Canada
is the 2nd largest
country in the world
rd
The United States is the 3
largest country
(Russia is the largest)
Extend from the Atlantic
Ocean to the Pacific Ocean
and from the Arctic Ocean to
the Gulf of Mexico
This map can be
found on page 118 in
your text book!
 The
Eastern Lowlands (aka GulfAtlantic Coastal Plains)
› Flat coastal plains that runs along
the Atlantic and the Gulf of
Mexico
› Piedmont: low plateau between
the Eastern Lowlands and the
Appalachian mountains
 Contains many fast-flowing rivers
 The
Interior Lowlands
› Covers interior of North
America
› Flattened by glaciers
› Interior plains
› Great Plains
› Canadian Shield
 Appalachian
Highlands
› Green Mts. and Catskill
Mts.= North
› Blue Ridge and Great
Smokey Mts. = South
› Appalachian Trail = 2,160
miles long
 Western
Mountains, Plateaus, and
Basins
› Rocky Mountains
› Continental Divide
› Sierra Nevada
› Cascade Range
› North America’s highest peak =
Mt. McKinley

Appalachian
Mountains
› West of the coastal
plain
› 1,600 miles long
from
Newfoundland to
Alabama
› 400 million years
old
› 1,200 ft to 2,000 ft
high

Rocky Mountains
› Continental Divide
› 3,000 miles (4,830
km) from British
Columbia,
Canada, to New
Mexico, United
States.
› 80 million years old
› 12,000 ft high
 The
Islands
› Ellesmere,
Victoria,
Baffin Islands
› Aleutian
Islands
› Hawaiian
Islands
Mississippi River =
longest in continent
 Mackenzie River =
Canada’s longest river
 Colorado River=
formed Grand Canyon

Great Lakes
Formed by glaciers
at the end of the
last glacial period
around 10,000
years ago
Both
countries rich in
natural resources:
› Fertile soil
› Ample water supply
› Vast forests
› Variety of minerals
 Canada
= iron ore, nickel,
copper, gold, uranium
 United States= Fishing, River
transportation, salt
 Both countries = coal, natural
gas, oil, energy producing
fossil fuels
1/2
of Canada and 1/3 of
the U.S. is covered by forests
North America is the world’s
leading food exporter
› Much of this agricultural
land is found in the plains
region and in river valleys

Cold Climates
› Tundra
 Far North Canada/ Alaska
 Near the Arctic Circle
 Almost no vegetation
› Subarctic
 Arctic coast of Alaska and Canada
 Very little vegetation if any
› Winters = long and bitterly cold
› Summers = brief and chilly
› Highland
 Rocky Mountains and Pacific Ranges
 Coniferous forests

Moderate Climates
› Winters cold Summers Warm
› Humid continental
 North central/ northeastern U.S. and Southern
Canada
 Semi dry
› Pacific west coast
 Rainy
› Prevailing Westerlies
Milder
climates
› Humid Subtropical
 Summers hot and muggy
 Winters mild and cool
 Long growing season for variety
of crops
 Southern States
 Dry
Climates
› Semiarid
 Dry and mild temperatures
 Short grasses/ srubs
 Great Plains and northern part of Great
Basin
› Arid
 Southwestern states
 Very dry/ warm temperatures
 Very little vegetation
Tropical
Climates
› Hawaii and
Southern Florida
 Florida Everglades
 Hot, rainy climate

Air from the Gulf of Mexico
( warm and humid) clash
with Canadian air (cold
and dry
› Blizzards in the North
› Thunderstorms in the south
› Great Plains= tornado ally
First
inhabitants were nomads;
people who move from place
to place
Beringia: land bridge
that once connected
Siberia and Alaska
they were hunters and
gathers
 Early
settlements became
permanent about 13,000 years ago
› Agriculture
 Included: corn, beans & squash
› Changed the landscape to meet
their needs
 Dug ditches
 Cut down trees to build houses/
fuel for fires.

Montreal, Quebec (1642):
› Below freezing over 100 days of
the year
› Canada’s 2nd largest city and a
major port
› Includes underground shops &
restaurants

Los Angeles: 2nd most populous
city in U.S.
› Very mild climate all year
round
› Rapid growth forced people
into nearby valleys and
desert-like foothills.
› The city itself is only 469
square miles however the
metropolitan area spreads
over 4,060 square miles
› With rapid growth and high
population came
 Trails
and Inland
Waterways
› St. Lawrence
Seaway: N.A.’s
most important
deepwater ship
route
 Connects Great
Lakes to Atlantic
› Oregon and Santa Fe
trails 1800’s
 Transcontinental Railroads
› 1st one completed in U.S. in 1869
› Trans-Canada railroad completed in
1885
 National
Systems
Highway
› Trans-Canada
Highway
› U.S. interstate
system is a
network of more
than 46,000 miles
of highway

Original settlers around 13,000 years ago.
› Called Nomads
› The women learned to grows crops, harvest
them and prepare the food to eat.
› Women would also gather berries, wild
plants, leaves and roots for medicine.

