Breadbasket

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This article is about the cultural/political concept. For other meanings, see Basket (disambiguation).

The Breadbasket of a country is a region which, because of richness of soil or advantageous climate, produces an agricultural surplus which is often considered vital for the country as a whole. As such the ownership of these regions is historically the subject of fierce military disputes.

Contents 1 Regional breadbaskets 1.1 Classical antiquity 1.2 Portugal 1.3 India 1.4 USSR / Russsian Empire 1.5 North America 1.5.1 Canada 1.5.2 United States 1.5.3 Studies on regionalism

[edit] Regional breadbaskets

[edit] Classical antiquity

Sicilia and Africa were considered the breadbaskets of the Roman Republic. Later on Egypt was considered the breadbasket of the Roman Empire.

[edit] Portugal

Around the 1970´s, Alentejo was considered the breadbasket of Portugal.

[edit] India

The Punjab region is considered the breadbasket of India and Pakistan.

[edit] USSR / Russsian Empire

During Tsarist times the Ukrianian provinces Russian empire, were referred to as the Empire's breadbasket. During the Soviet era, the mantle passed to the Ukrainian SSR.

There is also the Central Black Earth Region within Russia proper.

[edit] North America

North America's Great Plains are a common breadbasket shared between Canada and the United States.

[edit] Canada

In Canada the grain growing areas are also called the Canadian prairies. Somestimes the province of Saskatchewan is further singled out from within this region as the main breakbasket in Canada.

[edit] United States

In the US, this region is called the Grain Belt.

[edit] Studies on regionalism

This region also shares some cultural and poltical traits which lead the authors of two books on regionalism in North America to argue that they form a separate "nation".

In the book Nine Nations of North America, author Joel Garreau identifies the "Breadbasket" as on of nine cultural "nations" in North America.

In the book The Day America Told The Truth by James Patterson and Peter Kim, this region is called the Granary instead, but its boundaries are essentially the same as those Garreau drew for the Breadbasket.

Both books include western Indiana, northern and central Illinois except for the immediate Chicago area, Wisconsin except for the Lake Michigan shoreline, the northern half of Michigan's Upper Peninsula, the states of Minnesota, Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska and Kansas in their entirety, the easternmost tier of counties in Montana, Wyoming, Colorado and northern New Mexico, the northern and western portions of Missouri and Oklahoma, and the Texas Panhandle.