home Exchange rates Agro-industrial complex of the USA. Agriculture in North America Wheat Belt States

Agro-industrial complex of the USA. Agriculture in North America Wheat Belt States

Region North America, in which the United States is located, has a convenient structure of the land fund and large land resources. Unfavorable to manage Agriculture land 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. US agriculture 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 on the coast and the Hawaiian Islands, sugar cane is grown, in addition to it, pineapples are the main crop in the Hawaiian Islands. 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.

Theme of the lesson: "Leading branches of the economy of the USA and Canada." The purpose of the lesson is to get acquainted with the leading sectors of the economy and learn the features agro-industrial complex and transport system USA and Canada.

Agriculture The United States is distinguished by a high level of development, large volumes and a variety of products, which is about 25% of the world. Profile crop production determine primarily cereals, which occupy 2/3 of the area. The main food crop is wheat, but forage crops - corn, sorghum - are harvested more. Among oilseeds, the first place belongs to soybeans, which are used to produce soybean oil and feed livestock. Cotton stands out from fibrous crops. Sugar-bearing crops are equally represented by sugar beet and sugar cane. The role of fruits and vegetables, which are included in the diet of most Americans, is great. animal husbandry determined primarily by the breeding of large cattle both dairy and meat direction. It is also common to breed pigs and poultry. The US produces about 4 billion tons of broilers annually. An important feature of the US agro-industrial complex is its pronounced export orientation. The US share in world exports is: for wheat - 1/3, for soybeans - 1/2, for corn - 2/3. In addition, the US is the world's largest exporter of broiler and egg products. In the 90s. Russia annually imported about 1 million tons of chicken, the so-called. "Bush legs" (Fig. 2).

Rice. 2. "Bush legs" ()

Extraordinary Diversity natural conditions, high marketability, the development of transport created the prerequisites for the specialization of entire areas, which in the United States are called " belts» (Fig. 3).

Rice. 3. US agriculture ()

milk belt The USA was formed in Lakeside and in the northeast. The main part of agricultural land is occupied by pastures and hayfields, and many cultivated plants cultivated for green fodder. Milk, butter, cheese are sold in large cities and agglomerations. Most large livestock cows is located in the states of Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois.

corn belt The United States is located predominantly in the south of the Central Plains, centered on the state of Iowa. In addition to corn, soybeans are also grown here, so this belt would be more correctly called “corn-soy”. The Corn Belt includes the states of Kansas and Nebraska, parts of Wisconsin, and parts of Indiana and Ohio.

wheat belt The United States geographically coincides with the Great Plains. This belt produces 20-25 million tons of wheat per year. Spring wheat is grown in North and South Dakota, Montana, winter - in the states of Texas, Nebraska and Kansas.

Main areas cotton belt first there were the states of the southeastern United States, where cotton was grown without artificial irrigation, using the labor of blacks. Then this belt shifted west to the states of Alabama, Mississippi, Texas, becoming one of the largest cotton growing areas in the world.

Grassland Beef Cattle Belt located in the northwest and occupies all the mountain states with adjacent parts of the Great Plains and the Pacific states. The main branch of specialization is the rearing of young cattle, which are produced on large cattle ranches with tens of thousands of cattle and hundreds of cowboys. However, driven grazing has now become widespread on such ranches. The ranch area is divided into paddocks, and the cattle are driven from one to another. The need for a large number of cowboys disappeared, and the role of fodder increased. The young are then driven to be raised in the wheat belt states and fattened and slaughtered in the corn belt states.

Other agricultural areas located in the coastal zones of the Atlantic and Pacific coasts of the United States. The main industry and their specialization is horticulture and vegetable growing in the states of Florida and California. Rice and sugar cane are the main crops for the Gulf Coast belt, and Idaho and Washington come from more than half of all potatoes.

Agriculture Canada

In terms of food exports, Canada ranks second in the world, as it has a developed agriculture, which is characterized by a high level of mechanization, specialization and marketability of production. In Canada, 80% of the area of agricultural land is located in large capitalist farms, the size of which is more than 50 hectares.

Agriculture in Canada not only provides the population with food, but also plays an important role in the country's foreign trade. A special place is occupied by the export of wheat, for the export of which Canada ranks second in the world after the United States. Canadian agriculture is one of the most productive in the world, with a rapid increase in labor productivity. It employs about 5% of the active population, 30% of the farms produce 75% of the gross marketable output. Favorable climatic conditions and vast expanses of fertile land contribute to the development of various branches of agriculture. Farms occupy about 8% of the country's territory, b about Most of which is occupied by arable land and pastures.

The most important agricultural regions are Central Canada, where they are engaged in vegetable growing, horticulture, dairy farming and poultry farming, and the steppe provinces, which, due to the nature of their natural conditions, have long become one of the leading areas of grain specialization.

