North AmericaNorth America

Introduction

U.S. and Canada Highly urbanized and mobile society Culturally diverse Resource-rich environment Postindustrial economy

Environmental Geography

Interior lowland(Great Plains) surrounded by Interior lowland(Great Plains) surrounded by mountainous topography(Rocky, Appalachian)mountainous topography(Rocky, Appalachian)

Major landform division of the North America

Physical setting - EastPhysical setting - EastAppalachians and surrounding regionsAppalachians and surrounding regions East/South of Appalachian HighlandsEast/South of Appalachian Highlands

Coastal plains (S.NY to TX): not well drained Coastal plains (S.NY to TX): not well drained prone to flood prone to flood

Southern Appalachian (South PA)Southern Appalachian (South PA) Sedimentary rock Sedimentary rock rich in coal rich in coal

Northern Appalachian (North of PA)Northern Appalachian (North of PA) Crystalline rock Crystalline rock irregular surface form irregular surface form

(eg. New England, Canadian Maritimes)(eg. New England, Canadian Maritimes)

Physical setting - InteriorPhysical setting - Interior

Lowland drained by the Mississippi River and its tributariesLowland drained by the Mississippi River and its tributariesExtends from west central Canada to the Gulf of MexicoExtends from west central Canada to the Gulf of Mexico EastwardEastward

Southern Great Lakes, Ohio River ValleySouthern Great Lakes, Ohio River Valley

WestwardWestward Sediments eroded from the Rocky MountainsSediments eroded from the Rocky Mountains

NorthwardNorthward Glacial forces - North of Ohio and Missouri riversGlacial forces - North of Ohio and Missouri rivers

Physical setting - WestPhysical setting - West Rocky MountainsRocky Mountains

Extends from Alaska to New MexicoExtends from Alaska to New Mexico A series of uplift with 10K ft heightA series of uplift with 10K ft height Source of Platte, Rio Grande, Columbia, Colorado riverSource of Platte, Rio Grande, Columbia, Colorado river Denver and Calgary are located hereDenver and Calgary are located here

Great BasinsGreat Basins Nevada, sparsely settledNevada, sparsely settled

Pacific RimPacific Rim Formed on the convergent plate boundary – North American Formed on the convergent plate boundary – North American

plate collides with Pacific plateplate collides with Pacific plate

Majority is the temperate climates except for Majority is the temperate climates except for dry climates in the southwestern partdry climates in the southwestern part

humiddry

100th meridian

Climate and Vegetation - East

South of Great LakesAbundant in deciduous (broadleaf) forest, but some are

cleared for agriculture

North of Great LakesConiferous (evergreen/boreal) forestTundra: mixture of low shrubs, grasses and flowering

herbs near Hudson Bay

Climate and Vegetation - East

Subtropical humid climate; Fields of cotton and corn are bordered by mixed oak-pine woodland

Subarctic climate; Spindly Conifers of little commercial value; Marshes are common in glaciated environment

Coniferous in ManitobaDeciduous in Piedmont

Climate and Vegetation - EastTundra in the Northwest Territories

Covered with lichens and grass; no tree can be seen

Climate and Vegetation – Great Plains

East of 100th MeridianAbove 20-inch precipitation (subhumid)Prairie: tall grasslands

West of 100th MeridianBelow 20-inch precipitation (arid)Short grasses and scrub vegetation

Climate and Vegetation – Great PlainsPrairie in the eastern Kansas

Climate and Vegetation – West Desert (Southeast of Sierra Nevada)

Southern Pacific coast (South of SF) Mediterranean climates – chaparral scrub

Northern Pacific coast (North of SF) Marine west coast climates – mixed, coniferous forest

Rocky mountains Varies by altitude (pine to tundra)

Climate and Vegetation – West

Chaparral in Monterey, CA Conifers in Colorado Rockies

Taken at an elevation of 11,000 feet; Conifers gives way to Alpine Tundra at the higher altitude

Found in the foothills of California; dense growth of evergreen shrub

Climate cycles

Long termGlacial advance 15,000 years ago north of the Missouri

and Ohio rivers (eg. Great Lakes)

Short termDrought cycles early 1900s on the Great Plains (eg. Du

st Bowl era of the 1920s and 1930s)

