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Midwestern United States

geography Maturity 11-13 Next article →

The Midwestern United States is a large region in the north central part of the country.

Chicago Skyline (44908380294)
Chicago Skyline (44908380294)

It sits between the Northeastern United States and the Western United States. Canada lies to the north, while the Southern United States is to the south. The region covers 12 different states. These include Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin.

Midwestern United States subdivisions
Midwestern United States subdivisions

Most of this land sits on a wide area called the Interior Plain. This plain is located between the Appalachian Mountains and the Rocky Mountains.

Efmo View from Fire Point
Efmo View from Fire Point

Nature and industry work together in the Midwest. The land includes many important rivers. You can find the Ohio River, the upper Mississippi River, and the Missouri River here.

Rome Waterfront, on the Ohio River
Rome Waterfront, on the Ohio River

Much of the area is part of the Corn Belt. This means there are huge farms growing corn. The economy uses both farming and heavy industry.

Standard Oil Company 1889 CP04381 - DPLA - 032e381bb16b1a45abecfd1a6a86ae3a (cropped)
Standard Oil Company 1889 CP04381 - DPLA - 032e381bb16b1a45abecfd1a6a86ae3a (cropped)

Because the Midwest is in the center, it is a crossroads for travel. People move goods using river boats, railroads, trucks, and airplanes.

Detroit Skyline (26907335841)
Detroit Skyline (26907335841)

Long before the current states existed, many Native American cultures lived here. The Paleo-American cultures were among the earliest people in North America.

Monks Mound - Summer 2024
Monks Mound - Summer 2024

Later, the Mississippian Period saw people building large earthworks. One famous site is Monks Mound near Collinsville, Illinois. These people were mostly farmers who lived near river floodplains. They grew maize, beans, and squash.

Northwest-territory-usa-1787
Northwest-territory-usa-1787

In the Great Lakes area, tribes like the Huron and Ojibwe lived. They used stone and bone tools to hunt and fish.

Winnebago wigwam
Winnebago wigwam

Some tribes lived in wigwams, which were easy to move.

On the Great Plains, different ways of life developed. Some tribes were nomadic, which means they moved from place to place. They followed huge herds of buffalo to find food.

Oglala girl in front of a tipi
Oglala girl in front of a tipi

These people often lived in teepees because they were easy to take down. Others were semi-sedentary and lived in villages to grow crops.

Cumulus Clouds over Yellow Prairie2
Cumulus Clouds over Yellow Prairie2

The Sioux were one of the most powerful tribes in this area. They lived in the heart of the buffalo range.

Scotts bluff national monument
Scotts bluff national monument

They also traded furs with others for goods like guns.

Today, the Midwest is a very busy and populated place. In 2020, the census showed about 68,995,685 people lived here.

Minneapolis Skyline looking south
Minneapolis Skyline looking south

Chicago is the largest city in the region. It is also the third-largest city in the whole United States.

Chicago Skyline (44908380294)
Chicago Skyline (44908380294)

Other large cities include Detroit, Indianapolis, and St. Louis. The Chicago area alone has about 9.4 million residents.

Detroit Skyline (26907335841)
Detroit Skyline (26907335841)

This makes it the fourth-largest metropolitan area in North America. Many people now work in services like medicine and education. The region remains a very important part of American life.

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🖼️ Images & Media (63)
File:Monks Mound - Summer 2024.jpg
Monks Mound - Summer 2024.jpg
File:Winnebago wigwam.jpg
Winnebago wigwam.jpg
File:Oglala girl in front of a tipi.jpg
Oglala girl in front of a tipi.jpg
File:Cumulus Clouds over Yellow Prairie2.jpg
Cumulus Clouds over Yellow Prairie2.jpg
File:Marquette and jolliet map 1681.jpg
Marquette and jolliet map 1681.jpg
File:Nanfan.svg
Nanfan.svg
File:Kaskaskia Bell 3321.jpg
Kaskaskia Bell 3321.jpg
File:United States land claims and cessions 1782-1802.png
United States land claims and cessions...
File:Northwest-territory-usa-1787.png
Northwest-territory-usa-1787.png
File:Louisiana Purchase.png
Louisiana Purchase.png
File:LittleWhiteSchoolhouse.jpg
LittleWhiteSchoolhouse.jpg
File:Rome Waterfront, on the Ohio River.jpg
Rome Waterfront, on the Ohio River.jpg

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