The second place in Canada after agriculture is occupied by fisheries based on the biological resources of the Atlantic and Pacific Ocean.

Transport system The United States is one of the most developed countries in the world, and in terms of the length of roads and pipelines, in terms of cargo and passenger traffic by road and air transport, the country ranks first. Transport Structure United States: Freight traffic uses rail and automobile transport, and passenger traffic - road and air.

Rice. 4. Map of US highways ()

Length of all highways The United States has exceeded 6.5 million km, which is 20% of the world (Fig. 4). 13,000 in the US settlements with a population of about 86 million people. completely dependent on cars, since it has no other means of communication.

Distinctive feature railways USA is low level electrification (no more than 1%) and the predominance of diesel traction. This is due to the policy of the oil monopolies, which are interested in railway transport as in one of the consumers of petroleum products.

total length inland waterways The USA is 41 thousand km. Transportation of goods along river routes is carried out with the help of non-self-propelled barges, which form trains of 20-30 barges, moved by pusher tugs.

Skeleton of the transport system The United States forms transcontinental railroads of both latitudinal and meridional directions. Latitudinal highways connect the Atlantic and Pacific coasts of the country, primarily New York and Washington with San Francisco, Seattle and Los Angeles. Meridian railroads run along both ocean coasts along the Mississippi Valley and in other places, including highest value have high-speed lines Boston-New York-Washington, as well as Chicago - New Orleans and Chicago - Atlanta. The main highways to some extent repeat the directions of the railways, although many of them are laid along independent routes. In addition, the United States has a developed network of inland waterways. In the latitudinal direction, this is the system of the St. Lawrence and the Great Lakes, and in the meridional direction, the system of the Mississippi River.

A significant part of domestic and international passenger traffic performs air transport USA. Domestic air travel is the most efficient and widely used means of transportation in the country. Any, even the most remote, provincial city has its own airport. The United States has some of the largest airports in the world: Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles.

For pipeline network The United States is characterized by a diagonal direction. It connects the oil-producing region of the southwestern Center with the region of oil consumption in the northeast. At the intersection of land and water transport routes, large transport hubs:Chicago , New York, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, Houston. An important component of the nodes is formed by large airports. Of the 33 largest international airports in the world, 17 are located here. An important part of the US transport hubs is formed by port industrial complexes. In terms of cargo volumes, the first place is occupied by the ports of the Atlantic coast: New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Hampton Roads. On the coast of the Gulf of Mexico - New Orleans, Houston and Tampa. On the Pacific coast, Oakland, Seattle, Los Angeles and Long Beach stand out.

Transportation system of Canada

The transport system of Canada is well developed, which is due to the large area of the country, its coastal position, the peculiarity of the economic and geographical position, as well as the export nature of the economy. In terms of freight turnover, rail transport occupies the first place, its length is 67 thousand km. The length of roads is 900 thousand km. Canada has a well-developed air, pipeline and water transport. The country's largest ports are Vancouver, Sete-Uul, Montreal, Quebec, and the largest airport is Montreal.

The main type of agricultural enterprises in the United States is large capitalist farm, which grows the bulk of the products for sale (Fig. 5).

Rice. 5. Farm USA ()

Family farms predominate, which make up about 90% of enterprises producing 93% of the region's gross output. Typically, each family farm enters into a contract with a company in the agribusiness system. This company supplies the farmer with machines, fertilizers, seeds, and also provides scientific and methodological support. The same firm indicates to the farmer the exact terms of delivery of products, its size and quality. If the farmer fails to fulfill the task in terms of quality or is late in terms of deadlines, it threatens to break the contract and complete ruin.

The discrepancy in the timing of harvesting in the winter and spring wheat belts leads to the use of such a rational method of harvesting as the transfer of harvesting equipment from south to north as wheat ripens.

Rice. 6. Harvesting ()

At the same time, it is not the farmers themselves who clean it, but special companies that send both equipment and labor force that start harvesting in May in Texas, June in Oklahoma, July in Kansas, August in Nebraska and Wyoming, and finish harvesting in September in North Dakota and Montana. During the harvest period, harvesters usually work 16 hours a day (Fig. 6).

Recently, original meat factories have appeared in the meat cattle-breeding complex.

Rice. 7. Livestock in the paddock ()

These are huge fattening farms that contain up to 100 thousand heads of cattle, but not on pastures, but in stalls (Fig. 7). For this, pens are being built for 200-250 heads each, in which feeding and watering of animals is carried out with the help of automation, and dosage - using a computer. Such complexes serve large cities, such as Los Angeles.

Bibliography

1. Geography. A basic level of. 10-11 cells: Textbook for general images. institutions / A.P. Kuznetsov, E.V. Kim. - 3rd ed., stereotype. - M.: Bustard, 2012. - 367 p.

