US Geography — Regions and States

The United States is HUGE — the 3rd largest country on Earth. It stretches from the Atlantic Ocean all the way to the Pacific, with 50 states in all. Today you will learn the 5 main regions and the famous features that make each one special.

**1. NORTHEAST** — the Thirteen Colonies started here. Big cities: New York, Boston, Philadelphia.\n\n**2. SOUTHEAST** — hot, humid, Civil War history. Includes Florida, Georgia, Louisiana.\n\n**3. MIDWEST** — flat farmland. "America's Breadbasket." Includes Illinois, Iowa, Ohio.\n\n**4. SOUTHWEST** — desert landscapes, hot and dry. Includes Texas, Arizona, New Mexico.\n\n**5. WEST** — mountains and Pacific coast. Includes California, Oregon, Washington.\n\nPLUS: Alaska (far north) and Hawaii (islands).

- **Rocky Mountains** — run through the West. Tall, rugged.\n- **Appalachian Mountains** — in the East. Older, rounder.\n- **Mississippi River** — longest US river. Flows south to the Gulf of Mexico.\n- **Great Lakes** — 5 huge lakes between US and Canada.\n- **Grand Canyon** — in Arizona, a mile-deep canyon cut by the Colorado River.\n- **Pacific Coast** — rocky, with redwood forests.\n- **Atlantic Coast** — beaches, big harbors.

Where people live affects EVERYTHING:\n\n- **Climate** — southerners eat different foods than northerners\n- **Jobs** — farmers in the Midwest, tech in the West, finance in the Northeast\n- **Houses** — flat roofs in the desert, steep roofs in snow country\n- **Travel** — mountains divide, rivers connect\n- **History** — coasts developed first; West was settled later\n\nGeography and culture are WOVEN TOGETHER.

- **Alaska** — largest state, but lots of wilderness\n- **Texas** — second largest, oil, cowboys\n- **California** — most people, Hollywood, tech\n- **Florida** — beaches, Disney, oranges\n- **New York** — smallest in land of the "big 4" but biggest city\n- **Hawaii** — islands in the Pacific, volcanoes\n- **Rhode Island** — smallest state\n\n50 states, each with its own story.