The west (The Rocky Mountains Region, the Pacific Northwest and california region)

The Rocky Mountain States (Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, and Nevada) and the Pacific Coast States (Washington, Oregon, California, Alaska, and Hawaii) compose the Western part of the United States. The Rocky Mountain States are relatively thinly populated, but California ranks first among all fifty states, with a population of over 23 million. This is more than the total population of all the other Western states combined. Denver, the "Mile High" capital of Colorado (архит. mile-high – высотой в милю; рекл. the Mile-High City – г. Денвер), Los Angeles in California, and Seattle in the state of Washington are among the largest cities in the West. Much of the region is unsettled however. Some of it is wasteland with little plant life, but much of it is forested mountains, grazing lands for livestock, broad fertile valleys, and dramatic desert.

The Rocky Mountains are the largest mountain system in North America. The Continental Divide passes through these mountains. All water from the western slopes will flow into the Pacific Ocean. Water from streams on the eastern side of the mountains will eventually reach the Atlantic. The Rocky Mountains formed a barrier to the westward pioneer movement until the region was crossed by the nation's first transcontinental railroad, the Union Pacific, in the 1860's. The Pacific States also have beautiful rugged mountains in the Coast Range, and the last remaining stands of towering redwoods anywhere in North America.

The population of the West is made up chiefly of people of European descent, with large minority groups of people of Mexican, black, and Asian ancestry. Large numbers of Chinese laborers were brought in to work on the transcontinental railroad in the nineteenth century. Their descendents and more recent immigrants live in large numbers in a colorful section (колоритный квартал) of San Francisco, California, that is known as "Chinatown."

Alaska and hawaii: the newest states

By 1853 the present borders of the United States, with the exception of Alaska and Hawaii, had been established. Until 1959 there were 48 states and 48 stars in the "Stars and Stripes," as the flag of the United States is called. Then in 1959 two territories were granted statehood: Alaska became the 49th and Hawaii the 50th state.

These two states provide a wealth of contrasts. One is in the tropical zone, an ocean paradise of flowers, exotic trees, brilliant birds; the other touches the Arctic, a land of icebergs and polar bears. Alaska is the largest state with the fewest people. Its original inhabitants, the Eskimos, crossed over the Bering Strait centuries ago. Hawaii ranks 39th in population. Its original inhabitants, Polynesians, sailed across thousands of kilometers of the Pacific Ocean over a thousand years ago. Both states are famous for their exciting scenery. Alaska has glacial peaks and deep narrow inlets of the sea called fiords, as well as some of the largest wilderness areas in the United States. Hawaii has active volcanoes and beaches where huge waves attract surfboarders from around the world.

The Alaska region includes the entire state of Alaska and encompasses approximately one-sixth of the total landmass of the United States, with about 1,600,000 sq km (about 615,000 sq mi) in area. The 2,600-kilometer-long (1,600-mile-long) string of tropical islands, islets, and reefs known as the Hawaiian Islands is the smallest geographic region in the United States, covering a total area of 28,311 sq km (10,931 sq mi). The region is located in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, more than 3,200 km (2,000 mi) southwest of California. The majority of the land area is concentrated on eight islands, with the largest and easternmost island of Hawaii possessing almost twice as much area as the other seven major islands combine. Hawaii is the only island state of the United States. It has a tropical climate and spectacular mountain scenery that attracts millions of tourists each year. The population is varied, composed of a mix of Asian immigrants, native Hawaiians, and settlers from the U.S. mainland.

For the teacher:

Sources: American Patchwork, Betty Keene Taska (a collection of American short stories for advanced students of English), 1993 + America in Close-up + additional information from the I-net.

Additional information for task 6.

The region known as Megalopolis is a heavily populated area extending more than 800 km (500 mi) along a northeast-southwest axis from southern Maine to southern Virginia. Although it encompasses only 130,000 sq km (50,000 sq mi), or about 1 percent of the continent, Megalopolis held some 45 million people in the late 1990s, the second largest population of any U.S. region. It contains the world's greatest concentration of urban areas. Three characteristics define Megalopolis as a distinct region: high population density, major urban centers growing toward one another, and a large demand for primary goods that are brought in from other regions. Moreover, it is a region of social and economic superlatives—urban conveniences and problems, great wealth and poverty, high population concentrations, and one of the world’s most varied population mixes. The region sits on the coastal plain along the northeast edge of the United States. The eastern boundary of Megalopolis is the Atlantic shoreline. On the western boundary of Megalopolis, high urban population densities and land-use patterns fade gradually into the lower population densities and land-use patterns of rural areas. The inland boundary is defined toward the south by the Appalachian hill lands and in the north by a transition zone that gradually gives way to the rural communities of upstate New York and northern New England. The western portion of Megalopolis appears quite different from the skyscrapers and urban frenzy of the east. The small farms and gentle hills, however, serve the east with agricultural products and with quiet, beautiful scenery that provides a welcome escape for city dwellers whose day-to-day contact with

