The Nation
Political divisions. The United States consists of 50
states and the
District of Columbia. The District of Columbia is a
piece of land set aside
by the federal government for the nation's capital,
Washington, D.C. For a
list of the states, see the table with this article
titled Facts in brief about
the states.
In area, population, and economic output, some of the
states are
comparable to many nations. The United States has a
federal system of
government, which gives the states many powers that
national
governments have in most other countries. For example,
the states have
broad control over public education and the
establishment of civil and
criminal laws.
Regions. The states of the United States, excluding
Alaska and Hawaii,
are often divided into seven major regions. Each
region is made up of
states that have similarities in geography, climate,
economy, traditions,
and history. The regions are: (1) New England, (2) the
Middle Atlantic
States, (3) the Southern States, (4) the Midwestern
States, (5) the Rocky
Mountain States, (6) the Southwestern States, and (7)
the Pacific Coast
States. For a list of the states in each region, see
the table titled Regions
of the United States in this article.
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New England is a small region in the northeast corner
of the country that
is known for charming rural villages, picturesque
fishing harbors, and
colorful autumn scenery. It was the nation's first
industrial center, and
manufacturing is still a leading source of income.
Industrial cities dot
southern New England. Much of the land is too hilly or
rocky to grow
crops. But New England produces large amounts of dairy
and poultry
products and is famous for its maple syrup. Many
tourists visit the region
to see its historic sites-especially those from
colonial times-and to enjoy
its natural beauty.
Many New Englanders, especially in the rural north,
are descendants of
English Puritans who settled the region during the
1600's. The more
densely populated southern section of New England has
people of many
backgrounds, including African, Irish, Italian, and
French Canadian. The
southern section includes Boston, New England's
largest city by far.
The Middle Atlantic States Region stretches inland
from the Atlantic Ocean
southwest of New England. Deepwater harbors help make
the region a
major center of international trade. The busiest
harbor is at New York
City, the largest city in the United States. Factories
in and near such
Middle Atlantic cities as-in order of size-New York
City, Philadelphia,
Pittsburgh, Buffalo, and Newark produce a wide variety
of goods. Coal
mining and related industries are important economic
activities in the
western part of the Middle Atlantic States Region.
Farms dot hillsides and
fertile plains in various parts of the region.
Forested mountains, sandy
seashores, scenic lakes and rivers, historic sites,
and big-city attractions
draw many visitors to the region.
The Middle Atlantic States Region ranks as the
nation's most densely
populated area. Its urban population includes people
of varied European
backgrounds, and large groups of people of black
African, Latin American,
and Asian ancestry. Many of the region's rural
dwellers are of British
descent.
The Southern States Region is an area of rolling
hills, mountains, and
plains bordered by broad beaches along the Atlantic
Ocean and the Gulf of
Mexico. Until the mid-1900's, the region's economy was
based heavily on
agriculture. Such warm-weather crops as sugar cane,
rice, tobacco, andespecially-
cotton contributed greatly to the economy. Agriculture
has
retained importance in the South. However, an
industrial boom that began
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in the mid-1900's greatly increased manufacturing and
improved the
balance of the region's economy. Tourists flock to
coastal resorts in the
South-especially in winter, when temperatures are
usually relatively mild.
Baltimore is the largest city of the region.
Jacksonville, Memphis,
Washington, D.C., Nashville, New Orleans, and
Charlotte rank next in size.
Washington, D.C., is not part of a state, but it is in
the Southern States
Region.
Large numbers of Southerners are descended from early
English, Irish,
and Scottish immigrants. From the 1600's to the
1800's, many Africans
were brought to the region to work on plantations as
slaves. Today, large
numbers of African Americans live in the Southern
States Region. Many
Southerners have a strong sense of regional loyalty
and take pride in the
South's history and traditions.
The Midwestern States Region is a vast area of
generally flat land that
covers much of the center of the United States. The
Midwest is famous for
its large stretches of fertile soil. Farms in the
Midwestern States Region
produce enormous quantities of corn, wheat, and other
crops; and also
dairy products and livestock. In addition, the Midwest
has a number of
large industrial cities. The cities include, in order
of size, Chicago, Detroit,
Indianapolis, Columbus, Milwaukee, and Cleveland.