Creation of Great Lakes

Natural Hazards Seismic rigors: earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanoes

along the plate boundary in the Western North America

Densely settled coastline: vulnerable to flood, hurricane, rise of the sea level

Wildfire: mountains of western North America

Western Montana, summer 2000 Global warming, periodic droughts, and growing population may cause

this scene to be repeated

Environmental issues – soils and vegetation

Native vegetation has been removed for cropping, grazing, and urbanization

Widespread soil erosion as a result

Environmental issues – water Distribution of water resources (eg. aqueduct)

eg. LA Aqueduct, Central Valley projectColorado River ->agricultural/metropolitan regions in Southern CA

Water shortage eg. Depletion of Ogallala Aquifer beneath the Great Plains

Water contamination Wastewater, Oil spill, raw sewage, fertilizer/pesticides, salinization

California aqueduct reconfigures the distribution of

water resources promotes the agricultural and

metropolitan expansion

Environmental issues – atmosphere Local scale

Urban heat islands Warmer temperature in the metropolitan area than nearby rural areas

Regional scale Acid rain

Caused by sulfur dioxide & nitrogen oxides in atmosphere Damage forests, poison lake Produced in the Midwest, southern Ontario Affects the Ohio Valley, Appalachia, the northeastern US, eastern Canada

Population & Settlement

Sparsely populated Low RNI, TFR Population aging High urbanization rate

Spatial pattern of population

Densely populated areas are Canadian urban corridor

Toronto, Ottawa, and Montreal

U.S.Megalopolis - Washington D.C., Baltimore,

Philadelphia, New York, and BostonSouthern Great Lakes, South, Pacific Coast

Population growth

Rapid growth since European colonization (1600~) Higher rates of immigration in the late 19th and 20th

centuries Birthrates gradually fell after 1900 “Baby boom” between 1946 and 1965 Continuing increase in immigration Projected to 375 million by 2025

Occupying the Land

Precontact period (Native Americans) Estimated 3.2 million for the Continental US, and 1.3 million for

Canada, Alaska, Hawaii, and Greenland (A.D. 1500)

European settlement expansion First stage (1600-1750) – Coastal region of east Second stage (1750-1850) – eastern half Third stage (1850-1910) – west

European expansion – First stage St. Lawrence Valley, Canadian Maritimes - French Southern New England - English Puritans New Netherlands (later New York) - Dutch Pennsylvania - English Quaker plantation South (Virginia, South Carolina) - Bicultural

European, and African Gulf of Mexico (New Orleans 1718) - French Southwest (Santa Fe 1610), and Florida (St. Augustine

1565) - Spanish

European expansion – Second stage

Found the interior Lowlands region ideal for agricultural settlement

Midwest and interior South

European expansion – Third stage

Attracted by opportunities in California, the Oregon country, Mormon Utah, and the Great Plains

Mineral rushes in Colorado, Montana, and British Columbia’s Fraser Valley

Migration trend - outlines

Westward-moving populations Black Exodus from the South Rural-to-urban migration Growth of the Sun Belt South Counterurbanization trend

Westward-moving populations

By 1990More than half lived west of Mississippi River

1990-2000Growth of the interior West (Nevada, Arizona, Utah,

Montana)Fueled by new job creation in high-technology industriesIncludes many outward-bound Californians

Nevada (66 percent growth) and Nevada (66 percent growth) and Arizona (40 percent growth) were Arizona (40 percent growth) were the two fastest-growing states the two fastest-growing states between 1990 and 2000between 1990 and 2000

Black Exodus from the South Black populations were originally concentrated in

the plantation South

Industrialization (early 20th centuries)South North and West

Growth of Sun Belt (after 1970)North and West South

Rural-to-urban migration

Fueled by industrialization

Urban orientation facilitates processes of modernization and globalization

Growth of the Sun Belt South After 1970 Georgia, Florida, Texas, and North Carolina grew more

rapidly than states in the Northeast and Midwest Contributed by

The South’s buoyant economy Modest living costs Adoption of air conditioning Attractive recreational opportunities

Counterurbanization trend

Significant population gains in nonmetropolitan areas

Participants are Growing retiree populationLifestyle migrants: prefer small towns that are affordabl

e, amenities-rich, and free of urban problems

The evolution of the city in the U.S.

