THE CULTURAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE U.S. AND CANADA

I. POPULATION PATTERNSA. Human Characteristics

Nations of immigrants: Europeans, Africans, Asians, Latin AmericansNatives already here

B. Population Distribution and Density

More than 330 million people, or 5% or world’s population300 million in the U.S., 33 million in Canada85 per sq. mile in U.S. 9 per sq. mile in Canada

•Most Americans live in the Northeast, Great Lakes Region, and the West Coast• Near transportation routes, commerce, and manufacturing1970s: many moved to the Sunbelt, the South and West for jobsSparsely populated areas include the Great Basin and Alaska

•Most Canadians live near the Great Lakes/ St. Lawrence River• Some spots in the plains and west coast90% of Canadians live within 100 miles of the U.S.2/3 of Canada is unpopulated.

URBANIZATION

•¾ of the people live in cities or suburbs: Metropolitan area1. Coastal Cities• Boston, New York Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington D.C. for a megalopolis called the Bos Wash on the east coast.• Miami, New Orleans, Houston on the Gulf coast• Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, Vancouver on the west coast.

2. Inland CitiesOften located near inland waterwaysToronto, Montreal, Quebec City,

Chicago, Milwaukee, Cleveland, Buffalo near the Great Lakes/ St. Lawrence

Pittsburgh and St. Louis near major rivers

Others include: Atlanta, Dallas, San Antonio, Denver, Memphis, Minneapolis, Kansas City, Salt Lake City, Winnipeg, Calgary, EdmontonThey are transportation and business centers for the surrounding areas.

II. HISTORY AND GOVERNMENT

A. History1st people crossed the land bridge Bering Strait from AsiaStarted about 30,000 years agoBy 10,000 years ago, people

living almost everywhere in N. America

1. Early AmericansAdapted to survive in different

climatesChanged their cultures.

2.EUROPEAN COLONIZATION Vikings arrived around 1000 AD Columbus arrived 1492, started

colonization 1500s, Europe searched for land,

minerals, riches, and freedoms Most were from Spain, France,

and England English on the east coast North: commerce for money South: agriculture, cash

crops, and slavery French settled near the St.

Lawrence and Mississippi Rivers for fur trade

Spanish settled SW U.S., Florida, South and Middle America

3. TWO NATIONS

1763, France gave up land in N. America

Britain taxed America“No Taxation w/o

Representation”American Revolution: 1775-

1781Many loyalists fled to

CanadaDeclared Independence in 1776

Canada never foughtBritain divided into Upper

(British) and Lower (French) QuebecUnited in 1841Self-government 1849

Dominion of Canada 1867Added territory

4. INDUSTRY AND EXPANSION

1800s, rapid industrialization: Setting up of manufacturing

with machines Used water, then steam to power Canals and later railroads to

transport goods Midwest and Northeast the

leaders, cities boom, immigrants Textiles from Southern cotton

Westward Expansion Louisiana Purchase, 1803 Mexican-American War 1846-

48 Gold rushes and farming

Bough Alaska in 1867 American Civil War: 1861-1865

5. TECHNOLOGY AND GROWTH Dry Farming on the Great

PlainsSteel machines

Transcontinental RR 1869 (Canada 1885)

2nd wave of the Industrial Rev. Auto industry

Both fought in the World WarsVast resources helped

them win U.S. a superpower,

opposed by the Soviet UnionCold War: 1948-1991

6. U.S. GOVERNMENT

Constitution written in 1787, ratified 1789Bill of Rights: 1st ten

amendments Formed a republic Three Branches

Executive: PresidentLegislative:

CongressJudicial: Courts

Checks and Balances

7. CANADA’S GOVERNMENT Canada independent by

1867 Needed English approval

to change the govt. until 1982

Executive: British Monarch, Governor-General, and Prime Minister

Legislative: Parliament, Prime Minister involved too

Judicial: Supreme Court of Canada

U.S.: 50 states and some territories

Canada: 10 provinces and 3 territories

III. CULTURES AND LIFESTYLES A. A Region’s Cultures

MulticulturalMelting pot vs. mosaic

1. Religious FreedomProtected by lawMainly Protestant ChristiansCanada: mainly Catholics

2. LanguagesU.S.: English mainly, no official language

Canada: bilingualFrench and English

A. THE ARTS No true American style for a

whileHeavily influenced by

EuropeArchitecture: skyscrapers. A skyscraper is a tall,

continuously habitable building of many storey's, usually designed for office and commercial use.

Literature: Edgar Allan Poe, Mark Twain, Ernest Hemingway

Music: Jazz, Rap, Country, Blues

B. LIFESTYLES 1. A Mobile Society

Cars, planes, etc. 2. Standard of Living:

Very high, good housing 3. Health Care

Among the healthiest in the world 4. Education

Very high literacy ratesU.S. 98%, Canada: 97%

5. Sports and RecreationFootball, basketball, baseball, hockey…Lots of national parks in both countries:

Yellowstone, Wood Buffalo Park: huge 6. Celebrations

Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving, Independence Days

REPORTED BY:

JESSICA D. ADOFINA

BSED II-A

THANK YOU !!!