MIDWEST REGION

By: Allison Andes

LOCATION

MAJOR CITIES WITH PEOPLE Chicago, IL- 2,695,598 Indianapolis, Indiana- 829,718 Columbus, Ohio- 787,033

POPULATIONS Illinois    11,99

8,800 Indiana     5,82

8,100 Iowa        2,84

7,400 Kansas      2,5

66,200 Michigan  9,57

7,900

Minnesota   4,629,900

Missouri        5,345,200

Nebraska       1,670,000

North Dakota       652,700

Ohio           11,173,300

South Dakota        732,300

Wisconsin     5,139,900

MIDWEST LANDFORMS The Great Lakes The Plains Mississippi River The Great Plains Prairie Black Hills-A mountain range in South

Dakota Bad Lands-region of tiny steep hills and

deep gullies made by erosion.

MIDWEST RESOURCES Beef cattle

Beets Wheat Dairy cows Sorghum Corn Grain Poultry Hogs Flower Seeds Limestone

Hay Oats Sheep Oil Coal Gold Copper Iron Lead Crushed Stone Natural Gas

MIDWEST LOCATION North of the Southwest and Southeast

region. East of the Northeast region. South of Canada and borders the Great

Lakes. West of the West region.

MIDWEST’S LARGEST CITY LATITUDE AND LONGITUDE 41°N latitude 88°W longitude Chicago, IL

WHAT COULD BE SOME OF THE REASONS PEOPLE CHOSE TO LIVE IN THIS REGION OR LARGE CITY?

SOMETIMES, A LOT OF PEOPLE COME TO THIS

REGION AND OR LARGE CITY IS FOR

THE FARMING, CLIMATE, RIVERS,

RESOURCES AND LAND FEATURES

PLACE

Largest ethnic groups in the Midwest are German, with a 26.6% population in the Midwest, Irish, with 11.8% population, English, 8.4% population, African American, 7.8% population and American, 6.5% population. Some other ethnic groups are called the Upper Midwest, Ho-Chunk, Dakota, Lakota, Santee Sioux, Oneida, Mesquakie, Menominee, Odawa, Ojibwe, Potawatomi and Stockbridge-Munsee peoples.

Ethnic Groups

CUSTOMS AND RELIGIONS

Most of the religions in the Midwest are Catholics, Christians and Historically African-American Protestant. Most of these people are what they are because there have been a lot of churches built in the past couple of years.

MORE WEIRD RELIGIONS ARE:Belgians, Czechs, Danes,

Finns, Germans, Hollanders, Luxemburgers, Norwegians, Poles, Swedes, Swiss, and significant populations of

Armenians, Croatians, French-Canadians, Irish,

Italians, Latvians, Slovaks, Welsh and Ukrainians.

MAJOR RESOURCES LOCATED AND IDENTIFIED Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan,

Minnesota, Ohio and Wisconsin are where some of the major resources are. The major resources in this region are beef cattle, beets, wheat, dairy cows, sorghum(Grain sorghum is the third most important cereal crop grown in the United States ), corn, grain, poultry, hogs, flower seeds, hay, oats, sheep, oil, coal, gold, copper, iron, lead, crushed stone, natural gas and limestone

MAJOR LANDFORMS IDENTIFIED AND LOCATED Black Hills-A mountain range in South

Dakota Bad Lands-region of tiny steep hills and

deep gullies made by erosion.

WHAT EFFECT DOES CLIMATE HAVE ON SETTLEMENT PATTERNS IN THE REGION?

HUMAN ENVIRONMENTAL-INTERACTIONS

ECONOMIC ISSUES The region’s percentage share of the U.S.

resident population has decreased since 1970 and its land area is only 7.3% of the U.S. But the region’s diverse economy includes the industrial heartland of the country, as well as a thriving service component and a large agriculture component. The region possesses almost 20% of U.S. coal reserves. The Ohio and Mississippi Rivers provide the region with access to the Gulf of Mexico, while the bordering Great Lakes provide access to the Atlantic Ocean through the St. Lawrence Seaway. So the region’s energy issues are important to the economies of both the region and the nation. To read more, go to http://www.chicagofed.org/digital_assets/others/events/1996/the_midwest_economy/1996_midwest_economy_structure_and_performance_bournakis.pdf

CLIMATE AFFECTS OF THE SETTLEMENT OF THE MIDWEST In winter, we get a lot of snow and the

rivers freeze. When the rivers freeze, fish die and then in the summer there is no food for the deer.

In the spring, summer and fall, a lot if rain falls and if to much rain falls, then it causes flooding. When flooding floods the region, then houses get destroyed and then there is nowhere to go and same with hurricanes, tornadoes and earthquakes.

CLIMATE AND WEATHER PATTERNS The temperature in the Midwest states

can range from -40 degrees F. in Dakotas & Minnesota to 120 degrees F. in Southern Missouri.

The rainfall in the Midwest can very as much as 50 in. in Northwestern Missouri to 13 in. in Western North Dakota.

HOW HAS POLLUTION AFFECTED THE LIVES OF PEOPLE IN THE MIDWEST REGION?

Littering in the Midwest is a big part. People like to throw their

dog poop, cigarettes, garbage or any kind of litter on the ground

and don’t pick it up. Many animals and crops have died because

people are to careless to pick up their garbage and throw it in the

trash. • Another example of pollution that affects the lives of the people is Soil

Contamination. There are a lot of farmers in the Midwest, mostly near

North and South Dakota.

If there is a lot of soil contamination, it kills

the crops and then farmers lose all of

their food. Another pollution affection is water

pollution. Water is the necessity of life.

Without water, we would all die.