Changing transportation technologies decisively shaped the evolution of the city

U.S. cities became increasingly decentralized

A: pre-1888B: 1888-1920C: 1920-1945D: 1945-present

ABCD

Urban decentralization

Suburb of Las Vegas

1990 2000

Edge city Have fewer

functional connections with the central city than they have with other suburban centers

Urban settlements grow in area, but decline in density

Rapid loss of surrounding rural landTysons Corner, Virginia

Challenges in the inner city

As a result of suburbanization, inner cities sufferLosses in population Increased levels of crime and social disruptionShrinking tax base Racial tension especially in the U.S.

City of Buffalo – Map by census 2000

Median household income Black population White population Hispanic population

Gentrification Inner-city revitalization by new public and private

investments

Displacement of lower-income residents of central-city neighborhoods with higher-income residents

eg. Seattle’s Pioneer Square, Toronto’s Yorkville district, and Baltimore’s Harborplace

Cultural Coherence and Diversity

Cultural identity Historically tied to Great Britain

Anglo world view has been implanted (eg. law, democracy, individualism, pragmatism, social mobility)

Consumer culture blossomed after 1920 Increasingly secular society oriented toward convenience and co

nsumption

Coexists with pluralism Persistence and assertion of distinctive ethnicity

Migration to the U.S. Phase 1 (before 1820)

dominated by English, African Phase 2 (1820-1870)

dominated by Northwest Europeans Phase 3 (1870-1920)

Southern, eastern Europeans, and Scandinavian Political strife and poor economies in Europe High peak around 1900 Hardly targeted job-poor South (thus prevalence of whites in the

Northern area persists still)

Migration to the U.S. Phase 4 (1920-1970)

from Latin America, and Canada Overall totals plunged due to federal immigration policies, the

Great depression, and WWII

Phase 5 (after 1970): Most originated from Latin America, and Asia Made possible by economic and political instability abroad,

growing postwar U.S. economy, loosening of immigration laws

U.S. immigrations, by year and group

By late in the century, almost one in three Americans will be Hispanic, and non-Hispanic whites will achieve minority status amid an increasingly diverse U.S. population

Projected U.S. ethnic composition

year

Before 1765: French in the St. Lawrence Valley After 1765: Britain, Ireland, and U.S.

1900-1920: Eastern Europeans, Italians, Ukrainians, and Russians

Recent: Asian (60% of recent immigrants) eg. Vancouver - dominated by Asian populations

Now Canada has 16% foreign-born population

Migration to Canada

Vancouver’s immigrant Vancouver’s immigrant population, population, by place of birth, 1996by place of birth, 1996

The geography of ethnicity in U.S. White: all around U.S., but northern prevalence reveals

relative to other ethnicities (early European settlement) African-American: concentrated in the Southeast (legacy of

the cotton South)

Hispanic: concentrated in the Southwest, and Miami (early Spanish control)

Asian: concentrated in California, and Hawaii

American Indian: concentrated in Navajo Reservation

Culture and Place

Cultural identity is strongly tied to place, thus imprints cultural landscape

Culturally distinct areas can be found in a regional scale and local scaleRegional scale – forms cultural homelandLocal scale – forms ethnic neighborhoods

Cultural Homeland culturally distinctive

nucleus of settlement whose ethnicity has survived over time, affecting cultural landscape

Selected cultural regions in North America

French-Canadian Quebec The French

have established settlement since the 17th century

80% of Quebec population speaks French

Hispanic Borderlands The Spanish have

established settlement since 16th century

Currently 32 million Hispanic population in the U.S.Standford University

Black Belt

Legacy of the Cotton South Has diminished in intensity due to outmigration Home to black folk tradition (eg. blues)

Acadiana The Cajun culture in

the southwestern Louisiana

Created in the 18th century when French settlers were expelled from eastern Canada and relocated to Louisiana

Louisiana Bayou

Navajo Reservation, Nunavut Navajo Reservation:

part of Arizona, New Mexico, and southern Utah

Nunavut: became separate Canadian territory in 1999; 80% Inuit

Currently, 4 million native American in the North America

Eskimo in the Northwest Territories

Ethnic neighborhoods Local-scale ethnic

signatures compared to regional-scale cultural homelands

Reflects North American migration patterns

Ethnicity in L.A.

