Name the states that are part of the wheat belt. Agriculture in North America. United States transportation system

Agriculture is a branch of agriculture, the process of cultivating the soil, in which a crop of certain crops is obtained. The agriculture of North America is very developed, especially in such developed countries as Canada and the United States of America. The territory of North America is usually divided into agricultural poles.

corn belt

The so-called "corn belt" (Corn belt) is located in the United States and occupies the states of Iowa, Illinois, Missouri and other states located in the Midwest of the United States. The name of the belt speaks for itself: fertile soils rich in nitrogen are favorable for corn cultivation. The volumes of corn grown are huge. Most of it is intended for livestock feed, some is exported, and some remains on the domestic market.

Rice. 1. Cornfields of North America.

wheat belt

The wheat belt covers Canada and the United States. In Canada, wheat is grown in the provinces of Manitoba and Albert; in the USA, this crop occupies Kansas, Oklahoma, Nebraska, North and South Dakota. The soils here are black earth, just suitable for a good crop of cereals. Spring wheat is sown in the north of the belt, winter wheat in the south. In addition to wheat, other crops are also grown here: rice, barley, sorghum. Cereal plants are the main component of US exports.

Cotton Belt

This belt is formed in the south of the United States of America, namely in Georgia, Alabama, Louisiana. This culture has been cultivated here since the 17th century. In the XVIII-XIX centuries, cotton production was at a very high level. This was explained fertile soils and slave labor. Gradually, the soil exhausted all its resources and production began to fall. Part of the grown cotton is processed at local enterprises, and part is exported to other countries.

Rice. 2. Cotton fields of North America.

In recent decades, tobacco and peanuts have been grown in this area. It is the United States that accounts for most of the export market for tobacco products. Tobacco is grown in Kentucky, North Carolina and Virginia.

Many territories are gradually changing their direction. Where previously they were exclusively engaged in the cultivation of some crops, others now dominate. This is a natural process that cannot be stopped.

milk belt

The Dairy Belt occupies the southeastern territory of Canada and the northeastern territory of the United States of America. There are farms that specialize in dairy products. Extensive meadows and fields are used for grazing livestock and growing fodder crops for them.

Not only the agriculture of the USA and Canada are developed. Other countries in North America also have their own success stories. For example, Mexico is the world leader in the collection of avocados, Guatemala in the collection of nutmeg, Costa Rica has succeeded in growing pineapples.

Belts - called the regions of the country, which are united by the similarity of one or another characteristic.

As a rule, the names of the belts are informal, but their names are very popular and common among the population.

Today in the United States of America there are a large number of belts, below we will describe only the most popular of them.

"Bible Belt"

"Bible belt" - refers to a region in the United States, which is inhabited mainly by people who are bearers of the evangelical religion, so to speak, Protestants.

This belt includes the following states: Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Missouri, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, Kentucky, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, and Florida.

As you can see, this is mainly the South of the United States of America. Historically, the positions of Protestant organizations are very strong here, the largest of them is the Southern Baptist Convention. Among the population there is a very large percentage of believers among the population.

Tennessee is home to Nashville, also known as the "buckle of the Bible Belt."

"Black belt"

In the south-east of the United States of America, the "Black Belt" is located, as the name implies, mainly black Americans live here.

Before, this term described the dark soil of this region, which is very good for agriculture. But later, thanks to the fertile soil, a lot of black slaves were brought here and the modern name has changed its meaning.

The Black Belt region includes the following states: Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, and Delaware.

"Mormon Corridor"

The so-called "Jelly Belt" refers to the western region of the United States. Here, as a rule, there are a large number of followers of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, who are better known in the world as Mormons.

Starting from the second half of the 19th century, the first Mormon settlements began to form here. The belt includes the following states: Utah, Wyoming, Idaho, Nevada, Arizona, and California.

The comic name "Jelly Belt" comes from the belief that Mormons have one favorite dish, which is prepared on the basis of jelly. Also, the state of Utah, where most Mormons live, ranked first in the consumption of this product.

