Chapter 1: Regions and Themes

     

     Our book suggests with the Ohio State University experiment, in which students were asked to identify regions of the United States, that regions can vary depending on who you're asking and what you're defining.  For example, concerning the Southwestern region of the United States, Arizona is almost always considered at its core along with New Mexico.  However, depending on who you're asking, California, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Texas, and Oklahoma are all sometimes considered to be part of the Southwest regions.(Wikipedia <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Southwest> )

     Concerning the physiography of North America, Arizona falls into the Intermontaine Basins and Plateaus region.  Sandwhiched between the pacific mountains and valleys to the west and the Rocky Mountains to the east, the Intermontaine Basins and Plateaus region spans from western Texas and all the way to Alaska.  The area is divided up into three subregions including: the Columbia Plateau, which encompasses eastern Washington, eastern Oregon, and southern Idaho; the Colorado Plateau, which includes parts of Colorado, Utah, New Mexico, and of course, Arizona; and the the surrounding basin and plateau areas in and between both plateaus.  The Colorado Plateau, which encompasses almost the entire northern half of Arizona, features high plateaus and mesas dissected by extensive, steep-sided canyons. The remainder of the region consists of basin and range country, in which mountain ranges alternate with relatively flat basins.  The most critical resource of the region is water, as the area includes several major river basins like the Colorado, Snake, Salt, Columbia, and the Rio Grande.  The region also includes important minerals such as coal, petroleum, and copper.  Tourism also plays a major role in the area's economy, especially because of something called the Grand Canyon or something like that.  The Intermontane Basins and Plateaus region is sparsely populated with few significant urban centers. In the 1990s, the overall rate of population growth in the region was high, particularly in the southern regions, as people were increasingly attracted to the mild winters, recreational opportunities, healthful climate, and year-round sunshine.  (CountriesQuest <http://www.countriesquest.com/north_america/usa/geography/regions_of_the_united_states/regional_breakdowns/the_intermontane_basins_and_plateaus/population.htm> )