Unit 2 Canada/USA. Section 1: Physical Geography.
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Transcript of 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