Ethnic neighborhoods

Ethnic concentrations of nonwhite populations in the inner city75% of Detroit, and 60% of Atlanta are African-

American in terms of population in the inner city40% of L.A. is Hispanic in terms of population in the

inner city

North American Religion Dominance of Protestant

60% of U.S., 40% of Canada

Regional concentration of American Catholics Quebec, Northeast U.S., Southwest U.S.

Millions with religious or secular traditions apart from Christianity Jewish, Eastern Orthodox Growing Islam among urban populations Increasing portion of nonbelievers

Globalization of American culture North America’s cultural geography is becoming more glo

bal Eg. Internationalized food, increasing use of non-English langua

ge, international travel, and music (Brit-pop, Techno)

Global cultural geographies are becoming more North American Eg. U.S. products abroad, popularity of English-language Cultural nationalism is responsive to this force

Annual beer imports to the United States

being affected by others…

Tokyo Disneyland

also affecting others

Geopolitical Framework

Creating political space For the last 400 years, European settlers have displaced

Native peoples who had lived for 20,000 years

US: driven by nationalistic interest (American Revolution) – uniting and expanding States

Canada : driven by geographic convenience (close link with U.K.) – assembling Provinces

Creating political space – U.S. ~1750: organized around 13 English colonies 1787: Northwest Ordinance 1803: Louisiana Purchase Mid 19th century

Captured Southwest from Mexican warPossessed Northwest from the treaty with Britain

By the late 19th centuryacquisition of Alaska(1867) and Hawaii(1898)

Louisiana Purchase (1803)

Northwest Ordinance (1787)

Mexican war (1848)

Northwest possession (1846)

Creating political space – Canada 1774: The Quebec Act – allow for continued French settle

ment in the St. Lawrence Valley 1791: Constitutional Act – divide the colony into Upper C

anada(Ontario) and Lower Canada(Quebec) 1840: Act of Union – reunite the two Canadas 1867: Canadian Confederation - unite the provinces of On

tario, Quebec, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick Later: northern portion of the continent joined Canada

Geopolitical relationshipsbetween Canada and the U.S.

19th century: Canada worried about being in the political shadow of U.S. War of 1812 – conflict between U.S. and Britain on the neutral rights o

n the maritimes Manifest Destiny – expansion of U.S. Land throughout northern contine

nt at the post-Civil War era 20th century: political cooperation

Environmental - Boundary Waters Treaty(1909), St. Lawrence Seaway project(1959)

Military - NATO (1949) Trade - NAFTA (1989): reducing barriers to trade and capital investme

nt among U.S., Canada, and Mexico

Legacy of Federalism

U.S. Limited centralized authority in the U.S. Constitution

(1787) ends up with powerful central government through growing nationalism

CanadaCentral authorities in the Canadian Constitution (1867)

ends up with more provincial autonomy due to the close connection with Britain (less nationalism)

Challenge to federal political power - Quebec

Different language, distinct cultural identity, and economic disparity between the Anglo and French populations

Secession from Canada?

2000, Clarity Act: Quebec could only secede if a “clear” majority voted to do so

Challenge to federal political power – Native Peoples

U.S.Since 1960, decisive turn away from earlier policies of

assimilationTrend has been toward Increased Native American

autonomy Canada

Nunavut Territory (1999) – represents a new level of native self-government in North America

Geopolitical reach of the U.S. Monroe Doctrine (1824) Spanish-American War (1898) Growing role of the U.S. military in the Central

America and the Caribbean (1898-1916) WWII: Redefined the U.S. role in world affairs Cold War: Truman Doctrine, Korean/Vietnam War Post-Cold War: Middle East, Kosovo, Global

terrorism

Global Terrorism

Anti-American groups’ attack on the U.S. reminds us that open system makes us vulnerable to the terrorist attack, and also geopolitical realities of globalization have brought both opportunities and risks into the lives of every American

Economic/Social Development

Land size, geographic diversity, resource abundance, and human capital enabled North Americans to achieve high levels of economic development

