Human Environment and
Interaction
 St Lawrence Seaway - North America’s most
important deep water ship route; joint project between
USA and Canada.
 A system of locks, canals, and channels that allow large
ship to travel from central North America, through the
Great Lakes, and out to the Atlantic Ocean.
Human Environment and
Interaction
The diagram below shows the sequence ships would travel
from west to east. Notice the depth of the lakes, and the
elevation change from Lake Erie to Montreal. Without the
locks boats would not have been able to travel over this
area because of waterfalls.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XLTfO6E1b40
Railroads
 Trains were instrumental in settling the western part of the United States of
America.
 To encourage development of rail lines westward, the
government offered railroad companies massive land
grants and bonds. Railroads received millions of acres of
public lands and sold that land to generate money for
the construction of the railroads. The federal
government gave 134 million acres of land as incentives
to the railroads.
Human Environment and
Interaction
 Hoover Dam
Human Environment and
Interaction
Human Environment and
Interaction
 Hoover Dam
 Why was it built



To help control flooding
To provide water for irrigation
To produce hydroelectric power
Location
What is the absolute location of North America?
What is the relative location of North America?
Population and Migration
Beringia-Land bridge that once connected Siberia and
Alaska
Population and Migration
• Columbian Exchange - The exchange of plants, animals, disease, and people
(slaves) between the old and new worlds.
Population and Migration
 Melting Pot (USA) vs Mosaic (Canada)
 Melting pot is much closer to assimilation
 Mosaic is much closer to multiculturalism
 Plano, TX –no “towns”
 Los Angeles- Chinatown, Korea town, Little Italy,
Population Geography of Canada
• About 90% of Canada’s
population lives within 100
miles of the US-Canadian border.
• One-third of Canada’s population
lives in Toronto, Montreal, and
Vancouver.
Population Geography of USA
East Coast -first settled, then West Coast, Middle
America.
Place
 What is it like when you get here?
Culture/Government
 Canada is a constitutional monarchy and a
federal state with a democratic parliament.
 USA-Constitution-based federal republic; strong
democratic tradition
Culture-People
 Metis- People of French and Native heritage.
 Immigrant-someone who comes to a new country.
(Push or Pull) Railways (Pull)
 Refugee- someone forced to flee their country due to
war, persecution or violence. (Push)
Culture Religion
• Canada-
Catholics 44%
Protestants 30%
• USA-
Protestants – 60%
Catholics – 26%
Culture Language
 Canada - 2 official languages
 French and English
USA - O official languages. The federal
government has never mandated an official
language
English spoken by 80% of America
Spanish spoken by 30% of America
Regions
 How are areas the same.
Regions of Canada
•Maritime Atlantic Provinces- Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edwards
Island, and Newfoundland.
•Core – Quebec and Ontario (Includes French Canada
•Prairie Provinces – Manitoba,
Saskatchewan, and Alberta
•Western Province- British Columbia
•Northern Frontier- Nunavut,
Northwest Territory, Yukon
©2010, TESCCC
Maritime
or
Atlantic Provinces
•Atlantic Canada - Easternmost provinces of
Newfoundland, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia,
and Prince Edward Island
•Cod fishing - mainstay of region’s economy
•The Grand Banks – Shallow waters in the
Atlantic, rich source of fish.
Core Provinces
•Ontario and Quebec
•Two-thirds of Canada's population
lives in this region.
•Settled along the St. Lawrence River
and the Great Lakes
•Ontario - strongly British
•Quebec - 80% of the population of
French origin.
Prairie Provinces
•Prairie region - Manitoba,
Saskatchewan, and Alberta.
•Wheat, petroleum, and coal
•Newly discovered “shale oil”
reserves may be larger than the
Middle East.
•Major urban centers include
Edmonton, Calgary, and Winnipeg.
Western Provinces
•Western Frontier - centered in
Vancouver, British Columbia, at the
mouth of the Fraser River.
•More than one-half of the province's
population lives in the Vancouver area,
which is the region's main industrial,
administrative, financial, and cultural
center.
•Vancouver is home to the second largest
Chinatown in North America.
•Shares many of the same characteristics
at the Pacific Northwest of the U.S.
©2010, TESCCC
Northern Frontier:
Territories
•Canadian North – sparsely
populated
–Nickel, copper, and uranium
are the major resource metals
mined and exported from the
area.
