Chapter 3: North America (Fig. 1) North America

Chapter 3:
North
America
(Fig. 3.1)

North America

• Learning Objectives

• Apply concepts of globalization to a familiar region

• Understand the following concepts and models:

Introduction

Setting the Boundaries

North America includes the U.S. and Canada

• Sometimes called “Anglo America” because of ties to Britain, but North America is increasing its cultural diversity through globalization and immigration

• Highly developed and wealthy

• In Stage 4 of Demographic Transition

Environmental Geography: A Threatened Life of Plenty

The Costs of Human Modification

• Transforming soils and vegetation

• Introduction of new species (wheat, cattle, horses)

• Settlers cut down forests

• Grasslands converted to grain and forage crops

• Managing Water

• City dwellers use 170 gal/person/day

• Agriculture/industrial users average 1,500 gal/person/day

• Quality and quantity of water are both problems

• Clean Water Act in U.S; Green Plan in Canada

• Altering the Atmosphere

• Urban activities raise city temperatures above nearby rural temperatures

• Air pollution from factories, utilities, and vehicles

• Acid rain occurs when airborne pollutants (sulfur & nitrogen) mix in chemical reaction to make acidic precipitation; originates in industrial areas, falls as rain & snow; travels via wind across the continent

Environmental
Issues in
North America
(Fig. 3.4)

• The Price of Affluence

• North Americans use almost twice as much energy per capita as the Japanese and more than 16 times that of people in India

• Patterns of Climate and Vegetation

• Great variation in climate and vegetation because of latitudinal range, varied terrain (altitude) and oceans

• Maritime climates in coastal zones (moderated temperatures)

• Continental climate in the interior (great temperature range)

• Frequent winds, including tornadoes

Environmental Geography: A Threatened Life of Plenty

A Diverse Physical Setting

Climate
(Fig. 3.9)

Population and Settlement:
Reshaping a Continental Landscape

Modern Spatial and Demographic Patterns

Population and Settlement: Reshaping a Continental Landscape

• Occupying the Land

• Indigenous people in N.A. for 12,000 years

• Europeans arrived 400 years ago

• European diseases and disruptions reduced Native American populations by 90% in some areas

Population and Settlement: Reshaping a Continental Landscape

• Occupying the Land

• European Settlement Expansion (fig 3.11)

• North America on the Move

• Westward-Moving Populations

• North America on the Move

• Black Exodus from the South

• 1900: more than 90% of African-Americans in the South

• Movement North for jobs during and after WWII

• Rural to Urban Migration

• More than 75% of North Americans live in cities

• North America on the Move

• Growth of the Sunbelt South

• Fastest growing region since 1970, with some states growing by 20% (GA, FL, TX, NC)

• The Counterurbanization Trend

• Since 1970 people have moved to smaller cities and rural areas to avoid perceived problems of urban life

• Lifestyle migrants: seeking amenities

Growth of the
American City
(Fig. 3.15)

• Reconfigured land use

• Concentric Zone Model: Urban land uses organized in rings around the Central Business District

• Urban realms model or Edge Cities: New suburbs with a mix of retail, office complexes & entertainment

• Change in cities:

• People and investment flee city for suburbs

• Poverty, crime, racial tension in cities

• Gentrification:

• Movement of wealthier people to deteriorated inner-city areas; may displace low income residents

• Suburban downtowns:

• Similar to edge cities; suburbs becoming full-service urban centers with retail, business, education, jobs, etc.

Settlement Geographies: Rural North America

• North Americans historically favored a dispersed rural settlement pattern

• Township-and-range survey system: Rectangular survey system introduced in 1785 in U.S. for unincorporated areas; similar system in Canada

• Railroads opened interior to settlement

• Today, many rural areas are experiencing population declines, as family farms are replaced by corporate farms

Cultural Coherence and Diversity:
Shifting Patterns of Pluralism

• The Roots of a Cultural Identity

• Early dominance of British culture, then Consumer Culture after 1920 provided common experience

• Ethnicity – group of people with a common background & history identify with one another (often as a minority group in larger society); both Canada & U.S. have many minorities

• Peopling North America

• Cultural assimilation – the process in which immigrants are absorbed by the larger host society

Cultural Coherence and Diversity (cont.)

• Peopling North America (cont.)

• Migration to the U.S.

Cultural Coherence and Diversity (cont.)

• Peopling North America (cont.)

• The Canadian Pattern

• Similar to U.S., but with larger French presence

• Today, 16% in Canada are foreign-born

• Culture and Place in North America

• Persisting Cultural Homelands: French-Canadian Quebec; Hispanic Borderlands; African-Americans in the “Black Belt;” Cajuns in Southern Louisiana; Native American Reservations

Cultural Coherence and Diversity (cont.)

