AMERICA'S HEARTLAND The Midwest is known for its expansive lands In some places the windswept prairies look like they go on forever The region has impressive waterways too Some of the largest rivers in the United States flow through here The Midwest is also home to four of the five Great Lakes These are the largest lakes in the country Because the region stretches across the central United States it is often called America's Heartland But geography is not the only reason for this nickname The nickname Kayakers explore Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore on Lake Superior
E N W S THE MIDWEST REGION NORTH DAKOTA MINNESOTA Duluth marck SOUTH DAKOTA WISCONSIN Saint Paul Minneapolis Pierre MICHIGAN Lansing Detroit Cleveland Chicago Gary ILLINOIS INDIANA Columbus Sioux Falls Milwaukee Madison IOWA Rockford NEBRASKA Des Moines Omaha Lincoln Springfield Kansas City Jefferson City KANSAS Saint Louis MISSOURI Indianapolis OHIO Cincinnati Topeka Wichita Chapter One describes the landscapes of the Midwest The map above shows the states capitals and some of the largest cities in the region Does this map match your understanding of the region from the text Why or why not also comes from the people's reputation for being friendly and down to earth The Midwest is made up of 12 states Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Michigan Minnesota Missouri Nebraska North Dakota Ohio South Dakota
and Wisconsin Much of the nation's corn wheat and livestock come from this region In the summer hot weather is common in the Midwest Temperatures can get up to 100 degrees Fahrenheit 38°C The Midwest has no ocean breezes to cool the air Winter is also harsh Temperatures often fall below 0 degrees Fahrenheit 18°C in winter PERSPECTIVES THE WINDY CITY Many people call Chicago the Windy City This nickname is often linked to the strong breezes that blow through the area But some people insist the nickname has another source New York Times writer Jeff Zeleny explains If you had always assumed that Chicago earned its nickname as the Windy City from the chilly gusts coming off Lake Michigan you would be wrong The city is windy according to most local legends because of the hot air bellowing from politicians CITIES AND TOWNS The Midwest's largest city is Chicago Illinois It is the third largest city by population in the United States