"Corn Belt"

The "Corn Belt" of the United States, or as it is also called the "Grain Belt", is an area located in the Midwest of the country.

Here for a long time, traditionally, starting from the middle of the 19th century, the main agricultural crop was corn.

The "grain belt" of the United States is the real breadbasket of the country. Cereals are grown here, in the first place is the cultivation of corn. Namely, this belt feeds the whole country and that is why it is so important.

The Grain Belt includes the following US states: Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Nebraska, Kansas, Minnesota, and Missouri.

"Rusty Belt"

"Rust Belt" or as it is also called "Factory, Industrial", a region located in the Northeast and Midwest of the country.

Here are the main industrial enterprises countries such as steel, engineering, automotive.

The belt got its name because of the decline in the early 70s of the last century of industry in the country. At that time, many US enterprises were closed and from them, "rusty iron" remained.

Later, when production resumed in the region, the belt began to be called "factory", but the old name is also often used.

The Rust Belt includes the following states of the country: Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland and West Virginia.

"Sun Belt"

As the name implies, this includes states located in the South and Southwest of the United States. A warm climate and long hot summers prevail here. All the main resorts of the country are located in this region.

The Sun Belt includes the following US states: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, California, Nevada, and Virginia.

Here is a brief summary of what we wanted to tell you about the zones of residence in the United States of America.

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At the center of the corn belt is the state of Iowa, which is the second largest producer of corn and soybeans in the country. In some counties of the state, this crop occupies more than 70% of the cultivated area. Iowa occupies the uncompetitive first place in the USA in terms of the number of pigs, which reaches 16 million (with a population of 3 million people). A kind of “twin” of Iowa can also be considered the neighboring state of Illinois, which gives 1/5 of the harvest of corn and 1/6 of the harvest of soybeans in the country, and second only to Iowa in terms of the number of pigs. The Corn Belt also includes parts of Kansas and Nebraska to the west, parts of Wisconsin to the north, and parts of Indiana and Ohio to the east.

The settlement of the vast territory of the corn belt, starting from its eastern outskirts - the Ohio Plains, developed widely after the adoption in 1862 (during the Civil War) of the famous Homestead Act. This act, which gave every American citizen the right to a piece of land (homestead) west of the Appalachian Mountains, marked the victory of farm agriculture. The entire ideally flat territory of the plains was divided into so-called townships - squares that were 6 miles long and wide, i.e., an area of ​​36 square meters. miles (93.2 km2). In turn, each square mile in such a township was subdivided into four parts with an area of ​​64.5 hectares. One such part was given into possession family farm. Usually from 16 to 36 townships were combined into one county or district - county.

All this clear system of "chess" squares has survived to this day (Fig. 192). In most counties of Illinois and western Indiana, farms occupy more than 90% of the total land area, and in Iowa and adjacent areas of Kansas and Nebraska - even 95%. Each township has its own economic center- a small town with all the necessary set of services (market, church, school, post office, bank, hotel, restaurant, gas station). So it is not at all accidental that it was on the example of the state of Illinois that he worked here in the 1930s. the famous German scientist August Lösch substantiated his concept of central places.

To the west of the corn belt is the equally famous US wheat belt. Geographically, it coincides with the Great Plains, which began to be widely used for agriculture only at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries. - after the extermination of huge herds of bison, as well as the extermination and displacement of local Indian tribes. The prairies of the Great Plains, which had very fertile soils but a drier climate, proved to be the most suitable for wheat crops. Tens of thousands of immigrants from Europe poured into these places, and in a short time the prairies were also plowed up. The further history of the region was full of ups and downs, but recently the level of its development is relatively stable. The wheat belt produces 20–25 million tons of this crop per year. True, the main flour mills already formed outside of it - in Minneapolis, Kansas City and other cities.

Rice. 2 Kansas Wheat Farm Plan

The US wheat belt consists of two separate parts - northern and southern, which differ greatly in both agro-climatic and cultural-ethnic conditions.