The Mississippi River system, the Great Lakes, and
many railroads give
the region an excellent transportation network. Lakes
and rivers-some of
which are set among rolling hills and rugged
bluffs-provide numerous
recreation areas.
The Midwestern States Region has a varied population.
Its rural areas
include large groups of descendants of settlers from
England, Germany,
Norway, Scotland, Sweden, and eastern and southern
Europe. The
region's urban population includes many descendants of
people who came
from northern, southern, and eastern Europe. Blacks
make up a large
urban minority group. Other large ethnic groups in the
cities include
African Americans, Mexican Americans, and Asian
Americans.
The Rocky Mountain States Region lies west of the
Midwest. It is named
for the rugged, majestic Rocky Mountains, which cut
through it. The
region also has areas of deserts, plains, and
plateaus. Although much of it
is a thinly populated wilderness, some of its cities and
towns are among
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the nation's fastest-growing areas. Denver ranks as
the region's largest
city by far.
Rich deposits of gold, silver, and other metals first
attracted settlers to the
Rocky Mountain States Region. Mining remains an
important economic
activity, but such services as health care, hotels,
and data processing are
now the chief sources of income. Cattle and other
livestock graze on dry,
grassy ranges, and farmers grow a variety of crops in
the Rocky Mountain
States Region. Many tourists visit the region to enjoy
its scenic beauty
and numerous ski resorts.
The population of the Rocky Mountain States Region
includes people of
European descent, African Americans, Mexican
Americans, and American
Indians. Mormons, whose ancestors founded a religious
community in
Utah in the 1800's, form an important cultural group
in the Rocky
Mountain States Region.
The Southwestern States Region spreads over a vast
area that is
sometimes called the "wide open spaces."
There, cattle graze on huge
ranches, and vast fields of cotton and other crops
soak up rays of blazing
sunshine. However, petroleum has brought the region
most of its wealth.
The region has large deposits of petroleum and natural
gas, as well as
various other minerals. In the 1900's, refineries and
petrochemical
factories led the way to industrialization in the
Southwest.
The industrialization has helped bring about much
urban growth in the
Southwestern States Region. The region includes many
of the nation's
fastest-growing cities. Its largest cities are, in
order of size, Houston,
Dallas, Phoenix, San Antonio, El Paso, and Austin. The
region also has
many retirement communities. Tourist attractions in
the Southwest
include huge, unspoiled areas of incredible natural
beauty, such as the
Grand Canyon and the Painted Desert.
Many cultures come together in the Southwest. The
population includes
people of various European backgrounds, as well as
African Americans,
Mexican Americans, and American Indians.
The Pacific Coast States Region, which borders the Pacific
Ocean, is known
for its dense forests, rugged mountains, and dramatic
ocean shore. The
scenic beauty and relatively mild climate encourage an
outdoor lifestyle
enjoyed by both residents and tourists.
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Fertile valleys in the Pacific Coast States Region
produce a large part of
the nation's fruits, nuts, vegetables, and wine
grapes. The region also has
abundant timber, minerals, and fish. Much
manufacturing takes place in
its large cities, which include-in order of size-Los
Angeles, San Diego, San
Jose, San Francisco, and Seattle.
The discovery of gold and the opening of the Oregon
Territory in the mid-
1800's brought a stream of settlers to the Pacific
Coast. New residents,
many drawn by the area's booming computer industry,
have continued to
pour in ever since. Today, the population includes
people of European,
African American, and Mexican American ancestry. The
region also has
more people of Asian ancestry than any other part of
the United States,
and a large number of American Indians.
Outlying areas. The United States has possession of
various island
territories in the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific
Ocean. Some of them,
such as Guam and the Virgin Islands, have a large
degree of selfgovernment.
Puerto Rico, one of the areas, is a commonwealth
associated
with the United States that has been given wide powers
of self-rule by the
U.S. Congress. American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, and
the Virgin
Islands each send to Congress a representative who
votes only in
committees. See the table titled Main outlying areas
of the United States
in this article.
