Video Transcript – Operation Exploration: The Midwest Part 2 Video
Transcripts provide accessibility for students, parents, and educators who are Deaf or hard of hearing, need focus assistance, or alternative viewing options in sound-sensitive environments. Transcripts are also useful for note taking, study, and review. For graphics and illustrations, please refer to the video.
Transcribed by YouTube Transcription for www.Miacademy.co
[Airplane sound]
Justin [0:07]
Hey everyone, Justin here. I bet you didn’t know that I had my pilot’s license. I have been flying all over the Midwestern region of the United States; seeing the sights, visiting the locals, hey were you there? You look so familiar. Anyway, I love flying it’s, it’s great just being up in the air, not a care in the world, but I could feel a little lonely. You want to come along with me? [Kids reply yes] Great!
[0:43]
Hey, did you know that the airline industry is a huge part of the economy of the United States? It employs over 750,000 people. Do you remember what an economy is? It’s the way that people spend and make money. Today, let’s explore some of the different regions of the U.S. and see what their economy is like and what types of industries support their populations. Let’s do it together. Welcome to another “Operation Exploration” where we will be exploring: Regions of the United States.
[1:22]
[Music plays]
[1:34]
In this video, we’re going to be exploring some of the industries, economies, and natural resources found in the Midwest Region of the United States. The Midwestern states we’re going to be talking about today are Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, North Dakota, Nebraska, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. Maybe you live in one of these states and already know some of the things we’re going to discover today. We’ll begin our exploration in South Dakota.
[2:14]
[Native American Music Plays]
[2:22]
Welcome to the Mount Rushmore State, nicknamed for this incredible national monument bringing in over 3 million tourists per year. This isn’t the only tourist attraction that brings money into South Dakota though; there’s also the Sylvan Lake, and Black Hills, the Badlands, the Crazy Horse Memorial, the Dignity Monument, and plenty of other attractions that bring tourists into this amazing state. They also play an important role in the lives of the Dakota, Lakota, and Nakota American Indian Tribes. If you drive through the Native American Scenic Byway, you’ll see the Dakota Territory’s beautiful landscapes and discover tribal history and culture. The route reaches across South Dakota from Nebraska to North Dakota. And now we take off from one Dakota and land on the second, North Dakota.
[3:22]
South and North Dakota have a huge agriculture industry. Do you remember what that word means? Agriculture is when farming and livestock are people’s jobs. You know, to make money. North Dakota is 90% farmland, about 27.5 million acres. That’s the third largest in the country. North Dakota grows 36% of the country’s barley and 15% of our country’s total output of wheat. North Dakota also grows over half of the United States’ oil seeds, or seeds that are used to make oil for cooking and eating. Another huge part of the economy for North Dakota is the energy industry. They produce shale gas and have vast reserves of oil and coal. The mineral, lignite coal, makes almost all of the electricity in this state, and they sell it to other states.
[4:25]
[Wind Turbine Sound] Not only is North Dakota one of the biggest oil producers in the state’s, but it’s also big in wind energy because many of the state’s rural areas have constant wind speeds of over 10 miles an hour. Doesn’t that just blow you away? No, really, we just blew over to Iowa.
[4:47]
This state also has a huge economy in agriculture and wind energy. They’re second in the U.S. for renewable energy; like wind turbine electricity. This type of electricity is safe for the environment. In contrast, service is the biggest economic source in Iowa. What’s service you say? Well, service is any job that provides a service instead of a product; things like insurance, banking, and education.
