NORTH AMERICA
For discussion purposes North America consists of the U.S. & Canada (the book ignores
Greenland (Denmark) & Sts. Pierre & Miguelon (France))
MAIN THEMES
Environmental Geography – Many N. American localities across the Great Plains & American
West will experience major water shortages in the 21st century as groundwater supplies
are used up
Population & Settlement – Sprawling suburbs are found around hundreds of N. American cities,
resulting in longer commutes for urban workers & the loss of prime agricultural lands
Cultural Coherence & Diversity – There has been tremendous growth in Hispanic & Asian
immigrants to N. America since 1970
Geopolitics – The global geopolitical role of the U.S. remains ill-defined & is changing in
response to terrorism threats around the world & the current conflict in Iraq
Economic & Social Development – N. America is a dominant player in the global economy
CANADA
Area – 3,849,630 mi2 (9.97 x 106 km2)
Threatened & Endangered Species (animals) – 51
Threatened & Endangered Species (plants) – 1
UNITED STATES
Area – 3,717,796 mi2 (9.62 x 106 km2)
Threatened & Endangered Species (animals) – 829
Threatened & Endangered Species (plants) – 168
In both countries most people live in the eastern half & in Canada ~90% live within 100 mi of
the U.S. border
Both countries have large ethnic minorities:
1) French Canadians in Canada
2) Blacks in the U.S. (1/8 of the population but were surpassed by Hispanics in 2000)
3) Hispanics (12.5+%, i.e. 1/8 + of the population), concentrated in CA, TX, NM, AZ, CO &
also NY (Puerto Ricans) & FL (Cubans)
4) Asian-Americans (3.6% of the population)
Geographic Assets of the U.S. & Canada
1) size – among the Earth’s 5 largest countries
2) internal unity
3) resource wealth
4) not over populated
5) developed mechanized economies early & under favorable conditions
6) neighborly relations
7) geographic diversity
8) institutional stability
Together these create a regional base that has a rich history of economic development & relative
abundance for its population
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY
1) Gulf-Atlantic Coastal Plain (southern NY to TX)
2) Piedmont, Appalachian Mts, & Interior Highlands
3) Interior Lowlands (west central Canada to coastal lowlands near the Gulf of Mexico, inc.
Great Lakes & lower Ohio River Valley)
4) Rocky Mts (from Alaska to northern NM)
5) Pacific Mts & Valleys (SE Alaska, BC, WA, OR, CA)
CLIMATE
Climate is also varied
ENVIRONMENTAL GEOGRAPHY
1) Water
The U.S. is the 3rd largest consumer of water in the world, after China & India. City
dwellers use 170 gpd (gal/person/day), agriculture/industry uses 1500 gpd, ~45% of water used
in the U.S. is for manufacturing & energy production, 40% for agriculture, remaining 15% for
home & business use.
Eastern U.S. & Canada have outdated municipal water supply systems; water tables have
fallen more than 100 ft (30m) in some locations in the past 50 yrs. Other areas have too much
water & flooding causes a major threat, esp. from the Mississippi & Missouri rivers
Pollution is also a concern from mining, chemical/paper/steel plants, petroleum industry,
fertilizers & pesticides
2) Atmosphere
Many localities suffer from air pollution (CO, SOx, NOx, HC, particulates); many of these
cause acid rain, esp. in the Ohio Valley, Appalachia, NE U.S. & eastern Canada
3) Natural Hazards
a) Periodic drought cycles in the Midwest
b) Tornadoes in the Midwest
c) Hurricanes & coastal flooding along the Atlantic & Gulf coasts (if global warming
continues it could get worse)
d) Earthquakes from Alaska to the U.S./Mexico border
e) Volcanoes in the Pacific NW
f) Wildfires in the west
Many of these hazards have been magnified by the economic affluence of the region’s
population
POPULATION & SETTLEMENT
Metropolitan clusters dominate the region producing uneven patterns of settlement. The largest
number of cities & densest collection of rural settlements are found south of central Canada &
east of the 100th meridian. The largest settlement agglomeration is the Boswash Corridor in the
U.S. – a megalopolis (large urban region formed by the merging of cities)
Internal Migration
1) Westward migration is the most persistent trend; bet. 1990-2000 the fastest growing
states/provinces were CA, TX, AZ, NV (Las Vegas is N. Am. fastest growing major
metropolitan area), ALB, BC. It has been fueled by new jobs in high tech & scenic, recreational
& retirement amenities. By 1990, > ½ of the U.S. population lived west of Mississippi
2) Bet. 1910-1920 & 1940-1960, many Blacks left the South for the North and job
opportunities (Boston, NY, Philadelphia, Detroit, Chicago, LA, SF/Oakland). However, since
1970 more Blacks have moved from the North to the South
3) Rural to Urban; 75% of N. Americans are urban
4) Growth of the Sun Belt after 1970 due to its economy, lower living costs, air
conditioning, recreational opportunities, lack of snow
Evolution of the U.S. City
1) pre 1888: walking/horsecar
2) 1888-1920: electric streetcar
3) 1920-1945: recreational automobile
4) 1945-Present: freeway
This resulted in urban sprawl & its consequences: loss of resources in the city, farmland
converted to suburbs, longer commutes, gentrification (movement of upscale individuals to
rundown inner city areas thereby displacing lower-income residents but resulting in the
rehabilitation of deteriorated inner cities), suburban downtowns
CULTURAL COHERENCE & DIVERSITY
North America is a region of immigrants & both Canada & the U.S. have significant
ethnic communities
Migration Phases to the U.S.
1. Prior to 1820: English & African dominated w/Irish, Dutch, French & Germans
1820s – 130,000
2. 1820-1870: NW Europe w/Irish & Germans dominating
1850s – 2.8 x 106
3. 1870-1920: S & E Europe w/ Italians, Poles, Russians & Austro-Hungarians dominating
(1880-1920): large numbers of Scandinavians
1900 – 1.0 x 106 per year
4. 1920-1970: Canada & Latin America
substantial drop in numbers due to laws, the Great Depression & WWII
5. 1970-Present: Latin America & Asia
numbers are higher than the early 20th C; 25% Mexican
Migration to Canada - similar to the U.S. but w/ some differences.
1. Early French arrivals concentrated in the St. Lawrence Valley.
2. After 1765, British, Irish & Americans dominate.
3. 1900-1920: Eastern Europeans, Italians, Ukrainians & Russians
3 x 106 +
4. Present: 60% are Asians
Cultural Homelands – culturally distinctive nucleus of settlement in a well-defined geographical
area; its ethnicity survives over time & imprints the landscape w/ an enduring personality
Ex: French in Quebec, Hispanic Borderlands in SW U.S., Black Belt in SE U.S., Cajuns
in Louisiana, Navajo Reservation in Four Corners area of the U.S.
Religion
Protestant: 60% U.S.
40% Canada
Catholic: 25% U.S. (NE & SW)
44% Canada (Quebec)
Orthodox Christians (5 x 106), Jews (7 x 106), Muslims (6 x 106), Buddhists (1 x 106),
Hindus (1 x 106)