–Forestry, pulp manufacture,
and hydroelectricity additional economic
resources
•Nunavut is the newest political
unit.
(1999)
©2010, TESCCC
Major Regions of the United States
● Northeast
● Midwest/Rust Belt
● South
● Great Plains
● Western Interior
● Pacific West
● Alaska and Hawaii
Northeast
Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut,
Rhode Island, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware,
Maryland, and the District of Columbia
Historical Geography
• longest history of European settlement, gateway to immigrants.
• financial and manufacturing hub early in the industrial revolution.
Economic Geography
• Rural areas are agricultural – primary sector
• Urban areas are major world economic centers – tertiary,
quaternary sectors
Cultural Geography
• Very diverse, large population – many ethnic groups and
languages
• Usually votes Democrat
Midwest “Why is it called the Rust Belt?”
Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Iowa
Historical Geography
• Once the “Western Frontier”, hence the name.
• Breadbasket of the U.S., as this is an agricultural region.
• Also known as a manufacturing, blue-collar hub of the U.S.
Economic Geography
• Formerly mining and manufacturing center – primary and
secondary sector
• Decline in recent past, hurt area economy, jobs moved away
Cultural Geography
• Large cities, declining population - Urban Gentrification in some
places. “White Flight” in 1960’s-80’s.
• Mainly blue collar, rural areas mainly white
South
North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi,
Tennessee, Arkansas, Virginia, W. Virginia, Kentucky, and Louisiana
Historical Geography
• settled as an agricultural region, with slavery and cash crops
• Anglo Protestant plantation farmers were dominant group.
• Significant in US Civil War (1861-65) and Civil Rights Movement
(1960’s)
Economic Geography
• Agriculture, new heavy industry, tourism
• Moving from primary sector to secondary and tertiary sectors
Cultural Geography
• Large African-American population
• Strongly Christian, usually votes Republican
• Culture still has connection to Civil War
Great Plains
Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota, North Dakota,
Oklahoma,
Historical Geography
• Staging point of war between the native people and the
American settlers, especially after the 1862 “Homestead
Act”.
• Was also used for cattle grazing and cattle drives, cities
founded as railroad hubs for cattle.
Economic Geography
•
Agriculture – farming and cattle, Primary sector
•
Region makes enough food to feed whole world
Cultural Geography
•
People are mainly Anglo, Protestant
•
Mainly rural – lots of small towns, fewer cities
Western Interior States
New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, Utah,
Nevada, Arizona, Texas
Historical Geography
•Mining towns, Outlaws (Wild West)
•Cattle/Sheep Grazing, Reservation Lands
•Las Vegas and Reno- Gambling towns
Cultural Geography
•Low population density
•Large Hispanic population, as well as Native Americans
Pacific West States
California, Oregon, Washington
Historical Geography
• Population grew during the 1840’s “Gold Rush”.
• Grew again when irrigation and canals brought water to dry
areas for farming.
Economic Geography
• Mostly mining and ranching, primary sectors; tourism,
tertiary sectors.
• High-tech centers in San Francisco, Seattle areas –
quaternary sector
• Entertainment and media in Southern California
Cultural Geography
• Presently, about one-seventh of the United States
population lives in southern California.
• Rapidly increasing urban population, due to high birth rate
and immigration
• Large Hispanic population
Alaska and Hawaii
Alaska and Hawaii, Pacific Ocean
Historical Geography
• Alaska was purchased from Russian Empire in
1867, for $7.2 million, became a territory in 1912,
and the 49th state of the U.S. in 1959.
• Hawaii was independent republic from 1894 until
1898, then annexed by USA. Attack on Pearl
Harbor by Japan on December 7, 1941. Became a
state in 1959.
Economic Geography
• Tourism and fishing, agriculture in Hawaii
• Oil, mining, and forestry important in Alaska
Cultural Geography
• Large populations of Hawaiians, Native Americans,
and Asians
THIS ONLY WORKS IF YOU WORK
•Your teacher can only keep a loose grip on
the classroom if he can trust you to work on
your own initiative.
•Every time you goof off, you make it more
difficult for him to do that.
•Look around. See someone goofing
around? They risk your freedoms. Do
something about it before he has to.
•Also, Murica.