[5:19]
Service is also big in Nebraska, so is manufacturing. What’s manufacturing you ask? Well, it’s the creation of goods/products; taking raw materials from the Earth and turning them into something using workers and machines. Nebraska has many different types of manufacturing from agricultural
manufacturing to advanced manufacturing. Agricultural manufacturing is food processing. In fact, Nebraska has one of the world’s largest meat processing plants. The meats and foods from this plant get sent all over the world. And like I mentioned earlier, Nebraska is also big in advanced manufacturing. This is the production of electrical equipment, chemical products, machinery, mineral products, and power sport vehicles. In fact, the Lincoln Kawasaki Motor Manufacturing Plant is the only Kawasaki plant in the world to produce their mule product line, the all-terrain vehicle or ATV, and the jet ski. The manufacturing industry employs about 10% of Nebraska’s workforce. That’s 1 in every 10 people in the state. And I should probably mention that Michigan, Missouri, and Ohio are other Midwestern states with booming automotive industries.
[6:49]
As a matter of fact, with its capital city of Detroit being known as the “U.S. Automotive Capital,” Michigan’s automotive industry is valued at over 22 billion dollars. Okay fellow travelers, say goodbye to Michigan and hello to Ohio.
[7:09]
I just mentioned Ohio as having a large automotive manufacturing industry. But I also want to mention that this state has its own claim to fame as the “Industrial Capital of the United States.” This means that it’s a great place to work. In fact, it has one of the largest economies in the world. One of their major industries is science technology. Think medicine and medical devices. Another is agriculture; about 1 in 7 employed Ohioan’s work in this field. Ohio is the number one swiss cheese producer and third egg producer in the country. Speaking of cheese, let’s fly on over to Wisconsin, “America’s DairyLand.” As you can see all this fertile rich soil is a great natural resource for the Midwest.
[8:03]
[Airplane Sounds]
[8:07]
Welcome to Wisconsin, the U.S. biggest producer of all things cheese. They have over 8,000 dairy farms with over a million cows. They are also one of the main producers of milk, potatoes, and many other crops in the country. Here’s something to moo about, Wisconsin’s also big on education. With a heavy investment in the education industry, Wisconsin schools are ranked the fourth best in the nation. Schools and colleges really help the economy because they interact with other industries like agriculture and manufacturing.
[8:48]
These two industries are also big in Minnesota, but let’s talk about a different industry here. About three-fourths of the people who work in Minnesota, work in the service industry, which if you remember is things like finance, health care, insurance, but it also includes things like hospitality and tourism. Check out the mall of America in Bloomington. It’s the third largest mall in the country. And, here’s the Target center. This super chain was born right here in Minnesota.
[9:27]
Let’s fly over to Kansas and talk about mining. Although this state is also very involved in agriculture, its rich soil also leans to minerals. Almost every county in Kansas is involved in some kind of mineral production for petroleum and natural gas, gypsum, helium, salt, and limestone. Speaking of limestone, let’s stay on our plane and find some more.
[9:53]
Although they have a very diverse economy, Indiana is known for its decorative limestone. So let’s check it out. Mined mostly from the Mountains of Lawrence County, the limestone of Indiana has been used to decorate plenty of iconic structures in the United States. Places like the Washington National Cathedral, The Pentagon, The Empire State Building, and many more. But wait, that’s not all. Indiana also produces gravel, sand, stone, and coal for energy. In fact, Indiana produces more than 36 million tons of coal every year.
[10:37]
Our last but certainly not least stop is in Illinois. Located in its capital city, Springfield, this state is a global headquarters hub for many huge fortune 500 companies. That means that these are some of the most successful companies to ever exist; like Boeing, Motorola, ConAgra brands which make branded foods like Chef Boyardee and Reddi-Wip, just to name a few.
[11:06]
You know, there are definitely a lot of industries that are important to the economy in this region that I didn’t get to talk about today. I think it’d be fun if you researched some of them on your own. What’s the economy like where you live? What sorts of industries or companies employ the people in your town? Maybe there’s a big airplane factory? That’s a thing right? I’m sure you could do your own research and learn a bit more about your town. Don’t forget to check out our other videos where we explore more fun things about the United States. And in the meantime, remember, to always be clever.
[11:47]
[Airplane Sounds and Music]