WORLD GEOGRAPHY
CHAPTER 6 NOTES:
PROFILE OF THE
UNITED STATES
SECTION ONE NOTES PP
142--147
I. U.S –QUICK FACTS.
• A) U.S DIVIDED INTO 50 STATES
•
1) 4TH LARGEST COUNTRY IN AREA
•
2) 3RD IN SIZE BY POPULATION
B) THE UNITED STATES IS
CONSIDERED VERY
WEALTHY
• 1) WORLD’S HIGHEST GNP
•
**GNP IS THE TOTAL VALUE OF ALL
GOODS AND SERVICES PRODUCED BY THE
U. S. AND IT’S COMPANIES YEARLY.
•
** GDP IS THE TOTAL VALUE OF ALL
GOODS AND SERVICES PRODUCED BY THE U.
S. AND IT’S COMPANIES YEARLY DIVIDED BY
THE TOTAL POPULATION OF THE U.S.
C) WHY IS THE U.S. SO
WEALTHY?
•
•
1) ABUNDANT NATURAL RESOURCES
2) INNOVATIVE AND ADVANCED
TRANSPORTATION
•
3) INNOVATIVE AND ADVANCED
COMMUNICATION
•
4) INDIVIDUAL FREEDOM-AND FREE
ENTERPRISE ECONOMIC SYSTEM.
II. THE ABUNDANCE OF
NATURAL RESOURCES
A) THE UNITED STATES
BEGAN AS AN
AGRICULTURAL COUNTRY
• 1) 1790 CENSUS—75% OF PEOPLE LIVED ON FARMS
•
2) 1862 HOMESTEAD ACT—GAVE SETTLERS 160 ACRES OF
FREE FARMLAND IF THEY WOULD SETTLE AND FARM THE LAND.
•
3) U.S. GOVERNMENT CREATED AN AGENCY TO JUST HELP
FARMERS CALLED THE –DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
•
4) TODAY, ONLY ABOUT 25% OF U.S. POPULATION LIVES ON
FARMS
•
5) U.S. FARM EXPORTS ABOUT $50 BILLION EACH YEAR.
•
6) STILL, ALMOST 50% OF U.S. LAND IS USED FOR
AGRICULTURE.
B. THE AMERICAN FOREST
INDUSTRY
• 1) TRADITIONAL PRODUCTS CREATED INCLUDE: LUMBER,
FURNITURE, AND PAPER
• 2) NON TRADITIONAL PRODUCTS INCLUDE: SPONGES, FILM,
CHARCOAL, MEDICINES, RAYON, and PLASTICS.
• 3) FOREST PRODUCTION HAS MOVED FROM THE EAST TO THE
SOUTH IN THE 1800’S.
•
** EASIER TO HARVEST FORESTS IN THE SOUTH
THAN THE MIDWEST BECAUSE OF THE WARMER CLIMATE
• 4) TODAY THE MAJORITY (OVER 50%) OF NATIONS LUMBER
COMES FROM FORESTS WEST OF THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS.
•
** Only 5% of Untouched U.S. Forests remain.
• 5) MAN IS RESPONSIBLE TO RENEW THE FORESTS
•
a) Grazing laws, reforestation, better logging practices, selective harvests
C. THE WEALTH FOUND
UNDERGROUND
• 1) COAL—AMERICA’S ABUNDANT RESOURCE
•
** U.S. PRODUCES 1/5 OF WORLD SUPPLY
OF COAL.
•
2) THE MAJORITY OF AMERICA’S FOSSIL FUELS
ARE FOUND IN:
•
a) CENTRAL PLAINS
•
b) WESTERN PLAINS
•
c) ALASKA
•
3) ABUNDANT RESOURCES HELP THE
DEVELOPMENT OF INDUSTRY AND TRADE!
III. MOVING RESOURCES,
GOODS, AND PEOPLE
• A) TRAVEL OVER WATER
•
1) TRAVEL MADE EASIER AND CHEAPER
WITH DEVELOPMENTS OF:
•
** STEAMBOATS
•
** CANAL SYSTEM
•
** IN THE 1800’S NEW YORK
GOVERNOR DEWITT CLINTON BUILT THE
ERIE CANAL, CONNECTING THE GREAT
LAKES TO NEW YORK,
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_f7S4BojGI
B) TRAVEL OVER LAND
• 1) BEFORE 1890, TRANSPORTATION
CENTERED AROUND DEVELOPMENTS IN
THE RAILROAD INDUSTRY.
•
2) AFTER 1900, TRANSPORTATION
ADVANCES WERE IN THE AUTOMOBILE
INDUSTRY.
•
3) IN THE 1950’S THE U.S. BEGAN TO
BUILD THE FIRST INTERSTATE HIGHWAY
SYSTEM
C. COMMUNICATION AND
TECHNOLOGY
• 1) GROWTH IN INDUSTRY IS RELATED TO
GROWTH IN COMMUNICATION
•
2) TODAY THE U.S. RELIES ON
COMMUNICATIONS BY ELECTRONIC MEANS,
CALLED “TELECOMMUNICATIONS”.
•
**Today over 90% of homes in U.S. have
telephones
D) THE RESPECT FOR
INDIVIDUAL FREEDOMS
• 1) THE U. S. IS FOUNDED ON THE IDEA OF INDIVIDUALS
HAVING EQUALITY OF OPPORTUNITY AND
INDIVIDUAL FREEDOMS.
