We’ve begun to describe the region that Ogallala Commons serves, in a recent post about the Ogallala Aquifer. But, there might be a few things about the Northern, Central, and Southern High Plains that you might not have known. Test your knowledge with these fun facts and figures:
Did you know…
- The High Plains region encompasses eight states, including southeastern Wyoming, southwestern South Dakota, western Nebraska, eastern Colorado, western Kansas, eastern New Mexico, western Oklahoma and northwestern Texas.
- Three of the most common plants in the region? Short grass, prickly pear cacti, and scrub bushes.
- The region is not a desert, but is semi-arid with an average rainfall of 10-20 inches per year.
- The High Plains has one of the lowest population densities of any region in the continental United States.
- The region’s is primarily sustained by agriculture.
- Because the reason receives so little moisture, wide extremes in temperatures occur.
- The High Plains region grows 1/5 of all the irrigated crops in the U.S., thanks to the High Plains-Ogallala Aquifer.
- The most common irrigated crop is corn, with a large percentage of that being used as feed for livestock.
- The area was once populated by nomadic tribes that depended on vast bison herds, including the Comanche, Kiowa, Cheyenne, Arapaho, Pawnee, Apache, and Sioux tribes.
- The High Plains is part of the amazing Great Plains biome, originally a sea of grass before 19th and 20th century settlement converted millions of acres to farming. The Great Plains extend from Canada across the U.S. to northern Mexico.
The Great Plains region, which includes our own High Plains. (Photo Credit) What is your favorite fact about the High Plains region? Share yours in the comments below!