In the northern part (North and South Dakota) the winter is too cold and windy, so that only spring wheat ripens here. This part is commonly referred to as the spring wheat belt. The population here is rare, almost entirely farmers, there are practically no large cities. Most of the farms are so specialized in wheat that it can be called a kind of monoculture of this belt.

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The United States is characterized by an exceptional variety of forms of agriculture. It can be argued that all its main types found in the economically developed countries of the West are represented here. It is not surprising that the agricultural regions of the United States began to form at the end of the 19th century. Over time, the extraordinary variety of natural conditions, the ever-increasing marketability, the development of transport that provides for the transportation of bulk cargoes, created the prerequisites for the narrow specialization of not only individual farms, but also entire regions, which in the United States are commonly called belts. The number of such belts, depending on the degree of detail of the study, can vary quite significantly. But in the most generalized form, they are usually distinguished by 9 (Fig. 191). At the same time, it should be borne in mind that in recent decades some of these belts, such as the cotton belt, have undergone a significant transformation, while others have changed much less.

milk belt The USA was formed in the Lake District and the Northeast under conditions of a relatively short growing season and infertile soils. The main part of agricultural land here is occupied by improved pastures and hayfields, and many field crops are cultivated for green fodder. Milk, butter, cheese are sold in large cities and agglomerations. There are also enterprises of the dairy and cheese industry. Dairy farming is most typical for southeastern Minnesota, Wisconsin, northern Illinois. The number of cows is especially large here, and dairy farms with high silos form the main part of the rural landscape. In the production of milk, butter and cheese (more than 100 varieties), the first place is occupied by the state of Wisconsin.

Rice. 191. Agricultural areas (belts) in the United States

corn belt The USA was formed in the southern part of the Central Plains, where the soil and climatic conditions are extremely favorable for the cultivation of this crop. First of all, this applies to the chernozem-like soils of the plains, which have a very high natural productivity. Soybeans are commonly grown in rotations with corn, and soybean crops grew especially after World War II, so this belt would now be properly called corn-soybean. Both crops are used primarily for the production of feed and concentrates necessary for fattening large cattle and pigs, which has also long occurred in the corn belt, giving its agriculture a mixed crop-livestock orientation. The corresponding profile has and food industry belts.

At the center of the corn belt is the state of Iowa, which is the second largest producer of corn and soybeans in the country. In some counties of the state, this crop occupies more than 70% of the cultivated area. Iowa occupies the uncompetitive first place in the United States in terms of the number of pigs, which reaches 16 million (with a population of 3 million people). A kind of “twin” of Iowa can also be considered the neighboring state of Illinois, which gives 1/5 of the harvest of corn and 1/6 of the harvest of soybeans in the country, and second only to Iowa in terms of the number of pigs. The Corn Belt also includes parts of Kansas and Nebraska to the west, parts of Wisconsin to the north, and parts of Indiana and Ohio to the east.

The settlement of the vast territory of the corn belt, starting from its eastern outskirts - the Ohio Plains, developed widely after the adoption in 1862 (during the Civil War) of the famous Homestead Act. This act, which gave every American citizen the right to a piece of land (homestead) west of the Appalachian Mountains, marked the victory of farm agriculture. The entire ideally flat territory of the plains was divided into so-called townships - squares that were 6 miles long and wide, i.e., an area of ​​​​36 square meters. miles (93.2 km 2). In turn, each square mile in such a township was subdivided into four parts with an area of ​​64.5 hectares. One such part was given to the family farm. Usually from 16 to 36 townships were combined into one county or district - county.

All this clear system of "chess" squares has survived to this day (Fig. 192). In most counties of Illinois and western Indiana, farms occupy more than 90% of the total land area, and in Iowa and adjacent areas of Kansas and Nebraska - even 95%. Each township has its own economic center - a small town with all the necessary services (market, church, school, post office, bank, hotel, restaurant, gas station). So it is not at all accidental that it was on the example of the state of Illinois that he worked here in the 1930s. the famous German scientist August Lösch substantiated his concept of central places.