Spanish settlers came during the 1500’s
› “New World”
› St. Augusta, Florida

French
› 1600’s
› Northern Atlantic
Coast near St.
Lawrence River

English
› 1600’s
› Maine to Georgia
› 1607 Jamestown,
Virginia

In 1617 European
colonies brought over
Africans to work the
cotton and tobacco
plantations as slave
laborers.
› This was the start of the
Columbian Exchange.
American Revolution
(1775-1783)
 Louisiana Purchase
(1803)



Constitution
Representative democracy
› Federal republic

Three Branches
› Executive, Legislative, Judicial

States government
 The
U.S. has about 7% of the
world’s land area and 5% of the
world’ population
 The U.S. is a world leader in:
› Agricultural products
› Manufactured goods
› Global trade (10% of world’s
exports)
 Three
factors contribute to overall
success of the American
economy:
› Available natural resources
› Skilled labor force
› Stable political system
 Economy is run on a free enterprise
system
FREE ENTERPRISE
COMMUNISM
INDIVIDUALS MAKE DECISIONS
ON BUYING AND SELLING
CENTRAL GOVERNMENT MAKES
DECISIONS
HIGHER STANDARD OF LIVING
MIXED STANDARD OF LIVING
American
farms and
ranches supply
about:
› 40% of corn
› 20% of cotton
› 10% of wheat,
cattle, hogs
 Leading
industries include:
› Petroleum
› Steel
› Transportation equipment
› Chemicals
› Food processing
› Telecommunications
› Electronics
 Service
Industry: any kind of
economic activity that produces a
service rather than a product
› Ex. Restaurant, hotel
 Postindustrial Economy:
manufacturing no longer plays a
dominant role
 Multinationals: corporations that
engage in worldwide business
 70%
 13%
trace ancestry to Europe
trace ancestry from Central
and South America
 12% trace ancestry to Africa
 4% trace ancestry to Asia
 1% are Native Americans
 A map can be seen on page 142
in text book
English Language is dominant
language
 Spanish is 2nd
 1,000 different religious groups in the
U.S.
› 56% = Protestants
› 28% = Roman Catholics
› 2% = Jewish
› 2% = Muslim

 Truly
American styles began to
develop in the 19th century in:
› Painting
› Music
› Literature
› Architecture
 skyscraper
Like the United States, people migrated
across Beringia into Canada, these
people were the ancestors of the Inuit
(Eskimos)
 16th and 17th centuries, French claimed
most of Canada
 French and Indian War (1754-1763)- war
over lands in North America






Land split between Catholic and
Protestant
Upper Canada had a English speaking
majority (Great Lakes)
Lower Canada had a French speaking
population (Quebec, St. Lawrence River)
1867- Dominion of Canada was created
to be a loose confederation (political
union of Upper and Lower Canada)
1871- Canada stretched from the
Atlantic to the Pacific
With
this stretch of
land, what had to be
developed in order to
have successful
settlement?
1872Canadian
government
began
construction of
the
Transcontinental
Railroad
Canada is known for its mineral
deposits such as gold, copper, zinc
and silver.
 Jobs and land was now open to all,
creating more opportunities for
immigrants from other parts of
Europe besides Britain
 Much of the ice melted in Canada,
providing people with opportunities
to develop cities and industries.
 Nearly all of the growth from cities
took place only 100 miles from the
U.S. border

1931- Britain recognized
Canada as a
independent nation
 Canada created a
parliamentary
government, a system
which legislative and
executive functions are
combined in a
legislature.

 Parliament
handles all
legislative matters.
 Consists of an appointed
Senate and elected House
of Commons.
 The majority party’s leader
in Parliament becomes the
Prime Minister , their head
of government
 Canada’s
economy is based
largely on the trade of its
many natural resources such
as mining, logging, fishing
and farming.
 Biggest export is in forest
products, wood and paper
 Mining is second because of
the natural mineral deposits
 Canada
exports more fish
than any other country
 Manufacturing raw goods
accounts for 15% of
Canadian jobs
 Most of this manufacturing is
done in the Canadian
heartland- Quebec to
Ontario
 Tourism
is the fastest
growing service in Canada
 U.S. is Canada’s chief
trading partner
 NAFTA- North American
Free Trade Agreement
(Canada, U.S. and Mexico)
 Canada
is officially a
bilingual countryEnglish (Protestant) speaking
majority and a French
(Catholic) speaking minority
 More than 80% of all
Canadians live on only 10%
of the land- 100 miles North
of U.S. border
 Canada
is divided into 10
provinces and 3 territories
 Atlantic provinces- Prince
Edward Island, New Brunswick,
Nova Scotia and Newfoundland
 This province only contain 8% of
the population
 Small
population because of
rocky terrain and harsh
weather
 90% of the land in New
Brunswick is covered in forests
 Even though these provinces
deal with harsh weather and
non-agricultural land, the
people use what is given to
them. . . Logging, lumber,
seafood as well as mining.
 Nova
Scotia boasts one of
the largest fish-processing
plants in North America
 Due to the water
resources of these people,
its hydroelectric-power
resources are supplying
power to Quebec and
parts of Northeastern U.S.
Canada’s core provinces are
Quebec and Ontario.
 3 out of 5 Canadians live there
 Ontario is the largest province as far
as population and Quebec is the
largest province as far as land area.
 Ontario = English speaking majority
 Quebec = French speaking majority

Most settlement is
found along the
Great Lakes and the
St. Lawrence River
 Ottawa, Ontario is
the capital of the
federal government
(Canada’s D.C.)
 Montreal is the 2nd
largest city and is the
center of economic
and political activity
in Quebec

Niagara Falls,
Ontario
 The
Prairie Provinces are
Manitoba, Saskatchewan and
Alberta
 These provinces are the center
for the nations agricultural
yield- 50% of Canada’s
agricultural production
 About 60% of the mineral
output comes from this area as
well
 British
Columbia is the
western most province in
Canada, nearly all of it lies
within the Rocky Mountains
 Victoria and Vancouver are
British Columbia’s largest
cities
 Nunavut
is a territory that was
carved out of the eastern half
of the Northwest Territories
 It is home to the Inuit (Eskimos),
in 1999 the Canadian
government wanted to settle
land claims that had been
plaguing the Inuit for hundreds
of years.