Why 80% of Americans Live East of This Line

There's a fascinating geographic reason for why such a high percentage of Americans live east of a specific line. The culprit? The mighty Rocky Mountains!

Here's the breakdown:

Rainshadow Effect: The Rocky Mountains act as a giant wall, blocking moisture-laden clouds from the Pacific Ocean. This creates a rain shadow effect, leaving the vast area east of the mountains much drier than the west.
Arid Lands: With less rainfall, the land west of the Rockies becomes arid and less suitable for large-scale agriculture. This limited the ability to sustain big populations historically.
The 98th Meridian: This line of longitude roughly marks the dramatic shift in precipitation. Around 80% of Americans live east of this line, while the remaining 20% are spread out across the much larger western territory.
There are other contributing factors, but the rain shadow effect from the Rockies is a major driver of this lopsided population distribution.
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