Transcript Unit 2: The United States & Canada

Unit 2: The United States &
Canada
A profile of the U.S.
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U.S. 4th largest in land area (3,717,792 sq.mi)
U.S. 3rd largest in population (300m)
U.S. world highest total GNP & GDP
Literacy Rate 99%
Rate of Natural Increase 0.6%
IMR 6.7/1000
Life Expectancy 78
% of population under 15 (20%) over 65 (12%)
% urban 79%
GNIPPP $41,950
I. A Resource Rich Nation
Individual Freedoms
Communication
Natural
Resources
Transportation
A. U.S. – wealthy b/c of its abundant
natural resources
1. Farmland – fertile soil in South & Midwest
–
encouraged dev. of west
a. Homestead Act 1862 – gave
land to settlers (160 acres)
b. Dept. of Ag. – created to
promote farming in these regions
- established land-grant
colleges to conduct research,
develop drought resistant crops
2. Lumber – construction, paper, etc…
a. after timber cleared in east for
farmland, industry moved to west.
Most of timber industry west
of the Rockies.
b.
Reforestation programs,
conservation, regulations,
National parks.
- only 5% of original forests remain
c. Minerals
- US = 1/5 world’s coal supply
- Oil & Natural Gas
- Other non-fuel minerals: copper, gold,
uranium, etc.
B. U.S. is a wealthy nation b/c of
its advanced transportation
network
1. Water Travel
a. Steamboat – allowed for speedy transp. of
goods & people - regardless of wind or
current
b. canals – artificial waterways
2. Land Travel
a. RRs
1) transcont RR – 1869 – linked E to W
2) RRs led to economic growth of U.S.
b. Autos
1) freedom of mvmt
2) interstate hwy system 1950s
C. U.S. is a wealthy nation b/c of it
advanced communication network
** Allowed biz & people to communicate
quickly across long distances
1. Telegraph – 1837
2. Telephone – 1876
3. Internet – in many homes
by mid 1990s
D. U.S. is a wealthy nation b/c of
Respect for Individual Freedoms
1. Free Enterprise (capitalism)
a. acting in own interest, also serve in
interest of others
b. individuals can own, operate and profit
from their own biz
2. Opportunity
a. regardless of background, people are
free to pursue success – social mobility
b. rugged individualism: hard-work, selfreliance leads to prosperity
II. A Nation of Cities
A. Intro – progression of development
Ag
Industry & Manu.
Serv. Ind.
B. Metropolitan Areas and Location
1. U.S. is 79% Urban, 21% rural
today
2. 250 Metropolitan areas: major
cities + burbs
3. cities sometime include
nearby small communities
4. City’s change w/ changes
in technology
C. Transportation Affects Patterns of
Settlement
1. Canals – led to growth of trade
a) Midwest farmers benefited from access to MS
river – New Orleans port
b) Eastern Cities needed more access to the west
to increase trade
c) Erie Canal – connected Great Lakes to Hudson
R. to NYC – led to development of MidW states
- new cities established (Chicago,
Detroit, Cleveland, and Buffalo)
2. RRs
a. Transcontinental RR -1869: linked E to W
b. RRs = most important form of trans. By
Civil War
c. led to growth of cities along rail lines
(Chicago)
3. Autos
a. freedom to move about the country
b. led to growth of other industries
1) rubber – tires
2) gas stations
3) hotel/motels along highways
c. interstate highway system – 1950s
d. of autos & mass transit led to dev of
suburbs
e. neighborhoods grew on edge of cities
D. The Impact of Migration on the
Nation
1. People & Biz moving to S & W –
favorable temps
2. People move from cities to suburbs
3. New Orleans regained important b/c of
cult. attractions
4. NYC & Chicago remained important b/c of
variety of jobs and activities
E. Cities & Towns
1. Interconnections – example buying a can of peas
at the grocery
a. farmer grows peas (primary econ. act.)
b. crop processed at factory (sec. econ. act.)
c. cans shipped to warehouse (tertiary econ. act.)
d. Managers research and determine where to
ship, how much to store, etc.. (quaternary
econ. act.)
2. Function & Size
a. Cities & their Hinterlands (areas influenced
by their city)
- hinterlands of lg. cities may include entire
US or even the world
NYC = world’s financial center
Chicago = U.S.’s agricultural center
L.A. = world’s movie center (what
about Bollywood??)