• The Globalization of American Culture

• North Americans: Living Globally

• Many international tourists, students in the region

• The Global Diffusion of U.S. Culture

Geopolitical Framework: Patterns of Dominance and Division

• Creating Political Space

• U.S. broke cleanly, violently from Great Britain; Canada separated peacefully

• U.S. purchased and conquered new lands

• Provinces of Great Britain joined Canada

• Continental Neighborhoods

• Long boundary between U.S. and Canada

• Many cross-boundary issues

• Water resources, transportation, environmental quality

• North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)

Geopolitical Issues in North America (Fig. 3.27)

Geopolitical Framework (cont.)

• The Legacy of Federalism

• Federal states: those that allocate considerable power below the national level

• Unitary states: those with centralized power at national level

• Quebec’s Challenge

• French-speakers consider secession from Canada

• Native Peoples and National Politics

• In the U.S., Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act (1975) and the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (1988)

• In Canada, Native Claims Office (1975) and Nunavut Territory (1999)

Geopolitical Framework (cont.)

• A Global Reach

• U.S.’s geopolitical reach is beyond our borders

• Monroe Doctrine (1824) asserted U.S. rights in Western Hemisphere

• WWII and Truman Doctrine gave U.S. wider world role

• North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), Organization of American States (OAS)

• Other international involvement: Korea (1950–1953); Vietnam (1961–1973); Afghanistan and Iraq

Economic and Social Development: Geographies of Abundance and Affluence

• North America has the world’s most powerful economy and its wealthiest population

• An Abundant Resource Base

• Direct extraction of natural resources makes up 3% of U.S. economy, and 6% of Canadian economy

• Opportunities for Agriculture

• Highly mechanized and productive

• Agriculture employs 2.4% of U.S., and 3.3% of Canadian labor force

• Geography of farming in North America determined by (1)diverse environments; (2)continental & global markets for food; (3)historical patterns of settlement & agriculture

Economic and Social Development (cont.)

• An Abundant Resource Base (cont.)

• Industrial Raw Materials

• North America has abundant resources, but still imports raw materials

• U.S. produces 12% of world’s oil, consumes 25%

• Creating a Continental Economy

• Connectivity and Economic Growth

• Connectivity fosters economic growth

• Connectivity: how well regions are linked together by transportation and communication

Economic and Social Development (cont.)

• Creating a Continental Economy

• The Sectoral Transformation

• Sectoral transformation: the evolution of the nation’s labor force from primary sector activities to secondary, tertiary and quaternary activities

• Primary: natural resource extraction; Secondary: manufacturing/industrial; Tertiary: services; Quaternary: information processing

• Today, tertiary and quaternary activities employ more than 70% of the U.S. and Canadian labor force

Economic and Social Development (cont.)

• Creating a Continental Economy (cont.)

• Regional Economic Patterns

• Location factors: the varied influences that explain why an economic activity is located where it is

Economic and Social Development (cont.)

• North America and the Global Economy

• North America plays a pivotal role in the global economy

• Spurred the creation of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the World Bank, and the World Trade Organization (WTO)

• U.S. and Canada members of Group of Eight (G-8)

• Eight powerful countries that regularly confer on world political and economic issues (with Japan, Germany, Great Britain, France, Italy, Russia)

• Patterns of Trade

• North America is prominent in both the sale and purchase of goods and services in international economy

Economic and Social Development (cont.)

• North America and the Global Economy (cont.)

• Doing Business Globally

• Foreign capital comes to North America as investments in North American stocks and bonds and as foreign direct investment (FDI)

• Many U.S. firms have established businesses abroad

• U.S. pension dollars invested in Japan, Europe

Economic and Social Development (cont.)

• Persisting Social Issues

• Wealth and Poverty

• Strong contrasts among communities and ethnicities

• Black household incomes are 62% of the national average and Hispanic incomes are 71% of the national average

• Regional contrasts

• In U.S., Northeast and West are richest regions

• In Canada, Ontario and B.C. are wealthiest

• North American poverty rates have fallen

• Problems still remain in rural and inner city areas

• Digital divide: region’s poor and underprivileged have less access to Internet connections

Economic and Social Development (cont.)

• Persisting Social Issues (cont.)

• Twenty-First Century Challenges

• U.S. and Canada’s social indicators compare favorably, but concerns persist

• Jobs, education

• Health care, chronic disease & aging

• Gender gap

• Conclusions

• North America enjoys abundance, but must work with diverse populations to address challenges