Welcome to the Middle West

Characteristics of the Middle West

History: Abraham Lincoln lived in Indiana and considered Illinois his home. He is buried there. Another history fact is that Henry Ford made the first automobile in a factory in Detroit. It was called the Model T.

Population: The population of the Midwest is 58 million. Most of the people in the Midwest live in Michigan, Illinois, and Ohio.

Landforms: The Midwest has three landforms: plains, plateaus, and highlands. The majority of the land in the Midwest is plains. In the Central Plains, farmers raise mostly cattle. In the Great Plains, farmers grow mostly crops like corn. More corn is grown in the Midwest than anywhere else in the world. Business: Goods in the Midwest include vehicles, corn, and milk. Many people work in service, manufacturing, and farming jobs.

Natural Resources: There are two important natural resources in the Midwest. One is the Great Lakes and the other is fertile soil.

Climate: The Midwest is hot and warm in the summer and cold in the winter. It is mostly a wet climate in the eastern part and a drier climate in the western part.

The 6 Great Lake States

Minnesota Wisconsin

MichiganOhio

Illinois

Indiana

The 6 Plain States

North Dakota South Dakota

Nebraska Iowa

Kansas Missouri

The Great Lakes

These 5 lakes are so large that they hold one-fourth of all the fresh water in the world.

The Great Lakes are part of a great water transportation system that stretches from Minnesota to New York State. The Great Lakes are also linked to the Mississippi River by the Illinois Waterway.

The Great Lakes Industry

Manufacturing is an important part of the economy of the Great Lakes states. The area is a major steel-manufacturing center.

Automobile manufacturing is a major activity in the Middle West.

Agriculture in the Middle WestFarms cover most of the Plain States. So much corn, wheat, and soybeans are grown here that the Plains are called “America’s breadbasket.”

The Corn Belt stretches from Ohio to the central part of Nebraska. Much of the corn grown in this area is used to feed farm animals that are then sold. Farmers can make more money selling animals for meat than they can selling corn. More meat is produced in the Corn Belt than in any other part of the country.

The Wheat Belt is located in the Plain States. Wheat grows well in this dry climate. Farmers worry that the weather, insects, or disease can effect their crops. This can cause crop prices to rise or fall suddenly. Farmers in this area must know much more than how to grow crops.

The Dairy Belt lies North of the Corn Belt. Dairy farmers need to be near cities so their fresh milk can reach customers quickly. The area is close to customers and at the same time there is plenty of good farmlands where hay and oats can be grown to feed their cows.