In great contrast to the highly urbanized character of Megalopolis, the Atlantic Northeast is mainly rural in character. It includes the less-populated, less-developed parts of northern New England and upper New York state. The southern boundary of this region skirts the northern edge of Megalopolis just north of the urbanized areas of Portland, Maine, the Merrimack Valley in New Hampshire, the small cities of western Massachusetts, and the Mohawk Valley of New York. On the west and north, the region is bounded by Canada. The Atlantic Ocean forms the eastern boundary. The Atlantic Northeast is a land of bare rock, thin soils, rugged coastlines, swift streams, and slow-growing forests. Because of its location away from the highly populated and economically active urban core, this region developed its own unique way of life characterized by a high degree of self-reliance. Often families live in the same community for generations. Many communities celebrate local holidays that date to colonial times. In addition, unlike more urbanized regions of the nation, the presence of the forest and the sea continue to have a direct influence on people's lives. In rural areas, the house of the nearest neighbor is often beyond sight and sound, while the most dramatic presence is that of undeveloped natural environment.

Separated by several hundred miles, these two mountainous geographic areas are quite similar. The Appalachians border the eastern coastal plain, and the Ozarks lie mainly in Missouri and Arkansas. These two regions of hill-and-mountain country have similar physical and cultural characteristics. Although there are geological differences between the Appalachian and Ozark areas, both are dominated by steep slopes and narrow valleys. As a result, towns and cities compete with highways, railroads, industrial and commercial enterprises, and fast-moving streams for the small amount of flat land. In addition, both Appalachia and the Ozarks have a history of depressed economic conditions and are sparsely populated. Whether as farmers or miners, industrial workers, or commercial employees in small towns and cities, people struggle continuously to improve their living conditions.

The Southeastern Coast region is a narrow strip along the coasts of the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico. The region begins in the Great Dismal Swamp of southeastern coastal Virginia, extends along the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico, and ends along the sandy beaches of Padre Island, Texas, at the border with Mexico. The coastal lowlands of Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas are included. The inland boundary of the Southeastern Coast is a transition zone that separates poorly drained coastal lowlands from better-drained areas inward. The Southeastern Coast region is dynamic, with a range of both traditional and modern characteristics in its culture and economy. Burgeoning cities and factories

The Inland South is a transition zone between the Southeastern Coast and the Heartland. It occupies much of the coastal plain surrounding the southern sections of the Appalachians and Ozarks. Portions of Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia are included. The Inland South has certain economic, demographic, and political characteristics that bestow regional uniqueness. The economy of the region was originally based on slave labor and on the large-scale production of crops, particularly cotton. In most parts of the region, manufacturing replaced agriculture as the primary source of income during the second half of the 20th century. As a legacy of slavery, both rural and urban areas have a mix of black and white populations. The region remains for the most part politically conservative. This combination of black and white populations and conservative political values helps to distinguish the Inland South as a distinctive region.

The Heartland extends eastward along the southern shores of lakes Erie and Ontario and along the western slopes of the Appalachian Plateau. To the south, there is a transition to the Inland South and the Ozark-Appalachian region. The boundary to the west is also a transition zone, where Heartland cornfields give way to the vast wheat fields of the Great Plains. In the north, the boundary merges into the Northern Forest region of the Great Lakes. The Heartland includes southern Wisconsin, lower Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, most of Ohio except for its far eastern part, Iowa, northern Missouri, far eastern South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, and parts of Tennessee and Kentucky. The Heartland has the largest population and the most economic output of any U.S. region. It is the most extensive area of highly productive farmland in the United States, as well as the industrial core of the continent.

While the physical characteristics of the Northern Forests region extend through much of central Canada and Alaska, the portion that lies within the contiguous United States is limited to the upper Great Lakes area. This region includes much of northeastern Minnesota as well as northern Wisconsin and Michigan. The common characteristics that make the Northern Forests a distinctive region are its vast forests and its abundant rivers and lakes. The region’s economy focuses on the export of a few primary products via the shipping routes of the Great Lakes.