- smaller cities have smaller hinterlands
4. Gentrification
a. Process of buying run-down homes in
older areas of a community and restoring
them
b. Wealthy moving back to inner cities
c. Some argue that gentrification increasing
property values and property taxes thus
pushing out other low income residents
d. Gentrification in Houston
Regions of the U.S.
I.
The Northeast
(ME, NH, VT, CT, MA, RI,
PA,NY,NJ)
A. Physical Characteristics of the NE
• Forests & brilliant
fall colors (thanks to
a combo of
precipitation, type of
soil, variety of trees)
• Rocky coastline of
Maine
• New York’s
beautiful Niagara
Falls
• Farmlands of
Pennsylvania
Natural Resources of the
Northeast
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Resources
Rocky soil makes it
difficult to farm
Appalachians form
natural barrier
Some coal in PA
Water! – reason the
NE region became
the center of trade,
commerce &
industry
Economic Activity
• Commerce – natural
harbors used by
merchant ships
• Fishing – plentiful
fish
• Shipping
B. Natural Resources of the NE
1. Poor farm land – rocky soil, steep hills
2. Few natural resources ex. for coal in PA
3. Water – made NE center of trade, commerce and
industry
a. Commerce – natural harbors used merchant
ships, worldwide trade
b. fishing industry
C. A Leader in Industry
1. Hilly landscape + abundant precip.= swift
moving water: used to power early
factories. Built at waterfalls along
region’s rivers
2. River Valleys = trade routes, RR routes,
later – hwy routes
3. By 1900, NE = most productive
manufacturing region in the world
Dam on a Lowell, MA canal - used to divert water
for water-run factories
Lowell, MA factory: water can still be seen coming out of
the bottom of the building - though none use water power
today.
II. The South
(MD, DE, VA, WV, KY, NC, SC, GA,
FL, TN, TX, OK, LA, MS, AR, AL)
A. Climate & Vegetation
1. Subtropical Climate
a. Closer to eq. = warmer
climate
b. Close to Gulf of Mexico
& Caribbean Sea =
ample precipitation
2. Forests: pine & mangroves
3. Bayous, swamps &
grasslands
4. SW states (OK, TX) = drier,
prairies
B. Climate, History, Agriculture
1. Rich soil in coastal plains + long
growing season = Agriculture
a. Tobacco, cotton, rice plantations
(labor intensive)
b. Led to growth of slavery in the
region
2. Remote areas in Appalachians =
poorest areas in US
a. Rocky soil, steep
slopes =
unproductive
farmland
b. Very little
industry
C. Resources & Industry
1. 1800s: textile mills along fast-moving
streams of piedmont section of the
Carolinas; built on the fall line – water
powered mills
a. Piedmont = areas at or near foot of
mt region
b. Fall line = boundary btwn piedmont
& coastal plain
c. Place where rivers & streams form
waterfalls & rapids
2. 1900s – some of the largest oil reserves
in US in Gulf Coast Region
3. Manufacturing growth along Gulf Coast
a. Abundant raw materials
b. Sources of energy
c. Access to ports
Houston Ship Channel
Port of New Orleans
D. Changes in the South
1. Continued Growth of industry – biz
moving north to south – why?
a. Better climate
b. Southern factories newer – better
condition, more efficient
c. Land cheaper than NE
d. Less labor unions – cheaper labor
2. The Sunbelt – band of southern states
from Carolinas to California
a. Biz moving south
b. Growth of Tourism
c. Retirement – elderly from North move
South to escape harsh winters
E. Southern Population
1. Varied
a. Over ½ black American pop. in south
( & more moving south – reverse of
post-Civil War trend)
b. Hispanics – moving from Mexico &
other Latin American countries
c. Cubans in FL – escape communist
regime in Cuba
d. LA = French Ancestry
2. Major Cities
a. New Orleans – major trading
center/port at mouth of Mississippi R.
b. Miami – gateway to Caribbean & S.