Rice. 192. Scheme of cutting townships and individual farms in the USA: 1) division of the territory into townships; dividing the township into squares; 3) division of the square into trusses

To the west of the corn is located no less famous wheat belt USA. Geographically, it coincides with the Great Plains, which began to be widely used for agriculture only at the end of the 19th - beginning of the 20th century. - after the extermination of huge herds of bison, as well as the extermination and displacement of local Indian tribes. The prairies of the Great Plains, which had very fertile soils but a drier climate, proved to be the most suitable for wheat crops. Tens of thousands of immigrants from Europe poured into these places, and in a short time the prairies were also plowed up. The further history of the region was full of ups and downs, but recently the level of its development is relatively stable. The wheat belt produces 20–25 million tons of this crop per year. True, the main flour-grinding enterprises have already taken shape outside of it - in Minneapolis, Kansas City and other cities.

Rice. 193. Kansas wheat farm plan

As is easy to see (Fig. 191), the US wheat belt consists of two separate parts - northern and southern, which differ greatly in both agro-climatic and cultural-ethnic conditions.

In the northern part (North and South Dakota) the winter is too cold and windy, so that only spring wheat ripens here. This part is commonly referred to as the spring wheat belt. The population here is rare, almost entirely farmers, there are practically no large cities. Most of the farms are so specialized in wheat that it can be called a kind of monoculture of this belt.

In the southern part (Nebraska and Kansas), where summers are much hotter and drier, winter wheat, which has time to ripen before the onset of summer droughts. This is the winter wheat belt. But the profile of agriculture here is wider - primarily due to the fact that in recent decades it has also specialized in fattening cattle and other livestock; therefore, crops grown on local farms are usually more diverse (Fig. 193). Large meat-packing plants also sprang up in the cities.

The discrepancy between the timing of harvesting in the spring and winter wheat belts, and in other areas adjacent to them from the south, leads here to the use of such a rational method as the transfer of harvesting equipment (combines) from south to north as wheat ripens. At the same time, it is usually not harvested by the farmers themselves, but by special companies that send both equipment and labor, which begin harvesting in the spring in Texas and finish it in early autumn in North Dakota and Montana (Fig. 195). During the harvest season, harvesters usually work 16 hours a day. But the work of the harvester is made easier by the hermetically sealed cab with air conditioning, which protects him from the heat and from the prickly awns of the threshed ears.

The entire history of the American South is connected with the monoculture of the “king-cotton” and the formation cotton belt. Cotton has been grown in the United States for more than two centuries. The main areas of cotton growing first became the southeastern states, where cotton was grown without irrigation, using the labor of blacks - first slaves, and then sharecroppers (croppers). Then the cotton belt moved further to the west - to Alabama, Mississippi, Texas, stretching for 2.5 thousand km and becoming the largest cotton-growing region in the world.

But after World War II, the situation changed dramatically. Traditional cropping has virtually disappeared, and the former Negro tenants have moved to the cities of the North and South. By the 1980s the old cotton belt was washed out. Large cotton plantations survived only in the lower Mississippi, while a significant part of the production shifted to Texas and the southern Mountain States, where highly productive "cotton factories" arose on irrigated lands (with gravity and drip irrigation).

Rice. 194. Path and schedule of movement of mechanized columns for harvesting wheat

As for the rest of the territory of the South and the regions of the North adjacent to it, a vast region has formed here, which we, with a high degree of conventionality, called the region of diversified agriculture. In general, it is most characteristic of the cultivation of crops such as wheat and corn, such industrial crops, like peanuts, tobacco, cotton, as well as beef cattle and poultry (broilers).

In the western part of the United States, in recent decades, the most extensive in terms of territory has formed grazing beef cattle belt with separate centers of rainfed and irrigated agriculture, the largest of which is located in the North-West. This belt occupies all the Mountain States and adjacent parts of the Great Plains and the Pacific States.

