Original: In particular , the eastern Midwest near the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains ; the Great Lakes Basin ; the Ozark Mountains of southern Missouri ; the rugged topography of Southern Indiana and far Southern Illinois ; and the Driftless Area of southwest Wisconsin , southeast Minnesota , and northeast Iowa exhibit a high degree of topographical variety .
Simplified: For example , the eastern Midwest near the Appalachian Mountains , the Great Lakes basin , and northern parts of Wisconsin , Minnesota , and Iowa are not flat .