Marquez is 10 years old and lives with his single mother, who struggles to make ends meet. Despite living in a neighborhood filled with crime and attending a school with poor educational outcomes, Marquez is well-behaved and is a great student. Marquez is an example of a child.

Americans often speak of their country as one of several large regions.  these regions are cultural units rather than governmental units --  formed by history and geography and shaped by the economics, literature and folkways that all the parts of a region share. what makes one region different from another? a region's multicultural heritage as well as distinct demographic characteristics like age and occupation make regions different and special. within several regions, language is used differently and there are strong dialects. there are also differences in outlook and attitude based on geography.