America
c. Atlanta – major airline hub
d. Houston – industrial & trading, NASA, oil
e. Dallas – biz & electronics center
3. Washington DC – not a state, nation’s
capital
III. The Midwest
(ND,SD,MN,WI,MI,NE,KS,IA,MO,
IL,IN,OH)
A. An Agricultural Economy
1. Characteristics
a. Flat, fertile soil (humus)
b. Climate (cold winters, long, warm
summers
2. Regional variations – growing season diff. in diff.
parts of MW according to temp/precip.
a. IL, IN, IA = soybeans, corn, hogs
b. Great Plains = wheat, oats, etc
c. Northern states = dairy cattle, hay
3. Nations Breadbasket – MW farms most
productive in world – wheat, corn, soybeans,
hogs
B. Commercial Farms
1. Farming technology
a. McCormick Reaper allowed farmers
to harvest vast amts of wheat quickly
b. Later tech. allowed farmers to
produce more, faster, w/ fewer workers
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D. Transportation & Industry
1. RRs & waterways (Great Lakes & Miss. River)
link MW’s major cities to e/o and to other regions
2. Chicago = largest city.
a. Most important US RR hub – grain,
livestock in from west, processed/slaughtered,
then shipped east
b. Port on Lake MI
c. O’Hare Airport = 1 of world’s busiest
3. Water Transp. Led to growth of heavy industry
autos (Detroit), machinery
IV. The West
( WA, OR, CA, ID, NV, AZ,
MT, WY, UT, CO, NM, HI, AK)
• Largest
• Most
sparsely
populated
region
A. Water (or lack of it)
1.
Most of West =
arid/semi-arid climate –
affects pop. density,
vegetation, economic
activities. Driest in SW
2. Coast = adequate
rainfall. Tall trees &
forests
3. Hawaii = tropical wet
4. Alaska = tundra (dry,
treeless plain)
B. Natural Resources & the
Economy
1. Minerals
a. Gold & silver deposits – contributed to
settlement of the west
b. Camp followers – biz & people who
moved west to service the mines
(Levi Strauss)
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Oil & Gas in Alaska
Fishing & Forestry
a. ~ ½ lumber taken from NW states
b. Pacific Coast = lrg fishing industry
Interior West (the dry part)
a. Livestock & wheat
b. Potential water scarcity – due to
irrigation & overuse
5. Tourism
C. The Growth of Western Cities
1.
2.
CA = most populous US state
West coast = 2nd in importance to BOSWASH
megalopolis
a. Ag = 80% of CA water supply
b. Aqueducts carry water from mts
3.
LA: began as cattle town, then aircraft industry, then
movie industry
Silicon Valley – leading center of computer tech. –
software cos.
Alaska = lrgest land area, most sparsely populated –
oil
Hawaii = military facilities, ag, tourism
- 8 main islands
4.
a.
b.
D. Conquering Western
Distances
1.
Alaska – lrgest in land
area, most sparsely
populated
a. Not well connected
by roads
b. Mts cover much of it
- capital city of
Juneau can only
be reached by boat
or plane
- only 2 rds leading
out of town in
Anchorage
c. Oil
2. Hawaii
a. 8 main islands +
100s of small
ones in Pacific
b. US govt 1st interested in
islands as a refueling
station for US naval
ships & merchant
ships traveling to
China & Japan for
trade
- natural harbor
(Pearl Harbor)
c. 50th state (1959)
d. Hawaii now popular
tourist destination
accessible by plane
Fun facts about Canada
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10 provinces + 3 territories
Population: 33,098,932 (July 2006 est.)
Literacy Rate: 99%
Gov’t: constitutional monarchy that is also a
parliamentary democracy and a federation
• Chief of State: Queen Elizabeth II
• Head of Gov’t: Prime Minister Stephen
Harper
• Capital = Ottawa
I. Regions of Canada
A. Atlantic Provinces – Newfoundland,
Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia,
New Brunswick
1. Links to the sea – All border the Atlantic
a. Maritimes – close ties to the sea
b. Coast – many bays, inlets, harbors
c. Smallest provinces: 5% of land; 8% of
population
d. Economically disadvantaged
2. Economic Activities
a. Fishing – but over-fishing a problem
b. Forestry & farming (PEI)
