unit 2 canada/usa. section 1: physical geography

Unit 2 Canada/USA

Section 1: Physical Geography

Western Landforms

The largest/longest mountain chain on the continent is located in the western portion.

Rocky Mountain: Stretch over 3,000 miles linking Canada and the United States from Nevada to Alaska

Mount McKinley/Denali: Highest point in North America at 20,320 feet, located in Alaska

Located to the east of the of the Rockies is the Great Plains

Eastern Landforms

Canadian Shield: Giant core of rock located on the Hudson and James Bays, makes up the eastern half of Canada and the Northeastern United States

Not Ideal for farming

Appalachian Mountains: North Americas oldest mountain range, second longest on continent at 1,500 miles from Quebec to central Alabama

Directly east of the Appalachians is the Piedmont which is a wide area of rolling hills, east of the Piedmont is the Coastal Plains

Water Systems

Divide: is a high point or ridge that determines the direction in which rivers flow

the Great Continental Divide is North Americas high ridge

Mississippi River: One of North Americas’ longest rivers flows for 2,357 miles form Minnesota where it empties into the Gulf of Mexico

Fall Line: marks the place where the higher land of the Piedmont drops to the lower Atlantic Coastal Plain

Lakes

Great Lakes: a series of five lakes between the U.S. and Canada, comprising Lakes Erie, Huron, Michigan, Ontario, and Superior; connected with the Atlantic by the St. Lawrence River.

Created by glaciers that tore through the Canadian Shield leaving large basins that eventually filled with water

Natural Resources

Fossil Fuels: a natural fuel such as coal or gas, formed in the geological past from the remains of living organisms.

This region is rich in a variety of fossil fuels

Timber is major natural resources in this region

Wild life on land and in the water are extremely important resources as well

Section 2:Climate and Vegetation

Warm and Wet Climates

This climate zone is located Southeastern portion of this region

Everglades: a marshy tract of land that is mostly under water and covered with tall grass, located in Florida

Hurricanes: a tropical cyclone with winds of 74 miles (119 kilometers) per hour or greater that occurs especially in the western Atlantic, that is usually accompanied by rain, thunder, and lightning

Warm and Dry Climates

This climate region is located in the Southwestern portion of the region

Death Valley: dry, hot desert basin in East California and South Nevada contains lowest point in Western Hemisphere

Chaparral: vegetation consisting chiefly of tangled shrubs and thorny bushes

Interior Climates

Largest climate zone in the region

Great Plains: a vast prairie region extending from Alberta and Saskatchewan and Manitoba in Canada south through the west central United States into Texas

Prairies: a plain of grassy land without many trees

Supercells: a system producing severe thunderstorms and featuring rotating winds sustained by a prolonged updraft that may result in hail or tornadoes.

High-Latitude Climates

Located in the Northern portion of this region

Year around low temperatures

Heavy snowfall

Blizzards: a severe snowstorm with high winds and low visibility

Section 3: Human Geography Canada

Provinces and Territories

Provinces Maritime Provinces: Nova Scotia, New

Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island

Prairie Provinces: Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta

Ontario

British Columbia

Quebec

Newfoundland and Labrador

Territories : 40% of land mass 3% of Population Yukon

Northwest Territories

Nunavut

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TftLaHb1FvA

Population Patterns

Canada has a population of roughly 35 million

Population Distribution: the arrangement or spread of people living in a given area

The vast majority of the population lives within 100 miles of the US border

Population Density: the number of people living per unit of an area (e.g. per square mile)

Canada’s population density is 9 people per sq. mile

Inuit: a member of an indigenous people of northern Canada and parts of Greenland and Alaska

Urban Areas

Toronto: Canada’s largest city, an industrial and finical center, located in Ontario

Montreal: Industrial and shipping center, located in Quebec on the St. Lawrence River

Vancouver: West coast shipping center, located in British Columbia

Edmonton: Natural resource center, located in Alberta

Ottawa: Capitol city of Canada, located in Ontario

History and Government

Dominion: a territory constituting a self-governing commonwealth and being one of a number of such territories united in a community of nations, or empire

