Human Geography of the United States

History & Government of the United States Section 1

(A) Migration to North America For thousands of years the bounty and resources of North America has attracted waves of immigrants Migration – The movement of peoples within a country or region. The movement of people from one place to another. Migration to North America: Nomads from Asia 13,000 years ago Ancestors of the Native Americans Spanish in 15th century Later French and English Europeans brought Africans as slaves Columbian Exchange – The movement of plants, animals, and diseases between the Eastern and Western hemispheres during the age of exploration

(B) Steps by which the US Government was established 1st: American Revolution: Immigrants revolted from their mothering nations 2nd: United States was founded as a formal nation 3rd: Grew in size through more immigration and movement westward Native Americans were removed by force by the government Frontier – The free, open land in the American West that was available for settlement Louisiana Purchase – the territory, including the region between the Mississippi River and Rocky Mountains, that the United States purchase from France in 1803

Louisiana Purchase

(C) Major changes in the United States Industrialization Urbanization Suburbs – A political unit or community touching the borders of the central city or touching other suburbs that touch the city Great Depression and WWII Before this era United States was much more isolated United States became much more involved in foreign affairs after World War II. They were the main super power United States became the leader of non-Communist nations Goal became stopping Communist Soviet Union (Russia) during Cold War (1945-1991)

(D) Branches of Government Representative Democracy – A government in which the people rule through elected representatives The Capital is located in Washington D.C. Three branches of United States Government Executive – headed by president and enforces the laws Legislative – makes laws or enacts laws, led by Congress Judicial – led by the Supreme Court, interprets the laws by reviewing decisions of lower courts

Economy & Culture of the United States Section 2

(E) United States Economy United States has: 7 % world’s land 5 % worlds population One of the world’s largest economies Exports – A product or good that is sold from one economy to another About 10% of world’s exports come from United States Free Enterprise – An economic system in which private individuals own most of the resources, technology and businesses, and can operate them for profit with little control from the government

(E) United States Economy Service industry – Any kind of economic activity that produces a service rather than a product Information processing, finance, medicine, transportation and education Big part of United States economy 3 out of 4 Americans now work in service – related jobs Countries sometimes place tariffs, or taxes, on imports to protect the economy from foreign competitors When a country spends more on imports than it makes on exports, there is said to be a trade deficit

(F) Diverse Society Diverse Ancestry Diverse Languages Europe, Central America, South America, Africa, Asia, Native American etc Diverse Languages English is dominant, Spanish is 2nd most common Diverse Religion Over 1,000 different religions in America Diverse Arts Diverse Pop Culture Immigration People have come to the United States from all over the world By the year 2000 most of the immigrants coming to the US came from Latin America, Asia and Canada

Subregions of the United States Section 3 Midwest Northeast West South

(G)The Northeast 5 % of land in United States 20 % of population lives in Northeast New England – The 6 northern states in the Northeast United States – Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut America’s “gateway” for millions of immigrants Megalopolis – a region in which several large cities and surrounding areas grow together Nation’s first megalopolis was in the Northeast Urban Sprawl- poorly planned development that spreads a city’s population over a wider and wider geographic area.

(H)The Midwest Midwest – A region that contains the 12 states of the north-central United States About 20% of land in United States About 25% of people in United States Agricultural and Industrial Heartland Food, farm equipment, steel, auto-making Becoming less and less agricultural in modern day

(I)The South The South – a region that covers about 1/4 of the land area of the United States and contains more than 1/3 of its population Mixed culture, diversity of early settlers Agricultural and Industrial Metropolitan Areas – A functional area including a city and its surrounding suburbs and exurbs, linked economically

(J) The West The West – North American region, consisting of 13 states, that stretches form the Great Plains to the Pacific Ocean and includes Alaska to the North and Hawaii in the Pacific ½ of land area of United States 1/5 of population of United States Air conditioning and irrigation promoted growth in West Diverse economic activities

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Human Geography Of Canada

History and Government of Canada Section 1

(K)Settlers and Steps Towards Unity Nomads from Asia migrated 13,000 years ago Ancestors of the Inuit (Eskimos) Colonized by France and Britain Provinces – A political unit There was a great division between the two provinces which were Roman Catholic (French) and the Protestant (English) In an effort to unify Canada the Government created the Dominion of Canada – A loose confederation (political union) of Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick created by the British North America Act in 1867

(L) Canadian Expansion & Development Transcontinental railroad created Gold, copper, zinc, silver deposits found = new roads and settlements made Immigrants coming to Canada’s vast open lands Industrialization and growth mostly happened within 100 miles of United States border where the climate in best

(M) Canadian Government Gained independence from Britain in 1931 after they helped England fight in World War I Parliamentary Government – A system where legislative and executive function are combined in a legislature called a parliament Parliament – a representative lawmaking body whose members are elected or appointed and in which legislative and executive functions are combined. Prime Minister – The head of a government, the majority party’s leader in parliament Their country’s capital is Ottawa

Economy & Culture of Canada Section 2

Canadian Provinces

(N) Canada’s Economy Indigenous – A term used to describe people who are descendants from areas first inhabitants The forests of British Columbia help make Canada the world’s largest producer of newsprint Canada’s Economy Farming, logging, mining, fishing, paper, manufacturing, trade Service industries are Canada’s powerhouse in it’s economy

(O) Land of Many Cultures Metis – A person of mixed French-Canadian and Native American ancestry Officially bilingual – English and French Mainly Roman Catholic Most of these people live in Quebec A lot of Canadian land is harsh 90% of people live on 10% of the land within 100 miles of United States border Reserves – public land set aside for native peoples by the government

(O) Land of Many Cultures Many sports: Ice hockey, fishing, skiing, skating, golf, hunting, lacrosse Professional leagues: Football, baseball, basketball Art Visual arts from early Eskimos Performing arts