Geography of the United States

Northeast

• The Atlantic coastline, which forms the region’s eastern border, has deep-water harbors that support trade.

• The Appalachians are a mountain chain that runs parallel to the Atlantic Coast.

• In much of the Northeast the terrain is too hilly and rocky to make good farmland.

• Pennsylvania has coal and iron ore deposits.

• Despite the effects of the logging industry, forests still stretch over much of the region.

• Summers are warm and humid, winters are cold and snowy.

Midwest

• The central and northern part of North America has one of the largest areas of lowlands on the planet.

• The Great Lakes (Ontario, Michigan, Erie, Huron, and Superior) make up the world’s largest group of freshwater lakes.

• The Mississippi River is the largest river and most important trade waterway in the United States.

• West of the Mississippi lies the vast, mostly treeless Great Plains. Its native plants are prairie grasses and wildflowers. Huge herds of bison once roamed the plains.

• The Midwest has a harsh climate, with hot summers and cold winters.

South

• The South shares two features with other regions. The Appalachians extend into the South, and the Mississippi River runs through it.

• A broad plain stretches along the coasts of the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico.

• The southern tip of Florida is the only part of the continental United States to lie in the tropics. Florida is also home to the Everglades, a wetland filled with grasses and mangrove trees.

• Most of the South has hot, rainy summers and mild winters.

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