Subregions of the United States

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

145-149-Chapter6 10/16/02 10:18 AM Page 149 

Background 

According to the 

2000 census, the 

population of the 

West grew by 20 

percent from 

1990. 

country’s most populous state 

because of excellent farmland, 

good harbors, and a mild climate. 

The West is the most rapidly 

growing region in the United 

States. Los Angeles, the country’s 

second largest city, is the West’s 

cultural and commercial center. 

DEVELOPING THE WEST The 

West’s growth in the 20th century 

was helped by air conditioning 

and by irrigation. The map on this 

page, for example, shows how 

water from the Colorado River in 

Arizona has been diverted to serve 

many areas. Water supply aided 

development of inland cities such 

as Las Vegas, Tucson, and Phoenix. 

The economic activities of the 

West are as varied as its climate 

and landscape. Among them are 

farming, ranching, food processing, 

logging, fishing, mining, oil 

refining, tourism, filmmaking, and 

the production of computers. 

Many cities with good harbors, 

including Seattle, Los Angeles, and 

Colorado River Basin 

1–2 1–2 

NEVADA 

0–1 0–1 

Long Beach, make foreign trade—especially with Asia—important. 

You read about the subregions of the United States in this section. In 

the next chapter, you will learn about the human geography of Canada. 

I I 

I I I I 

I I I 

I 

I I 

I I I 

I I 

Las Vegas 

CALIFORNIA 

Los Angeles 

San 

Diego 

PACIFIC 

OCEAN 

Volume of water 

(millions of acre–feet) 

IN OUT 

2+ 2+ 

City 

I I I I I I I I I I I I I 

I I 

I I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

Dam 

Aqueduct 

0 100 200 miles 

0 100 200 kilometers 

Albers Equal-Area Projection 

NEVADA 

I 

II 

I I 

I I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I I 

I 

I 

I I I I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I I 

I 

I I 

I 

I I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I I 

I 

I 

I 

I 

I I I 

I 

I 

I 

Colorado R. 

I 

I 

I 

I 

Lake 

Mead 

I I I 

I I 

I 

I 

I 

I I 

I 

I 

I 

I I 

I 

I I 

Phoenix 

UNI TED STATES 

M EXICO 

Gulf of 

California 

IDAHO 

Grand 

Canyon 

I 

I 

I 

UTAH 

I I 

I 

Little 

I I I 

I 

Lake 

Powell 

Colorado 

ARIZONA 

I 

I I 

San 

R. 

Green R. 

Tucson 

SKILLBUILDER: Interpreting Maps 

Juan R. 

Dolores 

R. 

WYOMING 

Colorado R. 

COLORADO 

Gunnison R. 

NEW MEXICO 

PLACE What area receives the largest volume of water from the 

Colorado River? 

MOVEMENT Which states contribute water to the Colorado 

River? 

US & CANADA 

Places & Terms 

Explain the meaning of 

each of the following 

terms. 

• New England 

• megalopolis 

• the Midwest 

• the South 

• metropolitan area 

• the West 

Taking Notes 

REGION Review the notes you 

took for this section. 

The 

UnitedStates 

Subregions 

• What are the four subregions of 

the United States? 

• Which subregion is the largest in 

land area? 

Main Ideas 

a. Why is the Northeast 

one of the most heavily 

industrialized and 

urbanized areas? 

b. How is the economy of 

the Midwest changing? 

c. What helped the economy 

of the West to grow? 

Geographic Thinking 

Seeing Patterns How has 

air conditioning changed the 

economic activities of the 

subregions of the United 

States? Think about: 

• the South and the West 

• the “rust belt” and the 

“sunbelt” 

RESEARCH LINKS 

CLASSZONE.COM 

MAKING COMPARISONS Use the Internet to find more information on the economies of the 

four subregions. Create a database comparing the top five industries in each of the four 

subregions. 

Subregions of the United States 149

Previous page

Next page

1

2

3

4

5

Subregions of the United States

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?