2. Economic and social geography of the world: Proc. for 10 cells. general images. institutions / V.P. Maksakovskiy. - 13th ed. - M .: Education, JSC "Moscow textbooks", 2005. - 400 p.

2. Prepare a report on the US transportation system.

3. Prepare a report on the leading industries in Canada.

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 take shape as early as late XIX in. 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 big cities and agglomerations. There are also enterprises of the dairy and cheese industry. Most typically dairy farming for southeastern Minnesota, for Wisconsin, northern Illinois. The number of cows is especially large here, and dairy farms with high silos form the bulk of 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 cattle and pigs, which has also long been taking place in the corn belt, giving its agriculture a mixed agricultural and 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 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 a very fertile soils, but with 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 short time the prairies were also plowed up. Further history The region was replete with 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 is cultivated, 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 thanks to a sealed cabin with an air conditioning system that 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, cottonseed as well beef cattle breeding and poultry farming (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, now on such ranches, paddock grazing has become widespread, 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 right below open sky pens are being built for 200–250 heads each, 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.

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 on the territory of 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 due to 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 to the share of the USA that most of 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.

122. Agricultural areas of the United States

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

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 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-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.

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 typical for the cultivation of cereals such as wheat and corn, industrial crops such as peanuts, tobacco, cotton, as well as beef cattle and poultry (broilers).

The main specialization of this belt is the rearing of young beef 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, now on such ranches, paddock grazing has become widespread, 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.

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

123. US transportation system

The transportation system of the United States (together with the transportation system of Canada) forms a special North American type. Its formation was influenced by the vastness of the territory and the peculiarities of the EGP of the country; a large volume of products, a high level of marketability of the economy; uneven distribution of production and population; high transport mobility of the population; activity of processes of interregional and international division of labor.

For all the main quantitative indicators characterizing dimensions of the transport system, The US has no equal in the world. In fact, this country occupies, one might say, an uncompetitive first place in terms of the length of railways, roads and pipelines, in terms of railway cargo turnover, in terms of cargo and passenger turnover of road and air transport, in terms of the size of the car fleet, in terms of the number and capacity of airports. If we take into account the ships sailing under "cheap" flags, and this is 3/4 of the entire US Navy, then in terms of tonnage, the USA, along with Japan, will also be among the world leaders. It can be added that the US communications network is about 1 / 3 of the world.

Other character traits The transport system of the United States - a huge capacity of cargo and passenger traffic, a long distance of transportation, a colossal development of intercity, but also international communications, a high level of technical equipment, a significant redundancy of transport capacities. True, in terms of specific indicators (per 1000 km 2 of territory or 1000 people), the United States usually does not stand out. But for a giant country, this is understandable.

It is also important to emphasize that, although transport develops primarily under the influence of production, it, in turn, has a great influence on its location, specialization and cooperation. The development of road transport is directly related to the processes of suburbanization, a very high transport mobility of the population. In addition, transport accounts for about 1/4 of the total energy consumption in the country and more than 1/2 of the total consumption of liquid fuels.

Transport Structure The USA has its own characteristics. So, in the cargo turnover, none of its types sharply prevails: 32% fall on the railway, 24.5 - on the road, 18 - on the sea, 14 - on the pipeline, 11 - on the inland waterway and 0.5% - on the air Transport. But in terms of passenger turnover, the situation is completely different: 82% of it is provided by road transport, 17.5% by air, and only 0.5% by rail.

We have already mentioned a very special role road transport in the US, where the car is used in 98% of all city transportation, 85% of all intercity transfers, and 84% of all commutes to and from work.

But motorization is not only a fleet of vehicles, but also motor roads, the total length of which in the country has already exceeded 6.5 million km, amounting to more than 1/5 of the world. A significant part of them refers to roads with improved coverage. The construction of freeways in the United States began long ago, but especially advanced since the mid-1950s, when President Dwight Eisenhower began to implement a program to build a network of national highways. The American Freeway has two lanes in each direction, plus a spare road and one more spare road. Most often, the lanes of oncoming traffic are isolated, or even remote from each other. Most highways are operated by individual states, and many of them require tolls. We also add that approximately 13 thousand US settlements with a total population of 85 million people are completely dependent on motor transport, that is, they have no other means of communication. It is not surprising that on the main intercity highways, the traffic flow usually amounts to many thousands of cars per day.

Railway transport played a huge role in historical development USA. The construction of railways, especially transcontinental lines, had a very great impact on the development and deployment of the country's productive forces. Back in the 1930s. from ocean to ocean through the whole country they traveled mainly by trains; especially famous was the Twentieth Century Express, which ran between New York and Los Angeles. But then the role of railways, due to the competition of motor transport, began to decline rapidly, and the total length of the railway network was reduced. In 1913, it was 413 thousand km, in 1950 - 360 thousand, and in 2005 - 230 thousand km.

