North America

1 Farms in Southern Kentucky

Learning Objectives• Apply concepts of globalization to a familiar region

• Lay the foundation for recognizing similarities and differences between this familiar region and regions that are unfamiliar

• Understand the following concepts and models:

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Acid rain

Ethnicity

Anthropogeographic land degradation

Ogallah aquifer

Mining

Counterurbanization

Gentrification

Migration

Megalopolis

Sectors of the economy

Introduction• Setting the boundaries: Why define North America this way?

• This chapter is the first to look at geographic regions—we begin to apply the terms from chapters 1 & 2 to various places

• North America includes the United States and Canada

• Sometimes called “Anglo America” because of ties to Britain, but North America has become culturally diverse through globalization and immigration

• Highly developed and wealthy

• In stage 4 of the demographic transition

• High rate of natural resource consumption

FIGURE 3.2 Toronto’s Cultural Landscape

Environment

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Even though this is a political map which shows the political units of the area—states for the United States, and provinces for Canada, what do you notice about the physical landscape? Is elevation a factor in where people live or don’t live?

Physi

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Pro

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Here is another way to look at the region—according to physical similarities. Notice how many political units are bisected by boundaries. Which is a better way to organize space?

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Recalling what we learned in Chapter 2 about climate, what patterns can be observed in this map? Which climate factors have the most influence?

The Grand Canyon

Physical geography of North America

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Let’s take a little tour of the diversity in this region….

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A “river” in Idaho San Diego CoastWould this be considered a river in South Carolina?

Would you be willing to live in that house on top of the bluff?

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Western Trails UT & WY

Stewart Falls, UT

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These photos are taken in April of the meltwater that runs off the Timpanogos glacier. It is cold enough that the ice reforms at the foot of the falls.

Colorado

11 What is the continental divide? What is it’s significance today in North America?

Niagara Falls

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On the border between US and Canada.

Glacier National Park, MT13

New River Gorge, WV14

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Case Study: Ogallala Aquifer

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Importance of this underground body of water—makes agriculture possible in semi-arid area.

Discovery of this ground water turned the Dust Bowl of the 1930’s into the “Bread Basket” today. But it is running out. How is this going to change farming?

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Fig. 5.9

Regional Shares of Proved Coal Reserves

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So…The US has lots of coal, BUT not all of it is coal that is “good”. Anthracite burns the cleanest, but is the most rare. You can see there that we have lots of mid-grade coal.

Centralia, PA – modern ghost town

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This is an example of underground mining. The vein of ore has caught on fire and changed the surface and make it nearly impossible for humans to live there,

Centralia, PA

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Let’s take a look at this place from an amateur filmmaker

Strip mining

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Nevada desert

• Anthropogenic landscapeModified by humans

• Surface and strip mining

• Effects: Surface and subsurface drainage

patterns are altered.

Destroys vegetation

Acidic subsoil now on top

Erosion

Aesthetic value

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These pictures show the area around the Bingham Copper Mine in the Salt Lake Valley

Bingham copper mine, Salt Lake Valley

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An example of surface mining, also known as Mountain Top Removal. Notice the scale of the land removed. It is actually 7 open pits. Said to be 1 of 2 man-made features to be visible from space. The other is the Great Wall of China.

Bingham Copper Mine, Salt Lake Valley

• Copper, gold, silver and molybdenum

• 15 billion tons moved

• Pit 2600 ft deep and 2.5 miles wide.

• Copper in industry 33 years of reserves left globally

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We know the cost of mining, but we continue to do it because we need the materials. What if the materials run out? Copper is used in electronics bc it is conductive. Next most conductive metal is gold. How will this change the price of modern technology?

Take quiz 3.1

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Population and Settlement

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How would you describe the settlement pattern? Which areas are most populated and why? Why are some areas more sparse?

Occupying the land

• Stage 1: 1600–1750: Colonial footholds on East Coast

• Stage 2: 1750–1850: Infilling better eastern farmland; Canadian settlement slower

• Stage 3: 1850–1910: Westward movement for gold rushes and other opportunities

FIGURE 3.10 European Settlement Expansion

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Why was the Western portion settled later?