The Great Plains region is a vast area stretching from Canada in the north to Mexico in the south. The frontal ranges of the Rocky Mountains define the region’s boundary to the west. To the east, the boundary is the transition zone stretching from southern Texas and eastern Oklahoma in the south to the western reaches of Minnesota in the north, where large-scale wheat production gives way to the corn-hog-soybean and general farming complex of the Heartland. The Great Plains region is known for its extensive farming and ranching; fertile soils; production of minerals such as coal, petroleum, and natural gas; and dramatic variations in climate. Although periodic droughts do occur on the Great Plains, water is extensive in many areas, with rivers originating in the Rocky Mountains and flowing eastward to connect with the Mississippi drainage system or the Gulf of Mexico

The Rocky Mountains region can be characterized as an area of breathtaking scenery, rugged terrain, scanty resources, and scattered population. The boundaries of this region are fairly precise, as the sharp relief of the frontal ranges contrasts with the relatively flat Great Plains region to the east. To the west, the Rocky Mountains region is bordered by the plateaus and basins of the Intermontane region. The northern boundary of the U.S. Rockies is considered the Canadian border, although the mountains physically stretch well into Alberta and British Columbia. In the south, the mountain range ends north of Albuquerque, near Santa Fe, New Mexico.

The Intermontane Basins and Plateaus region is flanked on the west by the major Pacific coastal mountain ranges and on the east by the Rocky Mountains. In broad terms, the region consists of three distinctive subregions. The extensive Colorado Plateau encompasses parts of Colorado, Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico. The Columbia Plateau occupies eastern Washington, eastern Oregon, and southern Idaho. And the vast basin and range country lies between and around these two dominant plateau areas. The Intermontane region is characterized by sparse population concentrated in a few major urban centers, a relatively isolated setting between extensive mountainous areas, varied topography, arid and semi-arid climate patterns, limited water assets, and considerable mineral resources.

This geographic region encompasses most of the settled part of the state of California, including the coastal area stretching from the northern border of Mexico to north of San Francisco. In the north, the region ends at the northern Coast Ranges, the Klamath Mountains, and the southern Cascades. The eastern boundary falls along the edges of the Sierra Nevada mountains and the Peninsular Ranges of Baja California. To the southeast, the region borders the desert lowlands of Death Valley and the Mojave Desert, and the area around the Salton Sea and the Imperial Valley. Although extremely diverse physically and culturally, this region is generally characterized by productive agriculture, a Mediterranean climate with dry summers and warm, dry winters, extensive urban development, and the presence of high-technology industries.

The Pacific Northwest region is a strip 300 km (200 mi) wide of mountainous land that stretches along the coastline of northern California, Oregon, and Washington. The southern and eastern boundaries of the region are defined by the Cascade Range, while a series of coastal ranges, including the Coast Ranges, the Klamath Mountains, and the Olympic Mountains, skirt the western boundary along the Pacific coastline. The Canadian border defines the northern boundary of the area, though the geographic characteristics continue northward through Canada into southwestern Alaska. Lying between the coastal ranges and the interior mountains is an inner trough, including the Willamette Valley in Oregon and Puget Sound in Washington. The region is characterized by spectacular scenery, mountainous terrain, a temperate marine climate with abundant precipitation, significant natural resources, and a population which lives in relative remoteness on the western fringes of the United States, isolated in part by substantial physical barriers.

The Alaska region includes the entire state of Alaska and encompasses approximately one-sixth of the total landmass of the United States, with about 1,600,000 sq km (about 615,000 sq mi) in area. The region is a sparsely populated area of vast wilderness and spectacular natural beauty, with varieties of animal life that are unique in the United States. Long winters, short summers, and large seasonal fluctuations in the length of days and nights characterize the harsh arctic climate that exists in much of this region. The exception is the narrow area that runs along the southeastern coast, where long, mild, wet winters and short, dry summers predominate.

The 2,600-kilometer-long (1,600-mile-long) string of tropical islands, islets, and reefs known as the Hawaiian Islands is the smallest geographic region in the United States, covering a total area of 28,311 sq km (10,931 sq mi). The region is located in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, more than 3,200 km (2,000 mi) southwest of California. The majority of the land area is concentrated on eight islands, with the largest and easternmost island of Hawaii possessing almost twice as much area as the other seven major islands combine. Hawaii is the only island state of the United States. It has a tropical climate and spectacular mountain scenery that attracts millions of tourists each year. The population is varied, composed of a mix of Asian immigrants, native Hawaiians, and settlers from the U.S. mainland.