The central plains are the plains of the interior of North America , located in the USA and Canada . From the northeast and southeast are limited by the Appalachian Mountains and the Laurentian Upland , in the west they adjoin the Great Plains , in the south they pass into the Mexican Lowland .
Relief and geology
The central plains are represented by various types of plains: moraine-hilly, sandwiches, and lakelands (in the north); moraine and loessal with a strong valley dismemberment (in the central part); elevated with typically erosive relief and karst (in the south). In addition, in the north there are quest ridges , in the south - the mountains of Boston . The prevailing heights are 150–500 m. Most of the Central Plains are drained by a system of rivers belonging to the Mississippi Basin . In the north there are traces of ancient glaciation in the form of hills , ridges and basins, where a number of large lakes are located ( Great Lakes , Winnipeg , Winnipegosis , Manitoba ).
The central plains are composed mainly of limestone , either horizontally or in the form of gentle arches. Within the plains there are deposits of coal , oil , natural gas, and salt ; To the Ozark Plateau there are deposits of lead - zinc ores and barite .
Climate and geography
The climate is temperate continental, in the extreme south - subtropical. Rainfall - from 400 to 1200 mm per year. The soil cover in the north is dominated by brown forest soils, under mixed and deciduous forests . In the south - chernozem-like soils formed under high-grass prairies . The latter are almost completely reduced as a result of plowing and settling the territory. In the north, there are separate massifs of forests located on high ground inconvenient for economic development. Of the mammals most rodents .
The central plains are one of the most important agricultural regions of the USA and Canada ( grain growing and cattle breeding ), more than 75% of the territory is occupied by settlements and agricultural lands. In the north-east of the region are large agglomerations , such as Chicago , Detroit and Cleveland .
Sources
- Central Plains - an article from the Great Soviet Encyclopedia . .
- Dictionary of modern geographical names / Rus. geogr. oh Mosk. Centre; Under total ed. Acad. V.M. Kotlyakov . Institute of Geography RAS . - Ekaterinburg: U-Factory, 2006 ..
- Central Plains - an article from the Concise Geographic Encyclopedia.