'metropolitan area', or city plus suburbs. Pennsylvania is the main part of the mid-Atlantic area, which includes New Jersey and Maryland, bounded at the south by the Potomac River. Here is the District of Columbia, taken out of the state of Maryland to form the national capital city of Washington, outside the jurisdiction of any state and subject only to the control of the Federal Congress.
Southwards from Washington, along the Atlantic coastal area east of the Appalachians, are the four main former slave states of the original thirteen (Virginia, South and North Carolinas and Georgia).
Behind and through the eastern states runs the range of the Appalachian mountains, beginning far south in Georgia and continuing, with slight interruptions, northwards to Vermont and Canada. Rounded hills and forests are the main feature. The highest point is only 2,000 above the sea.
Beyond the mountains the vast central plain stretches all the way to the Rocky Mountains. Half the area of the USA lies in this vast basin bounded by the Appalachians on the east and the Rocky Mountains to the west.
The Midwest
The northeastern part of this great basin is known as the Midwest. The term is confusing because it describes the northeastern quarter of the US except for the states close to the Atlantic. But in 1776 all this area was still west of the fully-settled territory of the original states. The great midwestern plain was first developed for farming. It's in this territory that the Great Lakes lie.
The Great Lakes
The Ohio river forms the southern border of the region, the Mississippi river – its western border. Lakes Superior, Huron, Michigan and Erie form the Northern part of the region.
Part of the border between the United States of America and Canada is formed by four of the five Great Lakes (Lake Superior, Lake Huron, Lake Erie, Lake Ontario.
The largest of them is Lake Superior, which as its name implies, is highest above the sea. South of it is Lake Michigan, situated entirely on the territory of the USA. To the east is Lake Huron, from the southern end of which the St. Clair River leads into Lake Erie.
From lake Erie the Niagara river rushes over the famous Niagara Falls into Lake Ontario, out of which flows the St. Lawrence river.
All the lakes are connected by canals or navigable channels to form not only the largest body fresh water in the world, but also the most important unit of inland waterway. The Lakes take a very important place in the economic life of both the USA and of Canada. From Chicago at the southwest end of Lake Michigan, railway lines radiate in all directions – across the Rockies to the Pacific Coast, southwards following the line of Mississippi to New Orleans.
Chicago is the largest city in the region and the second largest city in the country. Chicago is located on Lake Michigan. It is also tied to the Mississippi River by way of canals. Chicago is also an industrial and commercial city dominating the five industrial midwestern states east of the Mississippi. Each of these five states, Illinois, Michigan, Indiana, Wisconsin and Ohio, include huge, sparsely-populated open spaces. The biggest cities (next to Chicago) is Detroit, Michigan, home of the great, but now somewhat diminished American gods, Ford, General Motors and Chrysler.
Another important port is Buffalo, at the northern end of Lake Erie. It's the 4th largest port and the seventh industrial city in the US. The lakes can only be used between the months of April and December, as they freeze in winter.
The region's factories produce steel, heavy machinery, farm equipment and automobiles.
The automobile industry was once concentrated in Detroit, but now it has decentralized to other cities within this region. Cars are assembled and parts are made in such cities as Arkon, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Youngstown, Milwaukee and Indianapolis.
In recent years, industrial growth has declined in the Great Lakes region. Partly, this happens because of the region's dependence on heavy industry while the greatest industrial growth is taking place in the new and newest industries, such as electronics. Another important reason is growing competition from foreign countries, esp. Japan. Competition is especially great in the areas of automobiles and steel.
It is also an important area for farming. Corn, wheat, soybeans and dairy products are the most important agricultural items. Wisconsin is the leading dairy state in the region.