The Midwest, the region northwest of the Appalachians, surrounding the Great Lakes and sprawling out across the Central Lowlands into the Great Plains, has long been known as the nation’s “breadbasket.” The very fertile soil and warm summers in the region make for ideal conditions to raise wheat, oats, and corn, vital grain products for the US. The region is primarily flat and open, becoming hilly only in the northern parts of Wisconsin and Minnesota, in the Dakotas, and in the Ozark Plateau of southern Missouri. In addition, to cereal products, the farmland is used to raise poultry, meat, and dairy animals. Outside of farming, the Midwest has some very vital urban centers of industry and manufacturing. These include Detroit and the surrounding Michigan cities contributing to the auto industry, Chicago and Milwaukee, two key centers for heavy manufacturing, St. Louis, which manufactures equipment for the aviation industry, and Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota.
| GEOGRAPHY MAIN | Northeast | Southeast | Midwest | Southwest | West |
Questions? Contact M. Hernandez
at hernanmj@uwec.edu
Page Last Updated 10/26/2003