The main specialization of this belt is the rearing of young meat breeds cattle. Until relatively recently, it occurred mainly on natural pastures, on large cattle ranches with thousands and even tens of thousands of cattle and hundreds of cowboys. However, paddock grazing is now widespread on such ranches, in which the pasture is divided into separate paddocks, and cattle are periodically driven from one paddock to another. In this case, there is no need for shepherds (cowboys), and the degree of use of feed increases. Young animals from such ranches are sent to grow in the winter wheat belt states, and then for fattening and slaughter in the corn belt states.

But recently, in the meat cattle-breeding belt, their own "meat factories" have also appeared. These are huge fattening farms, where up to 100 thousand head of cattle can be kept, but not on pastures, but in stalls. For this, pens for 200-250 heads each are being built right under the open sky, in which the animals are fed and watered using automation, and the dosage is determined using computers. Such "meat factories" usually serve large cities, such as the city of Los Angeles.

The remaining areas are located in the coastal zones of the Atlantic and Pacific coasts of the United States. They specialize in horticulture and vegetable growing both in the temperate zone and in the subtropical and tropical zones (Florida, California, and Hawaii). Rice and sugar cane are the main crops for the region along the Gulf Coast. And more than half of the total potato harvest in the country comes from two states located in the extreme Northwest - Idaho and Washington.

In terms of the total production of marketable agricultural products, the corn belt is in the lead.

The region of North America, in which the United States is located, has a convenient land fund structure and large land resources. Lands unfavorable for farming and natural conditions prevail only in Alaska. The United States, along with neighboring Canada, has developed the world's largest and most productive agro-industrial complex. This complex covers all areas of crop and livestock production. Agriculture The United States is steadily growing and developing due to the fact that huge specialized agricultural belts have been created here - "corn", "wheat", "tobacco", "cotton" and the like.

Such a developed agriculture allows the United States to be the world leader in food exports. This is achieved through mechanization, modern infrastructure and specialization of production. U.S. agriculture is based on developed farms, which in their work reach almost one hundred percent marketability. The average size of farms in the country is about 50 hectares. US crop production is the leader of the country's agrarian complex. 2/3 of all areas are occupied by grain crops. The main grain crop is wheat, but forage crops (corn, sorghum and others) are harvested much more. The "wheat" belt stretches across almost the entire territory of the country from Texas in the south to the Canadian steppes. The grain harvest is over 90 million tons.

The national crop of the United States is corn, its collection of 256 million tons is almost half of the collection of all countries in the world. The main part of the corn is intended for feeding livestock. There is a "corn" belt in the central plains (Illinois, Iowa and Illinois). This is the largest corn region in the world. Legumes occupy a special place among oil crops. both for livestock feed and nutrition (soybean oil and other products.) Also, US agriculture has a long tradition of growing cotton, it was in the 19th century the main export commodity. Cotton is grown in Texas and the southern mountain states on irrigated lands, mainly long-staple quality varieties are cultivated.

US agriculture attaches great importance to the cultivation of sugar cane and sugar beets. In the western states, sugar beets are predominantly grown, and sugar cane is grown on the coast and the Hawaiian Islands, except for it in the Hawaiian Islands. main culture are pineapples. Almost all citrus fruits and flowers are harvested in California and Florida. The country ranks first in the world in tobacco production. The main area of ​​tobacco cultivation is the state of Virginia with Richmond being the "tobacco capital". On the south coast of the Great Lakes, California has vineyards and large orchards. In addition, northeastern Maine agriculture is the largest blueberry-growing area in America.

In the total volume of agricultural production, about 2/3 are livestock products. This area is highly productive here, as it is provided with a powerful forage base. US livestock specializes in breeding meat and dairy products. The production of pigs is also widespread, and the "corn" belt specializes in it. The most industrial area of ​​US agriculture is the cultivation of meat grown up to 4 billion broilers per year. U.S. agriculture is large scale and produces a variety of products, due to this, not only provides its own food needs, but also produces large volumes of products for export.