•
•
2) U.S. ECONOMIC SYSTEM CALLED CAPITALISM
OR FREE ENTERPRISE SUPPORTS THOSE BELIEF
3) AMERICANS BELIEVE IN “RUGGED
INDIVIDUALISM”
•
**The willingness of individuals to stand alone
and struggle long and hard to survive and prosper!
SECTION TWO NOTES PP
148-152
• I. GROWTH OF CITIES IN
AMERICA—
• METROPOLITAN AREAS
AND LOCATIONS
A. CHANGING
WORKFORCE IN AMERICA
• 1) SERVICE INDUSTRIES IS THE FASTEST GROWING
SECTION OF U.S. WORKFORCE.
•
a) Jobs or businesses that do not manufacture or gather raw
materials.
• 2) OVER 50% OF TODAY’S WORKFORCE COMES FROM:
•
a) Service Occupations
•
b) Administrative Support
•
c) Professional Specialty
•
• 3) A SHIFT OF POPULATION FROM RURAL TO URBAN
AREAS.
B) THE METROPOLITAN
AREA
• 1) METROPOLITAN AREA—A MAJOR CITY AND
IT’S SURROUNDING AREAS (SUBURBS)
•
** U. S. HAS OVER 250 METROPOLITAN
AREAS
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mfRQ5b6_9SQ
• 2) THE VALUE OF A CITY BASED ON THESE
FACTORS:
•
a) Changes in transportation and technology
•
b) Changes in economic activities
•
c) Changes in popular preferences
C) TRANSPORTATION AFFECTS THE
PATTERN OF SETTLEMENT
• 1) IN EARLY STAGES OF U.S. --MAJOR
CITIES WERE LOCATED ALONG THE
ATLANTIC COAST
•
**SEAPORTS AND TRADE
•
** CITIES THEN DEVELOPED ALONG
THE MAJOR RIVERS.
2) DEVELOPMENTS HELPED
CONNECT THE EAST COAST TO THE
MIDWEST AND THE WESTERN U.S.
• a) Erie Canal built by Dewitt Clinton,
Governor of New York-- helped develop cities
in the Great Lakes region
• b) Transcontinental Railroad—Connected
Omaha, Nebraska to Sacramento, California.
– CONNECTED THE EAST AND WEST
COASTS!
3) BY THE 1950’S THE FIRST
INTERSTATE HIGHWAY
WAS BEING BUILT.
• ***OVER 8 MIILION NEW CARS WERE BUILT EACH
YEAR DURING THE 1950’S
• *** TRANSPORTATION FROM 1780-1900 WAS ALL
ABOUT THE DEVELOPMENT OF RAILROADS.
• ***AFTER 1900 IT WAS ALL ABOUT DEVELOPMENT
OF THE AUTOMOBILE.
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e7BOQtfQ-0Q
HOW WOULD A NEW HIGHWAY
AFFECT THE CITY IT IS
CONNECTED TO?
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
* INCREASE IN TRAFFIC
*DEVELOPMENT OF NEW BUSINESS
* LESS LAND FOR FARMING
*INCREASE IN POPULATION
* NEED FOR NEW SCHOOLS
* NEED FOR MORE POLICE
* NEED FOR MORE HOUSING
* DEVELOPMENT OF THE INFRASTRUCTURE
D) THE IMPACT OF
MIGRATION
• 1) CHANGES CAUSED PEOPLE AND
BUSINESSES TO MOVE FROM THE RURAL
AREAS TO THE CITIES IN THE 1950’S !(AFTER
WWII)
•
*** LAND WAS AVAILABLE AND CHEAP!!
• 2) TODAY PEOPLE MOVE TO AREAS BECAUSE
OF CLIMATE OR BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES.
• ** CITIES IN THE SOUTH AND WEST HAVE
SHOWN THE MOST GROWTH!!
E. CITIES AND TOWNS
• 1) 80 % OF PEOPLE LIVE IN METROPOLITAN AREAS
• 2) PEOPLE ARE CONNECTED BY THEIR PARTICIPATION
IN ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES
•
***PRIMARY ACTIVITY—GROW VEGTABLES ON
THE FARM
•
•
***SECONDARY ACTIVITY—VEGTABLES CANNED
IN A FACTORY
*** TERTIARY ACTIVITY—TRANSPORTING
CANNED VEGTABLES TO A WAREHOUSE FOR
STORGAE
• *** QUATERNARY ACTIVITY—DECIDING HOW MUCH
TO STORE INTHE WAREHOUSE AND HOW MUCH TO
SHIP OUT!
F) FUNCTION AND CITY SIZE-HIEARCHY
•
1) CITIES ARE RANKED BY THEIR
HIEARCHY.
•
**HIEARCHY IS BASED ON A CITY’S
POPULATION, ACTIVITIES(HINTERLAND)
AND POLITICS
•
EXAMPLE: FARM, VILLAGE OR SMALL
TOWN, LARGE TOWN, CITY, METROPOLIS.
• (OAKVILLE AND SURROUNDING
FARMLAND, WAPELLO, WASHINGTON,
CEDAR RAPIDS, QUAD CITIES)
F) FUNCTION AND CITY SIZE-HINTERLANDS
• 2) A CITY AND THE SURROUNDING AREA
IT AFFECTS IS CALLED THE
HINTERLAND
•
• *** THE SIZE OF A CITY AND IT’S
ACTIVITIES WILL DETERMINE THE
SIZE OF IT’S HINTERLAND.