Travel Destinations Geography and Tourism in North America Geographically North America includes Canada, the U.S. and Mexico Mexico, however, is usually included with Central-Latin America North America The U.S. and Canada are similar because they have the same general ethnic origins and a product of the Industrial Revolution North America Is a major food supplier because of its fertile soils Has a high total per capita consumption of resources and consumer goods Is more dependent on the automobile than any other country in the world North America Tourism is a major element of life One of the largest origin regions for international tourism One of the largest destination regions Millions of attractions North America Wealthy Mobile Highly Educated Lots of Leisure time Buy lots of consumer goods World leaders in international and domestic travel Landform in North America Canadian Shield: Rolling hills of igneous rock once covered by glaciers, has high content of mineral resources Atlantic Coastal Plain: along Atlantic seaboard, often sunken areas, may have poor drainage Piedmont: transition zone between Appalachian mountains and Atlantic Coastal plains, contains fall line, which is the point at which streams descend to plains, usually farthest point ships can travel upstream Landform in North America Appalachian Mountains: Low level mountains in eastern U.S. rarely exceed 5,000 feet Central Lowlands: agricultural heart of America, formed by Ohio River and Mississippi River in the U.S. and by the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River in Canada Landform in North America Great Plains: in Canada and the U.S., 500 to 5000 feet above sea level, more than half the land mass, fertile land for agriculture Western Mountains: Rocky Mountains, Coast mountains Landform in North America River Systems: include the Great Lakes, the St. Lawrence Seaway, Mississippi, Arkansas, Ohio, and Missouri Rivers, provides low cost transportation of goods by barge. Climate Ten major climatic types in North America ranging from Desert (SW U.S.A.) to Humid Subtropical (Arkansas and middle America) to frozen Tundra (far North Canada) Tourism Characteristics Major importance to North America Travel is unequalled in world U.S. has highest amount of money spent on international and domestic travel Infrastructure of tourism industry in Canada is similar to U.S. Airports, train stations, bus terminals Tourism Destinations & Attractions Sporting/Adventure: Outdoor activities, hunting, fishing, camping, canoeing Wilderness/Expedition: Trophy hunting, safaris, rugged terrain Leisure/Recreation: recreational, often one day trips, caters to large populations Beach/Recreation: water destinations, mostly leisure Tourism Destinations & Attractions Heritage/Culture: based on heritage, folklore, rituals, traditions, local routines Urban: visiting cities Resort: activities associated with the area, skiing, spas, mountains, fishing etc. Scenic: has no specific destination, seeing the country side