The North Central Region is known as the Heartland of the United States. There are 12 states in this region.   Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, Iowa, Missouri,Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, and Kansas are all part of the North Central Region. Each state is linked to Stately Knowledge. You can use this site to learn all about the states in this region.

Physical Features of the North Central Region
Natural Resources and Industry in the North Central Region
Major Cities in the North Central Region
Farming in the North Central Region
Weather in the North Central Region
Animals in the North Central Region
People and History of the North Central Region
 

Activity 1: State Population

Physical Features

The Central Plains are the most important landform in this region. Plains are flat and almost treeless areas of land. The eastern part of the Central Plains is called the Interior Lowlands. Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, Iowa, and Missouri are in the Interior Lowlands. The Great Plains make up the western part of the Central Plains. Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, and Kansas are in the Great Plains. The Great Plains have many valuable natural resources. The Great Plains were once completely covered by natural grasslands called prairies. Huge herds on buffallo once grazed on the praire grasses.

The Great Lakes are very important to the North Central region. They separate the United States and Canada. They are among the largest bodies of fresh water on earth. The Great Lakes are important because they provide water for drinking and growing crops to the states in the eastern part of this region. The Great Lakes are also a part of an important transportation route.

Rivers are also very important to the North Central region. The Ohio, the Mississippi, and the Missouri Rivers all run through this region. Both the MIssouri and Ohio Rivers are branches of the Mississippi River. Almost all of the land in the North Central region is part of the Mississippi River drainage system. These rivers helped make the farming and manufacturing industry so successful. Products from the North Central region travel on these waterways to markets all over the world. The big cities of the region are located along the rivers and the Great Lakes. The cities are centers for industry and transportation.

The foothills of the Rocky Mountains are on the western edge of the region. The foothills of the Appalachian Mountains are on the eastern edge.

Agriculture

Pioneers

Laura Ingalls was a young girl when her family traveled across the North Central Region of the United States in the 1800's. They were pioneers. This region was unsettled and dangerous at the time. When Laura Ingalls grew up, she wrote books about her family's adventures. You can learn all about Laura's Ingalls Wilders life on the Frontier Girl web site.

The American West

Tour the West with this multimedia presentation from PBS and GM

The Northern Great Plains, 1880-1920:  photo collection

   The Fred Hultstrand History in Pictures Collection reflects the changing times in North Dakota from
   its infancy in the late 1880s to the first half of the twentieth century. Hultstrand collected and
   photographed images of the people, the buildings, the social scenes, and the technology which
   transformed his generation from the frontier era into the America we know today.

Our Heritage Scrapbook History

Introduction to the Great Lakes

The Mississippi River
Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge