Physical-geographic basis of regional development of great plains (North America)

Abstract

The Great Plains region covers a third of the territory of the United States and only 3% of the total population lives in it. This disproportion between the size of the territory and the number of inhabitants in it is caused by specific natural conditions in the region. Typical prairie region which runs along the meridian is distinguished by its continuality and strong thermal contrasts. The southern parts of the Great Plains receive more rainfall due to the Gulf of Mexico, while the in the north, towards the Canadian prairie, the winters become colder and sharper. The 'Hydrographic lifeblood' of the Great Plains is the Missouri River with the Mississippi River, which represents a very important navigation route of 19000 km. Although the Great Plains are among the last regions in North America that have been used as vegetable surfaces, this hydrosystem serves for irrigation, which resolves the long-standing problem of drought. Thanks to the great spaciousness of high quality chernozem, this region was turned into a continuous breeding zone for hybrid grain varieties, which comprise 75% of US wheat exports. During the research, predominantly analytical and synthetic methods were used, while climatic elements and demographic characteristics were analyzed using the statistical method.