Geography

• The Great Plains are located across Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, Texas, Wyoming, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, New Mexico, and Colorado. Canadian provinces Saskatchewan, Alberta and Manitoba and parts of Mexico are also within the Great Plains.
  
  

Features

• Characterized by large expanses of flat and hilly prairie land and steppe, the Great Plains measure approximately 2,000 miles (3,200 km) north to south and 500 miles (800 km) east to west.
  
  

History

• The Plains were home to 27 Native American tribes, mostly nomadic and known for their tipi shelters and bison hunting. The Great Plains were settled after the Louisiana Purchase in 1803 and the Homestead Act of 1862.
  
  

Effects

• Pioneer settlement of the Plains brought near extinction to the American bison in the 1800s. American expansion also resulted in the relocation of 46,000 Native Americans by 1837, known as the Trail of Tears.
  
  

Benefits

• Today the Plains area is known for farming, herding and implementation of new technology. The region has experienced some economic revitalization from advancements in wind power development.