19. The Midwest

Refers to the north-central states of the USA, specifically Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Minnesota, Nebraska, South Dakota, and North Dakota. Chicago is the largest city in the region and the third largest in the nation. It is sometimes unofficially called the "capital of the Midwest".Geography - these states are generally perceived as being relatively flat, but there is a measure of geographical variation. In particular, the eastern Midwest lying near the foothills of the Appalachians, the Great Lakes basin. Prairies cover most of the states west of the Mississippi River. History: European settlement of the area began in the 17th century along the Mississippi River system and the Great Lakes. Following the American Revolutionary War, the rate of settlers coming from the eastern states increased rapidly. In the 20th century – a high level of African American migration. The region's fertile soil made it possible for farmers to produce abundant harvests of cereal crops such as corn, oats, and wheat. In the early days, the region was soon known as the nation's "breadbasket". Two waterways have been important to the Midwest's development-the Ohio River which flowed into the Mississippi River. The river inspired two classic American books written by a native Missourian Mark Twain: “Life on the Mississippi” and “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn”. The second waterway is the network of routes within the Great Lakes. Religion: Catholicism is the largest single religious denomination in the Midwest. Economy: according to the fields of economy the Midwest is divided into Corn Belt, Wheat Belt (which comprise agriculture) and Rust Belt (industrial – Great Lakes area). The region contains numerous highly-regarded universities, both public and private. Another big city is Detroit, often called “motor city” for it’s the centre of car production (Ford, Chevrolet, Chrysler)

20. The South

As defined by the United States Census Bureau, the Southern region of the United States includes 16 states and is split into three smaller units, or divisions: 1)The South Atlantic States: Florida, Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia (plus the District of Columbia) 2)The East South Central States: Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi and Tennessee 3)The West South Central States: Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Texas. The South is a vast, diverse region, having numerous climatic zones, including alpine, temperate, sub-tropical, tropical. Many crops grow easily in its soils. The history of this regoin began in the 17-th century with the British colonists. After 1700, large groups of African slaves were brought in to work on the large plantations that dominated export agriculture of tobacco, rice. Cotton became dominant after 1800. All this production still remains the core of the southern agriculture. "South" is more informal and is generally associated with those states that during the Civil War formed the Confederate States of America (1860). Those states share commonalities of history and culture that carry on to the present day. Southern culture has been and remains generally more socially conservative than that of the north. The southern lifestyle is viewed as slower paced. The South has a high concentration of Christian adherents, thus it’s often called the "Bible Belt". The South has the highest concentration of afro-americans (about 50%-Black Belt of the country). Gospel music, spirituals, country music, rhythm and blues, soul music, bluegrass, jazz were either born in the South or developed in the region. Rock n' roll began in the South(Elvis Presley). Possibly the most famous southern novel of the 20th century is Gone With The Wind by Margaret Mitchell, published in 1937. In the last two generations, the South has changed dramatically. After two centuries in which the region's main economic engine was agriculture, the South has in recent decades seen a boom in its service economy, manufacturing base, high technology industries, and the financial sector. The creation of computer programming and communications companies helped to develop the “New South” economy. The South is also the centre of banking institutions (the Bank of America). This economic expansion has enabled parts of the South to boast some of the lowest unemployment rates in the United States. The major cities are: Dallas, Houston (Texas-oil belt of the country), Miami(Florida), Atlanta(Georgia).