The reduction of the railway network is primarily due to the elimination of parallel lines built during the boom periods of railway construction. A distinctive feature of US railroads is the low level of electrification (only 1%) and the sharp predominance of diesel traction. This is explained primarily by the policy of the oil monopolies, which are interested in rail transport as one of the consumers of oil products. Recently, some "renaissance" of this type of transport in freight transport associated not so much with traditional bulk cargo as with an increase in container traffic. In addition, projects for the construction of the country's first high-speed railway lines are being developed.

Inland water transport played almost the main role in the early stages of the colonization of the United States. This was facilitated by the abundance of rivers and lakes and the possibility of year-round navigation. Now the total length of inland waterways in the United States is 41,000 km. Transportation along river routes is carried out mainly with the help of non-self-propelled barges, which form trains of 20–30 barges, moved by pusher tugs. Recently, lighter barges have also been used more and more widely, performing the role of floating container ships.

Rice. 195. United States transportation system

Air transport The United States performs a significant part of passenger traffic - both domestic and international.

pipeline transport, which in the United States began to develop earlier than in other countries, takes over the bulk of the transportation of oil and petroleum products and all the transportation of natural gas.

Finally, sea transport USA serves mainly foreign trade this country, although cabotage also reaches large proportions.

Transport network configuration The US is relatively simple. Its frame is formed by transcontinental railway lines of latitudinal and meridional directions (Fig. 195). Latitudinal highways connect the Atlantic and Pacific coasts of the country, primarily New York and Washington with Los Angeles, San Francisco and Seattle. At the same time, half of all transportation is carried out on the segment between New York and Chicago.

Railroads of the meridional direction run primarily along both ocean coasts, along the Mississippi Valley and in other places. Among them, the most important are the high-speed lines of the Northeast "corridor" (Boston - New York - Washington; length 735 km), as well as the Chicago - New Orleans, Chicago - Atlanta lines. The main transcontinental highways partly duplicate the directions of the railways, but many of them are also laid along independent routes.

This basic framework is naturally superimposed by a network of inland waterways. In the latitudinal direction, this is primarily the system of the river. St. Lawrence and the Great Lakes, late 1950s converted into a 4,000 km deep waterway accessible to sea vessels. This route transports mainly bulk cargo - iron ore, coal, forest, grain. In the meridional direction, this is primarily the system of the river. Mississippi, which covers the territory of 31 states, from the Appalachians to the Rocky Mountains. It transports 450 million tons of cargo annually, more than the Great Lakes. The turnover of such tributaries of the Mississippi as the Ohio and Tennessee is especially large. More than 100 million tons of cargo is transported annually through the world's longest Coastal Channel, one branch of which runs along the Atlantic coast, and the other along the Gulf of Mexico coast.

The configuration of the US pipeline network is characterized by a "diagonal" direction. This is explained by the fact that it connects the main oil-producing region of the South-Western Center with the main regions of oil consumption in the North-East.

Large transport hubs have been formed at the intersections of land and water transport routes. According to the calculations of S. B. Schlikhter, New York occupies the first place among them. In second place is Chicago, where 30 railroads, 20 highways, 24 pipelines converge. Followed by Philadelphia, Los Angeles, Houston and others major centers. important constituent part most of these transportation hubs form major airports. There are approximately 5,000 public airports in the United States alone. Of the 33 largest international airports in the world, 17 are located here. At the same time, the airports of New York, Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles and Dallas receive and send more than 50 million passengers annually. The movement of air passengers is most intensive on the lines connecting the Atlantic and Pacific coasts, as well as New York and Florida.

An equally important component of many transport hubs in the United States is formed by commercial seaports, or, more precisely, port-industrial complexes. In the early 1990s the country had 11 ports with a cargo turnover of more than 40 million tons per year and 8 ports with a cargo turnover of 20 million to 40 million tons. In terms of the volume of processed cargo, the first place is occupied by the ports of the Atlantic coast, which is distinguished by an abundance of convenient natural harbors; this is primarily New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore and the coal port of Hampton Rhodes. On the coast of the Gulf of Mexico, such large ports as New Orleans (with the largest cargo turnover in the country - 220 million tons), Houston and the port for the export of phosphate rock - Tampa, have grown. Recently, the importance of the ports of the Pacific coast has been rapidly growing, the total cargo turnover of which has already reached 2/3 of the cargo turnover of the US Atlantic ports. Los Angeles and Long Beach stand out here. The main US container ports include New York, Los Angeles, Oakland, Seattle, Baltimore.

peace. -2006. -480 p.: a-ill. one Maksakovskiy, Vladimir Pavlovich. Geographic paintingpeace: [Textbook. allowance]: B 2 book./ V.P. MaksakovskiyKn.2: Regionalcharacteristic ...