North America

RHS- World GeographyAnderson

Physical CharacteristicsUSA, Canada have mountains, long

coastlines, coastal islands, rivers, plains, & plateaus

The Rockies are so tall in some places, that a “rain shadow” is created when the tops of the mountains block moisture coming in from the Pacific Ocean. (Remember that weather patterns flow W to E due to Jet Stream)

This “rain shadow” effect makes the western side of the mountains very wet (windward side) and causes the eastern side of the mountains to be very dry (leeward side).

Appalachians

ROCKY MOUNTAINS

Cascades/ Coastal Ranges

There is an imaginary line of high elevation that runs northwest to southeast through North America. This is the dividing line that separates any water that flows west towards the Pacific and water that flows south to the Gulf of Mexico.

This line follows the Rocky

Mountains and is called the

Continental Divide

RAIN SHADOW EFFECT

Even the Andes Mountains in S. America create rain shadows on leeward slopes and cause moisture to be blocked. That’s how we see such dry areas in Latin Am. The Andes are so high that they block moisture from the ocean and create grasslands and deserts on the other side of the mt.

http://www-cs-students.stanford.edu/~amitp/simblob/rain-shadow.png

Pacific Ocean

ANDES

Windward side of the mountains

Leeward Side or

“protected” side of the mountains

Weather and Climate is also dominated by Maritime, Humid subtropical & Humid Continental Climates- natural hazards include hurricanes & tornadoes

“Tornado Alley” is found in the Midwest- especially throughout the wide fertile area called the Great Plains.

Regional LabelsThese are areas that share similar characteristics and have been given “nicknames” like the:

Dairy Belt Corn Belt Tornado Alley The West Dixie Bible Belt Breadbasket Great Plains

EconomicsEconomics are very similar to Europe:Developed World: Have many

industries"Clean Industries“ (don’t give off much

pollution/by-products)- computer manufacturing, financial services, information & communication

"Dirty Industries“ (may give off heavy pollution)- manufacturing automobiles, power, textiles, petroleum processing, paper

Agriculture in North America (farming and herding): Grains= major wheat producing area, tobacco, fruits & vegetables as well as cattle ranching

US is known for AGRIBUSINESS: any large-scale farming enterprise

The US and Canada are major exporters of:

TechnologyConsumer goodsInformation SystemsFoodstuffs

Trade: NAFTA and globalNAFTA (North American Free Trade

Agreement)It promotes trade and economic

growth by allowing free trade between the 3 member countries (US, Canada, Mexico)

Supports trade and business around the world

Multinational Corporations:Nike Microsoft IBM Coca-Cola

And what’s the world’s largest store?

WAL-MART!!!

Commonalities (shared items) in North America

European based majorities (English, Irish, German, Scot- among others)

Majority is Christian religion- then Islam & Judaism

Democracy- strong political thinkersEuropean traditions mixed with

Native Americans along with Middle Easterner and S/SE Asian

But even with major similarities, there are cultural differences in the region. Would any of these be found in North America?

YES!

THEY

ALL

WOULD

Canada’s province of Quebec is French speaking (Francophone) and wants to separate from the rest of English-speaking Canada. This is causing a lot of conflict with Canada’s national identity. Bi-lingual signs like this one make some people mad.

(see page 201 in your text)

There are regional differences between the US states.

New Englanders sound, eat, & act different from states in the South.

For example, no one from Yonkers, NY eats grits or biscuits & gravy!

Likewise, people from the Midwest certainly don’t sound like people from the Valley in Southern California!!

San Francisco

Los Angeles

Seattle

Chicago

New York City

Washington DCSt. Louis

Dallas

EVEN MAJOR CITIES HAVE DIFFERENCES AMONG THEM…

LIKE CHICAGO’S DEEP DISH PIZZA VS. NEW YORK’S

PIZZA PIE…

OR SEAFOOD PREPARED IN

SAN FRANSICO VS. SEAFOOD PREPARED IN

WASHINGTON DC

OR COFFEE IN SEATTLE

PREPARED IN STARBUCKS VS.

COFFEE PREPARED IN DALLAS (OK-

IT’S STILL STARBUCKS)

CAN YOU GUESS THESE CITIES?

REMEMBER YOUR “MENTAL

MAPS”

US Culture around the world? YES!

Cultural diffusion: the spreading of a cultural trait (i.e. material object, idea, or behavior pattern) from one society to another.

When cultures join and merge (like a hybrid) it is called cultural convergence.

What’s the evidence of cultural interaction?

Diffusion of US culture to other regions- foreigners wearing denim jeans and chewing gum, eating at McDonald’s, drinking Coke.

Popular culture traditions done in the US from other countries: Americans celebrating Cinco de Mayo, Mardi Gras, having a luau, or playing with a piñata at a party.

The spread of any culture traits around the world can be very evident in pictures. What culture traits are represented?

In Australia, it’s NOT Burger King….it’s Hungry Jack’s!!

We are a "Melting Pot" of peoplesEuropean and Asian Immigration

since 1840sEnglish colonization on the east

coast (orig. 13 colonies)- spread to West coast over time. (Manifest Destiny)

Major push in 1910s and post WWII from all over the world

Modern immigration from Latin America (esp. Mexico)

Impacts of migration on the region Originally from overseas, foreign cultures

have migrated to the United States/ Canada.

Language- places have become bi-lingualReligious freedoms and different religions

enter the areas. Multiple customs/traditions= blending of

culturesChanges of the cultural landscapes

(monuments, buildings, different styles of homes, businesses, places of worship)

Human Impacts? (think back to Unit 3 and the 4 De-s) Acid rain, ozone depletion

Water pollution (esp. Chicago on Lake Michigan, Detroit with the auto productions, & other urban centers with heavy pollution. There are even industrial spills like the Exxon Valdez along the Alaskan Coast or the oil refineries explosion in Texas.

Increased population on the coasts "Eastern Megalopolis" from Boston to Va. Beach. Urban areas have large employment opportunities (Why do you think there are so many commuters here!!)

The Future of the region?: We’re Post-Industrial!! We’ll have increasing "Clean Industries" (NAFTA labor)

Will we maintain a World presence?: YES through UN, NATO, military presence

What do YOU think will happen in the future?