1867 Canada becomes a dominion of the British Empire

1947/82 Canada becomes independent

Parliament: consists of three parts: the Queen, the Senate and the House of Commons. They work together to make the laws for our country

French Canada

Quebecois: a native or inhabitant of Quebec, typically one who is French Canadian

Separatism: the advocacy or practice of separation of a certain group of people from a larger body on the basis of ethnicity, religion, or gender

Canada Culture

Two official languages: English and French

Christianity is the most commonly practiced religion

Canada’s literacy rate is 99%

Attending school is required ages 6-16

Canada has public healthcare system

Canada is one of the wealthiest and healthiest countries in the world

Section 4: Human Geography of the United States

Schoolhouse Rock

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ZQl6XBo64M

Population Patterns

USA population is roughly 320 million

Immigration: The action of coming to live permanently in a foreign country

Race and Hispanic/Latino origin

Census 2010,population

Percent of population

Census 2000, population

Percent of population

Total Population 308,745,538 100.0% 281,421,906 100.0%

Single race        

 White 196,817,552 63.7 211,460,626 75.1

 Black or African American 37,685,848 12.2 34,658,190 12.3

 American Indian and Alaska Native

2,247,098 .7 2,475,956 0.9

 Asian 14,465,124 4.7 10,242,998 3.6

 Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander

481,576 0.15 398,835 0.1

Two or more races 5,966,481 1.9 6,826,228 2.4

Some other race 604,265 .2  15,359,073 5.5

Hispanic or Latino 50,477,594 16.3 35,305,818 12.5

Urban Areas

Los Angeles: the largest city of California, in the southern part of the state on the Pacific Ocean. became the center of the US film industry in the 1920s.

New York City: It is the largest city in the country and a major commercial and cultural center

Washington DC: the capital of the United States, located in the District of Columbia

History and Government

American Revolution: the war between Great Britain and its American colonies, 1775–83, by which the colonies won their independence.

Democracy: a system of government by the whole population or all the eligible members of a state, typically through elected representatives.

Changes and Challenges

During the industrial revolution many Americans relocated to the cities

Urbanization: the process by which towns and cities are formed and become larger as more and more people begin living and working in central areas

In the 1950s many American families left the cities and moved to nearby suburbs

Suburbs: an outlying district of a city, especially a residential one.

Culture

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4m-6mrGr4bY

The Region Today

Economic Activities

Market Economy: a capitalistic economic system in which there is free competition and prices are determined by the interaction of supply and demand

Postindustrial: A phrase that describes the shift of some major industrial economies in the late twentieth century away from producing goods and toward producing services.

Both the United States and Canada Have market economies

Also both countries have shifted toward becoming postindustrial societies

Transportation

Trans-Canada Highway: Stretches 4,800 miles from Newfoundland and Labrador to British Columbia, completed in 1970, world longest national highway

Hartsfield-Jackson international Airport: located in Atlanta, Georgia. Worlds busiest airport based off of number of passengers and number of flights

How Goods are Transported

36% by train

13% by waterways

28% by long haul trucks

23% by airplanes

Trade and Interdependence

Trade Deficit: the amount by which the cost of a country's imports exceeds the value of its exports.

The US currently has a trade deficit

Tariffs: a tax or duty to be paid on a particular class of imports or exports

US-Canada Free Trade Agreement

Trade Surplus: the amount by which the value of a country's exports exceeds the cost of its imports.

Canada currently has a trade surplus

Outsourcing: obtain goods or a service from an outside or foreign supplier

Managing Resources

The natural resources of the US and Canada have historically not been handled responsibly

Clear-cutting: cut down and remove every tree from an area

Overfishing: deplete the stock of fish in a body of water by too much fishing

Overfishing Video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vWEAd4HLV-g

Human Impact

Industrial development has lead to an increase in human made pollution

Acid Rain: rainfall made sufficiently acidic by atmospheric pollution that it causes environmental harm, typically to forests and lakes

Smog: fog or haze combined with smoke and other atmospheric pollutants

The main cause is the industrial burning of coal and other fossil fuels