U.S. and Canada• Wealthy region: – Natural resources:

• Water – Mississippi– Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway, Gulf Intracoastal Waterway, – Niagara Falls

• Fuel– Oil– Natural Gas

• Minerals– Gold– Copper– Iron

– Timber– Fishing• Gulf Coast• Grand Banks

• Urbanization– Urban sprawl: growth of suburb• Loss of farmland• Cheaper to develop than city properties• Long commutes, emphasis on security and exclusivity

• Megalopolis: cities over 10 million people

• Economic Activities– Primary: farming, agriculture– Secondary: manufacturing– Tertiary: service industry: banks, doctors, lawyers – Quaternary: research:

• What has happened over the past 100 yrs?

• Agriculture: – Only 1.7% of GDP– Mechanized agriculture

• Employ less than 2% of pop• Corporate farms:

– Environmental effects:» Genetic engineering

• Manufacturing:– Interstate Highway System

• 1950-1990– Less low-skill jobs, more high-tech jobs– Change in 1960s and 1980s

• Rust Belt– Retooling

– Employs less people, but still produce a lot of products

• Service Industry:– 75% of GDP– 70-80% of jobs– High pay to low pay– Often connected to international trade

• Research: – Knowledge economy– IT industry– Can be located anywhere: major universities and research

institutions– Use computers/internet to process and transport information

HDI: Where Does North America Stand?

• United States: Very High, #4• Canada: Very High, #6• Why???• Looks at a number of factors– Demographic indicators– Economic indicators– Social indicators– Political indicators

Demographic indicators

• Life expectancy• Birth rate• Death rate• Infant mortality rate

Economic Indicators

• GDP• GDP per capita• GNP• GNP per capita• employment rate• # of automobiles per

capita• # of computers per

capita

• # of telephones per capita

• # of televisions per capita

Social Indicators

• Literacy rates• % attending college• # of professionals• Housing

• Water supply• Sanitation• Access to basic services

Political Indicators

• Freedoms enjoyed• Type of governance• Voting rights • Level of human rights• impact of colonialism• Degree of government

oppression

• Level of tolerance for different points of view

Physical Indicators• climate• access to water

(landlocked)• natural disasters• availability of natural

resources