Agriculture

Highly commercialized, mechanized, and specialized

Efficient transportation systems, global markets, and large capital investment

Employs a small % of labor forceU.S. (2.6%), Canada (3.7%)

Nevertheless, remains important part of economy

The geography of agriculture

The geography of agriculture Northeast: dairy operations due to the proximity to major

cities U.S. Midwest, western Ontario: corn and soybeans with

the tradition of mixed farming North of Corn Belt: dairy operations South: subtropical specialty crops or livestock farming Kansas, Saskatchewan, Alberta: commercial wheat and

other small grain farming Central valley: Mediterranean agriculture (with irrigation)

Industrial raw materials Petroleum

U.S. produces 12% of the world’s oil and consume 25% Imported from Venezuela, Mexico, Canada, Saudi Arabia, and

Nigeria Produced in the Gulf Coast of Texas and Louisiana…

Coal US-23% of the world’s total reserve; produced in Appalachia

Metals resources 20% of the world’s copper, lead, and zinc reserve 20% of the world’s gold, silver, and nickel production

Economic success in North America Last 200 years, explained by the marriage between

abundant resources (natural & human) and the Industrial Revolution

Recently, by (1) diversifying economic base (2) extending its global reach

Economic growth can be seen from (1) how well the society is connected (2) how occupational structure changes

Connectivity & Economic growth -1830

CanalErie canal: connects the Midwest with New York city

1830-1920Train

Chicago – transfer load, connecting regions

1920-Automobiles, air, telephone

Highway(1970), St. Lawrence Seaway(1950)

Sectoral Transformation Technology innovation and economic restructuring affects

the change in employment structure

Evolution of a nation’s labor force from one highly dependent on the primary sector (natural resource extraction) to one with more employment in the secondary (manufacturing or industrial), tertiary (services), and quaternary (information processing) sectors

Relative dominance: primary (by late 19th century) secondary tertiary, quaternary (later 20th century)

Eastern Canada’s Maritime provinces continue to suffer from high unemployment as the regional economy struggles to shift away from dependence on primary sector activities

Regional economic patterns

Why certain area is economically better developed than others? Northeast, and Midwest in the mid/late 19th centurySun Belt, and West after 1960

Northeast, and Midwest in the mid/late 19th century

Dominant areas producing steel, automobiles, machine tools, and agricultural equipment, also producer service such as banking and insurance

Location factors are Proximity to natural resources Increasing connectivity Ready supply of productive labor National/global market demand for its industrial goods Capital investment

Sun Belt, and West after 1960 South’s Piedmont manufacturing belt

Lower labor cost, Sun Belt amenities

The Gulf Coast industrial region Energy refining and petrochemical industries - proximity to

fossil fuels reserves

The West Coast industrial region Aerospace operation – government spending Silicon Valley - access to innovation and research and

agglomeration economies

Global Links: U.S. exports, 1999

Wealth and Poverty U.S.

Wealthiest communities are suburbs on the edge of large metropolitan areas (see p80 in Atlas - income)

Ethnicity is often linked with poverty (see p80 in Atlas: compare maps ethnicity and poverty level)

CanadaOntario and British Columbia are the country’s

wealthiest provincesCanadian Maritimes are poor rural region

Digital divide

Poor and underprivileged groups have significantly less access to Internet communications than the wealthy

Persistent social issues are Job securityEducation vs ethnicityGender gapHealth care and aging

Job security

North American compete globallyEg. Back office jobs (p.4 in Text)

Vulnerable to uncertainties of world economy

Education vs Ethnicity

American whites are two or three times more likely than blacks or Hispanics to hold a college degree

Gender gap

Women still earn only about 75 cents for every dollar than men earn

Corporate America’s “glass ceiling” Large portion of single-mom led household in a

poverty level

Health care and aging

North Americans get older Debate on reforming social security system Geographically, gets more oriented around retirem

ent – retirement community (eg. Florida, southern Arizona)

Map resources on the web Selection of contemporary maps.

http://www.nationalgeographic.com/resources/ngo/maps/ Easy-to-use, very large collection of country maps - many

historic.http://oddens.geog.uu.nl/index.html

Public-domain maps, mostly from the US Government.http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/index.html

Interactive map quiz – world politicalhttp://www.lizardpoint.com/fun/geoquiz/index.html