c. Tourism
d. Offshore oil
B. The Great Lakes & St.
Lawrence provinces
Ontario & Quebec
1. Core of Canada’s population & economic
activity
a. Canadian Shield: poor soil & climate,
but rich in mineral deposits
b. Hudson Bay Lowlands: flat, sparsely
populated, marshy
c. St. Lawrence lowlands: rich soil,
milder climate, 60% of Canada’s
population
2. Characteristics of Ontario – central location,
excellent waterways, rich soil, abundant
resources
a. St. Lawrence Seaway – connects
Great Lakes to St. Lawrence R
-- Canada’s hwy to the sea
b. Great Lakes – differ in elevation –
connected by a series of locks (see
pg
183 for diagram & description)
c. Toronto – lrgest metropolitan city in Canada
-- banking & financial center
d. Ottawa = capital of Canada
3. Characteristics of Quebec
a. largest province in land area
b. Most live in cities along St. Lawrence
c. Sparsely populated along Canadian
Shield
d. Mining & forestry in north
e. Montreal – Quebec’s largest city
f. Center of Quebec’s French-Canadian
population
g. Active separatist movement
C. The Prairie Provinces
- Alberta, Manitoba, Saskatchewan
- btwn Rocky mts & Canadian Shield
1. Patterns of Settlement
a. Lrg cities along RR
routes
b. Rain lines & Ag
“ trains & plains”
2. Economic Activities
a. Grain (wheat), cattle
b. Tourism
c. Oil Industry
D. British Columbia
1. Mountainous
a. So much of BC covered in mts, so 4/5
residents live in city of Vancouver
b. Many offshore islands – marine west coast
climate
2. Economic Activities
a. Fishing
b. Forests
c. Minerals
d. Tourism
e. Harbors – trade w/ Pacific nations
E. The Northern Territories
- 40% of Canada land area, less than 1% of
population
1. A changing culture
a. Inuit – Native Americans
- seal hunting, whaling
b. Have adopted new tech:
snowmobiles, satellite TV
2. A difficult environment
a. Rich deposits of minerals – oil, gas, iron
b. Harsh climate & rugged terrain make it
difficult to extract or transport
II. The Search for a National
Identity
A. Understanding the Past
- 40% British, 27% French Ancestry
1. The First Canadians
a. Inuit – Native Americans – lived in
villages along Pacific coast
b. 1500s – colonization – English &
French
2. Colonial Rivalries
vs
a. French vs. English
- wars btwn the two – by 1763, French
surrendered all its territory in Canada to Brits
b. Ties to Britian
- under Brit rule ‘til 1867: Canada had it’s
own gov’t, but answered to Brits
- officially independent in 1931, but
Canada’s symbolic ruler is still British
Monarch
- unlike US, Canada achieved it’s
independence peacefully through
negotiation – not through war
Queen Elizabeth II
B. Conflict Btwn 2 Cultures
1. French Culture
a. French-Canadian Pop = ¼ of total pop.
b. Most live in Quebec
c. When Canada independent, gov’t
guaranteed rights of French-speaking
citizens
d. Today, both English and French are
official languages of Canada
- only 15% of Canadians are bilingual
2. Discontent
a. Many French-Canadians feel
discriminated against by Englishspeaking majority – claim they are
denied gov’t jobs, industry
b. Many pushed for separation – a move
to make Quebec separate,
independent country
c. 1974 – French made official language
Quebec
- many English-speaking
residents & biz left
d. 1995 – Quebec voted to decide
whether to secede from Canada.
Voted by a small margin to
remain part of Canada (50.6% to
49.4%)
e. 1998 – Canada’s high court
declared that Quebec can’t secede
even if their voters eventually
approve separation
C. Welcoming Diversity,
Promoting Unity
1. A Multicultural Society
a. Inuit in territories
b. Immigration – from Europe & Asia
(BC)
2. Uniting Canada’s Regions
a. United through transportation &
communication
b. National unity is difficult as citizens tend
to identify w/ province rather than nation
III. Canada Today
1. Natural Resources
a. Difficult to balance need for NR w/
need to preserve environment
b. Difficult to transport oil & gas w/o
disrupting animal habitat
c. Lumber & over-fishing
2. Urbanization
a. Challenge to provide housing & other social
services
b. Difficult to control pollution & overcrowding
B. Links with US – 5000 mile long
border
1. Cultural Links
a. People living along border share
TV/Radio/Sports
2. Economic Links
a. Canada buys 25% of US exports
b. US buys 85% of Canada’s
exports
c. NAFTA
d. Uneven Relationship – Canadians feel
overshadowed by US
C. Links with the world
1. Importance of location
a. Major ports of Atlantic & Pacific
b. Trade w/ Europe & Asia
2. Member of Commonwealth
a. Links with other former British
colonies
b. Links with developing nations
c. Role of Peace-keeper – active in arms
control, disarmament
The British Commonwealth