1. Economic & Political Characteristics of the United States and Canada
World Geography 8
Mrs. Francisci
WG.4

2. Pollution:
Acid Rain pollution in the northeastern United States (Boston to Washington D.C.).
The 1989 Exxon Valdez Oil Spill (Alaska Sound).
The 2010 BP Oil Spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

3. Memberships:
NAFTA: Economic alliance to reduce trade barriers between U.S., Canada and Mexico.
Both countries are members of United Nations (Headquarters in NYC).
The U.S. and Canadian branches of the Red Cross are very active – care for the sick, wounded and disaster victims.

4. Similarities: United States and Canada:
Major exporters of technology, consumer goods, information systems and foodstuff
Highly industrialized with an advanced standard of living
Highly developed infrastructure
Economic growth
Diversified economies
Abundant service industries
High literacy rates

5. Connections:
Both have large supply of mineral, energy and forest resources.
Both countries have multinational corporations – McDonald’s, Coca Cola, blue jeans, music.

6. Urban Sprawl:
Unban Sprawl: Expansion of human populations away from urban areas into remote and rural areas, often resulting in communities dependent upon heavy automobile usage.
Results in the conversion of farmland into urban areas.
There is a widening gap between the rich and the poor – Rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer.

7. Site vs. Situation NYC, New York: harbor site
Site: Actual location of a city.
Examples:
NYC, New York: harbor site
Richmond, VA: fall line city (division between Piedmont and Atlantic Coastal Plains)
Pittsburgh, PA: confluence city (place where several rivers meet and form one river)
Quebec City, Quebec: where the St. Lawrence River narrows

8. Site vs. Situation
Situation: Relative location on a city with respect to other geographic features, regions, and transport routes.
Examples:
Omaha, Nebraska and Sacramento, California: cities that grew up along the U.S. Transcontinental Railroad.
St. Louis, Missouri: City that grew up along the Mississippi River.

9. How functions of Cities can Change:
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: early function was for defense; later became steel manufacturing industry; now finance and light manufacturing.
NYC, New York: early function was trade to coastal areas; later to Great Lakes via the Erie Canal; now a worldwide trade center and finance center.