NORTH AMERICA
(CHAPTER 3)
DEFINING CHARACTERISTICS
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(US & CANADA)
ENGLISH LANGUAGE
CHRISTIAN FAITHS
EUROPEAN NORMS
 GOVERNMENT, ARCHITECTURE, DIET, ARTS
HIGHLY URBANIZED
MOBILE POPULATIONS
HIGH INCOMES
FEDERAL STATES
PHYSIOGRAPHIC
REGIONS
CLIMATE PATTERNS
THE IMMIGRANT EXPERIENCE: 1820-1980
South/East
Europe
Immigration in 1000s
10000
Germany
8000
6000
Latin America
Asia
Scandinavia
British
Isles
4000
2000
182
0
1840
Push Factors
1860
1880
1900
+1840s: Irish Potato Famine
+1850-1920: Overpopulation, War
+Recent: Overpopulation, War, Oppression
1920
1940
1960
Pull Factors
1980
+Economic Opportunity
+Political/Religious Freedom
+Land Availability
ETHNIC PATTERNS
POPULATION DISTRIBUTION
URBAN GEOGRAPHY
 CONCERNED WITH THE SPATIAL ASPECTS OF
CITIES AND URBAN SYSTEMS
 MAJOR THEMES
 HISTORICAL EVOLUTION OF CITIES
 PLANNING AND POLICY-MAKING
 URBAN SPATIAL CHANGE:
Single-centered urban structure of the past is
transformed into a multicentered model in which
several outlying activity concentrations rival the
Central Business District (CBD)
COMPONENTS OF THE SPATIAL
ECONOMY
 ACTIVITIES OR SECTORS
 Primary
(Extractive Activities)
 Secondary
(Manufacturing)
 Tertiary
(Services)
 Quaternary
(Information)
 Quinary
(Management)
INDUSTRIAL LOCATION
FACTORS
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Location of raw materials
Labor availability
Energy availability
Location of markets
Transportation
NORTH AMERICAN MANUFACTURING
POSTINDUSTRIAL COMMUNICATIONS
FUEL
RESOURCES
AGRICULTURE IN THE U.S.
“MAIN STREET CLUSTER” IN CANADA
Quebec City
Toronto
See next slide
Montreal
Detroit
Windsor
C
A
N
A
D
A
Canada achieves 79% urbanization, like the U.S.
REGIONS OF THE REALM
Pick one of these 9 and discuss in detail, for test:
 NORTH AMERICAN CORE
 MARITIME NORTHEAST
 FRENCH CANADA
 CONTINENTAL INTERIOR
 SOUTH
 SOUTHWEST
 WESTERN FRONTIER
 NORTHERN FRONTIER
 PACIFIC HINGE
REGIONS
OF THE
REALM
NORTH AMERICAN CORE
 SYNONYMOUS WITH THE MANUFACTURING BELT
 CONTAINS LARGEST CITY AND CAPITAL OF
BOTH COUNTRIES
 EXTENSIVE TRANSPORTATION NETWORKS AND
FACILITIES
 GROWING IMPACT OF POSTINDUSTRIAL
DEVELOPMENT AND GLOBALIZATION
MARITIME NORTHEAST
 UPPER NEW ENGLAND AND THE
ATLANTIC PROVINCES
 ECONOMIC FOCUS
 PRIMARY ACTIVITIES
 RECREATION
 TOURISM
FRENCH CANADA
 THE SOUTHERN PORTION OF QUEBEC
AND NEIGHBORING ACADIA
 LONG LOT LAND DIVISION SYSTEM
 IMPACT OF QUEBEC’S SEPARATIST
MOVEMENT
 MONTREAL
FRANCOPHONE QUEBEC
CONTINENTAL INTERIOR
 CENTER OF CONTERMINOUS U.S. AND
SOUTHERN CANADA
 TREMENDOUS AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTIVITY
 CORN AND WHEAT BELTS; SOYBEANS
 URBAN CENTERS
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KANSAS CITY
MINNEAPOLIS-ST PAUL
WINNIPEG
OMAHA
DENVER
SOUTH
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SOUTHEAST CORNER OF THE REALM
MOST DYNAMIC REGION IN TERMS OF CHANGE
CONTINUING ECONOMIC PROBLEMS
POVERTY AND INCOME DISPARITY
CHANGING DEMOGRAPHICS
SOUTHWEST
 US-MEXICAN BORDERLAND – a lot of
cross-migration to work
 A TRICULTURAL REGION
E. J. PALKA
WESTERN FRONTIER
 REALM’S NEWEST
REGION
 POPULATION INFLUX
 THE LAS VEGAS BOOM
 OTHER METROPOLISES
 DENVER
 SALT LAKE CITY
NORTHERN FRONTIER
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NORTH OF 52°N LATITUDE
NORTH AMERICA’S LARGEST REGION
FRONTIER STATUS
INDIGENOUS PEOPLES
PACIFIC HINGE
 PACIFIC COASTLANDS OF
THE CONTERMINOUS U.S.
AND SW CANADA
 LEGACY OF 20TH CENTURY
CONTINUOUS GROWTH
 BALANCE BETWEEN
DEVELOPMENT AND THE
ENVIRONMENT
 NATURAL HAZARDS