C H A P T E R © 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. Innisfree McKinnon University of Oregon Lecture Outline 1 North America

© 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. Learning Objectives The geographic perspective Colonialism Scale, region, globalization and human environment interaction Cultural diversity

© 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. Learning Objectives Differing systems of government Thematic geography vs. regional geography Formal & functional regions Canada as a commonwealth country

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Why Study North America? United States and Canada = 7.5 million sq. mi. (20 million sq. km.) –Canada = 6.7% of Earth's land area –United States = 6.4% Earth's land area Greenland is world's largest island –Environmental impacts of global climate change

© 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. Settlement & Colonialism First settlement of the Americas between ~14,000 and ~50,000 years ago. European colonialism ~500 years ago U.S. War of Independence Canadian Dominion in 1867 Greenland's partial independence 1979 U.S. has more immigrants (total number) than any other country

© 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. Canada Canada has highest rate of immigration (total percentage of population) Anglophone: English speaking Francophone: French Speaking Aleut Inuit First Nations

© 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. Cultural Diversity Figure 1.2

© 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. Canada Stretches ~3730 miles (~5500 km.) From Vancouver Island to Newfoundland Contains world's 20 longest rivers Has about 25% of world's fresh water resources 10 Provinces 4 Territories Population = ~30 million Mostly in towns and cities within 150 miles of U.S. border

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United States Divided into 50 states –48 are conterminous Canadian border to the North Mexican border to the South Hawai'i and Alaska are separate from the continental United States

© 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. United States Separation of power between federal and state government State governments less self sustaining Political Complexity Canada Separation of power between federal and provincial government Regional and provincial government more self sustaining

© 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. Presidential republic –Executive and legislative branches fully seperated Political Complexity Commonwealth Country –Parlimentary –Prime Minister head of country and member of legislative branch

© 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. Political Complexity

© 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. Geography The world is highly interconnected Geography –Geo = Earth –Graph = writing –Writing about the Earth People have written about the Earth and their travels / explorations since ancient times

© 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. Interconnectedness Geography today is study of interconnectedness –Earth's physical system –Global economy –Cultural diversity GoogleEarth, Mapquest –Statistical analysis –Visualize interconnectedness

© 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. The Geographic Perspective Understanding the connections between the earth's physical systems, peoples cultures, and economies

© 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. Geography Three broad categories –Physical Geography, Human Geography, and Political Geography –Study of Earth's physical systems –Study of Earth's peoples, cultures, and cultural landscapes –Study of Earth's political economies None of these categories can be studied without reference to the other two

© 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. Regional Geography Selected parts of the Earth defined and identified by similar spatiality We examine the environments, cultures, and political economies of the major regions of North America Regions can be conceptualized at different scales

© 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. North America One Continent Four nation-states –United States, Canada, Greenland, Mexico (not in this book) Nation-states can be divided into Regions –Pacific Northwest, Far North, Coastal South, Megalopolis, etc… Regions may have distinctive features –Sun Belt, Rust Belt, Canada's Prairie Provinces Bay Area, etc… –Or by physical feature Ecoregions, watersheds, etc…

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Rocky Mountains Intermontane West MexAmerica California The Pacific Northwest Hawai'I Far North Regions that will be Discussed Atlantic Periphery Quebec Megalopolis Great Lakes & Corn Belt Inland South Coastal South Great Plains

© 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. Regions Regions can be divided up in different ways Other books or web sites can divide up North America on different characteristics Joel Garreau's Nine Nations of North America

© 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. Regions Types of Regions –Formal Institutional or political identity and distinct boundaries (e.g., "New England" and "Corn Belt") –Functional Interrelatedness of activities, or usefulness (Salt Lake City Metro Area, Chicagoland)

© 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. Regional Classification Homogeneous –Similar E.g., religion, language, climate, etc… Heterogeneous –Different E.g., Quebec Nodal –Core more important E.g., San Francisco

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End of Chapter 1