1. States and Regions
Chapter 1, Lesson 1

2. Lesson Objectives
Describe the relative location of the five regions of the United States.
Identify the United States as a nation in North America.

3. Vocabulary
Contiguous
Region
Relative location
Continent
Population

4. A Nation of 50 States
48 of the 50 states are contiguous, next to each other, and share at least one border with another state.
Two states, Alaska and Hawaii, are separated from the other states.
The United States can be separated into smaller regions, areas in which many features are similar.
The states are separated into five regions. The relative location of a place is where it is compared to other places.

5. Regions of the United States

6. The West The West Region is made up of the following states:
Alaska Nevada
California Oregon
Colorado Utah
Hawaii Washington
Idaho Wyoming
Montana
Industry, agriculture, ranching, mining, and tourism contribute to the region’s economy.
The West Region includes the Rocky Mountains and the Pacific Coast.
The population of the West is about 60 million people.

7. Pacific Coast Rocky Mountains
The West
Pacific Coast
Rocky
Mountains

8. The Southwest The Southwest Region is made up of the following states:
Arizona
New Mexico
Oklahoma
Texas
Industry, ranching, and petroleum contribute to the region’s economy.
The Southwest Region includes mountains, deserts, plains, and forests.
The population of the Southwest is about million people.

9. The Southwest
Desert
Grand Canyon

10. The Midwest The Midwest Region is made up of the following states:
Iowa Missouri
Indiana Nebraska
Illinois Ohio
Kansas North Dakota
Michigan South Dakota
Minnesota Wisconsin
Agriculture and farming in the countryside and industry in the cities contribute to the economy.
The Mississippi River and its major tributaries, the Missouri and Ohio Rivers, are important trade routes.
The population of the Midwest Region is about 66 million people.

11. Corn Mississippi River
The Midwest
Corn
Mississippi
River

12. The Northeast The Northeast Region is made up of the following states:
Connecticut -- New Jersey
Delaware New York
Maine Pennsylvania
Maryland Rhode Island
Massachusetts -- Vermont
Industry, services, and fishing contribute to the region’s economy.
It is the oldest region, home to the first American colonies and it is a very urban area (cities).
The population of the Northeast Region is about 56 million people.

13. The Northeast
Lobster
New York
City

14. The Southeast Region
The Southeast Region is made up of the following states:
Alabama -- Louisiana
Arkansas Maryland
Florida Mississippi
Georgia Kentucky
North Carolina -- Tennessee
Agriculture and farming is the main focus of the Southeast Region’s economy, and has been for many years.
The Southeast Region has a combination of rural and urban areas (country and cities).
The population of the Southeast Region is about 80 million people.

15. The Southeast
Farming
Gulf of Mexico
Atlanta

16. A Country in North America
The United States is located in the continent of North America. There are seven continents, or large land masses, that make up Earth.
The United States is one of the largest countries in North America.
You can measure the size of a country in two different ways:
land area
population (number of people)
In land area, Canada is the largest country in North America (USA is 2nd).
In population, the United States is the largest country in North America (Mexico is 2nd).

17. North America

18. Canada Canada is a country located north of the United States.
Canada and the United States share similar histories, as both were explored by the French and British and were once under British rule.
Fewer people live in Canada than in either Mexico or the United States.
Much of northern Canada is very cold for most of the year, and most people live near the southern border.

19. Mexico
In land area, Mexico is smaller than both Canada and the United States. However, Mexico has more people than Canada.
Mexico’s capital, Mexico City, is one of the world’s largest cities.
Mexico and the United States also share a history.