Animals and humans need clean drinking water to

survive. Farmers need water in order for their crops to grow.

Pollution is a bad thing and we need to keep the earth clean, especially the Midwest. Even though the Midwest gets a lot of water, we need clean water for everyone to live. To read

more, go to http://greenliving.nationalgeographic.com/pollution-affect-

living-things-including-humans-2193.html

MOVEMENT

WHY DID PEOPLE CHOOSE TO LIVE IN THE MIDWEST THAN ANY OTHER REGION?

A LOT OF FAMILIES/PEOPLE LOVE THE MIDWEST

BECAUSE OF THE WARM WEATHER. HOWEVER, THE MIDWEST DOES GET SNOW. SNOW HATERS MIGHT NOT

WANT TO COME TO THE MIDWEST. MOST PEOPLE

COME HERE FOR THE WARM WEATHER.

GOODS TRANSPORTED IN AND OUT OF THE MIDWEST In the Midwest, goods are transported

mostly by car, truck, and trains. There are other ways to transport goods in the Midwest as well. Rivers and oceans are a lot more difficult. Hurricanes could swipe away the cargo. Highways are a great way to transport objects. A lot of people in the Midwest transport things by highway because the weather is great and easy on roads, but not in winter.

GOODS TRANSPORTED IN AND OUT OF THE MIDWEST In the Midwest, when goods come in,

depending where they come from, they mostly come by boat. Not a lot of cargo comes in by car, plane or truck. Boats are better for coming in, depending what kind of items you have because boats can carry heavy weight, unlike cars and trucks.

INTERESTING TRADITIONS One interesting tradition in the Midwest

is the Midwest Folklife Festival. The Midwest Folklife Festival, held June 22 and 23, showcased traditional arts and music from the Upper Midwest. The many indigenous peoples and immigrant groups who call the Upper Midwest their home have all added cultural richness to the region. To read more, go to http://csumc.wisc.edu/folklifefestival/

INTERESTING CUSTOMS Way, way back before you were born,

Indians lived in the Midwest. A lot of Indians drew symbols on their hands and feet. It is an ancient tradition and custom. Indians always had to say “Namaste” to their master/family/friends for respect. The Indians always had a church and worshiped many gods. They bowed down to the churches even!

WHAT MIGHT HAPPEN IF ONE OR MORE OF THE MAJOR TRANSPORTATION ROUTES WITHIN THE REGION WERE INTERRUPTED?

You would either have to take a different

route, it would cause chaos, people can’t

get to work, you would have to think and try

something else.

REGIONS

MAJOR TOURIST ATTRACTIONS Abraham Lincoln's home- Illinois Big Spring- Michigan Indianapolis Motor Speed Way- Indiana Mt. Rushmore- South Dakota Chimney Rock-Nebraska St. Louis Arch- Missouri Football Hall of Fame- Ohio

ABRAHAM LINCOLN’S HOME-ILLINOIS Abraham Lincoln and his family lived in that

house for 17 years. When he and his wife bought it, they bought it for $1,200. They had their wedding ceremony at their house in 1842.

Three of the four Lincoln sons were born here, and one (Edward) died here in 1850 at nearly four years of age. When Lincoln won the 1860 Republican Presidential nomination, he received a delegation of party officials in his parlor.

http://showcase.netins.net/web/creative/lincoln/sites/home.htm

BIG SPRING-MICHIGAN Big Spring, Michigan is a beautiful water site. If

you are a fisher, this place would be perfect for you. There are clear waters and nice cabins for camping.

Over 10,000 gallons a minute gush from many fissures in underlying limestone, the flow continuing throughout the year at a constant 45 degree temperature so the spring never freezes and can be enjoyed any season of the year.

http://www.exploringthenorth.com/bigspring/spring.html

FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME- OHIO The football hall of fame is a great place

for people who love football. There is a timeline of all the times in Pro-Football that have been outstanding. In 1973: The hall enjoys its biggest year in attendance. More than 330,000 fans visit. And in 1979: Pete Elliott succeeds Gallagher as executive director. To visit more, go to http://www.ohio.com/news/pro-football-hall-of-fame-facts-and-figures-1.172574

ST. LOUIS ARCH- MISSOURI The St. Louis Arch is 630 feet tall and

has been visited for more than 40 years! This thing is made out of metal.

The Arch is the tallest Monument/Arch ever. If you ever want a historic trip, Missouri is the place!

http://www.stlouisarch.com/experience/the-gateway-arch/

WHAT ECONOMIC IMPACT DOES THE REGION HAVE ON THE U.S. ECONOMY?

In the Midwest, there are a lot of cows to make corn and dairy products, there are crops to make food instead of buying them

processed. We use animals and seeds to grow our food

and it helps the humans stay alive.

I REALLY HOPE YOU LEARNED A

LOT!I put a lot of effort in to this so

thanks for watching!

Format:

•"List of Midwestern cities by size." Wikipedia. Version None. None, 2 Feb. 2012. Web. 2 Feb. 2012. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Midwestern_cities_by_size>. •

"Midwest." ThinkQuest : Library. Version None. Students, 2 Feb. 2012. Web. 2 Feb. 2012. <http://library.thinkquest.org/4552/newpage3.htm>. •

"Midwest Geography and Landforms." Parkway School District - St. Louis Co.. Version None. None, 2 Feb. 2012. Web. 2 Feb. 2012. <http://www.pkwy.k12.mo.us/pierre/Sherrill/MidwestGeographyandLandforms.html>.

http://names.mongabay.com/ancestry/Midwest.html

http://library.thinkquest.org/4552/newpage3.htm

http://ssgrafhour2a3.wikispaces.com/Midwest+Region