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Another way to look at population distribution.

History1565—St. Augustine, FL (Spanish)

1607—Jamestown, VA (British)

1608—Quebec, CAN (French)

31What brought these colonial powers here? What did they hope to find in the New World? What did they actually find?

Growth of the North American City

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Stage One: Pedestrian EraStage Two: Electric StreetcarStage Three: Automobile EraStage Four: Freeway Era

Each change in transportation technology changes the spatial extent of the city.

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How has life in the United States altered with each change in transportation technology? How is life influenced by the introduction of the Interstate System?

Urban Geography• A sub-disciplin of Human Geography, which looks at the built

environment.

• Urban=City

• Each city is different. Why?

• History of settlement is different, different goals, urban technology

• Ex: City founded before or after the electric streetcar.

• Different ethic mix, in part due to migration.• Ex: Chinatowns in DC and San Francisco

• Look at how the boundaries have changed

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Urbanization• Edge Cities:

New suburbs with a mix of retail, office complexes & entertainment

• Consequences of Urban Sprawl: Counterurbanization

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.35

Urban Sprawl outside Atlanta, GA

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Harlem, NYC in 2001

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Washington, DC Salt Lake City38

How do we delineate the centers of our cities?

Boston, MA

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What is unique about this urban environment?

Let’s look at some other important cities and observe the unban landscape

Chicago, IL40

Omaha, NE

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What trends do you notice in this town?

Savannah, GA

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The importance of the river is still source of economy here.

Neighborhood in Phoenix, AZ

43How would you like to live in a place like this?

Rural North America

North Americans historically favored a dispersed rural settlement pattern

• Township-and-range survey system: rectangular survey system introduced in 1785 in United States for unincorporated areas; similar system in Canada

• Railroads opened interior to settlement

• Today, many rural areas areseeing population declines as family farms are replaced by corporate farmsFIGURE 3.19 Iowa Settlement Patterns

These are common cultural landscapefeatures in central North America.

Take quiz 3.2

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Cultural Coherence andDiversityThe impact of immigration on North America

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Chinatown in Washington, DC.

INDIGENOUSDOMAINS

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Of course, other people were here before Europeans colonized North America

Here is where they are concentrated today

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Do you agree with the regions on this map? Why or why not?

People are attached to local culture• California is one of the

largest states in the union.

• We also have linguistic diversity:

• Watch this video on Bootling

• And this one on Southern dialects

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Obviously this is a humorous view of Canada, but it does give some insight on how some people see it.

What is “culture” North America?It’s hard to answer this question, because continuing

migration in to the region is constantly changing who we are and how we define ourselves.

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1820 1840 1860 1880 1900 1920 1940 1960 1980

MIGRANT EXPERIENCE: 1820-1980MIGRANT EXPERIENCE: 1820-1980

BritishIsles

GermanyScandinavia

South/EastEurope

Latin AmericaAsia

Imm

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n 1

000s

Push Factors Pull Factors+1840s: Irish Potato Famine +Economic Opportunity+1850-1920: Overpopulation, War +Political/Religious Freedom+Recent: Overpopulation, War, Oppression +Land Availability

2000

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6000

8000

10000

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Ethnic mix in US, 2000

Current population measures & ethnic makeup

55Check out some more demographic data here

The globalization of American culture

North Americans: living globally 43 million foreign-born migrants living in North

America The global diffusion of U.S. culture

FIGURE 3.26 Annual Beer Imports to the United States, 2002

Take quiz 3.3

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Geopolitical Framework

What brings us together

or pulls us apart?

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Patterns of Dominance and Division Creating political space

United States broke cleanly, violently from Great Britain; Canada separated peacefullyUnited States purchased and conquered new lands

Provinces of Great Britain joined Canada

Continental neighborsLong boundary between United States and Canada

(5525 mi.)Cross-boundary issues include water resources,

transportation, environmental quality

Boundary Waters Treaty created International Joint Commission

North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)

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Other Geopolitical Issues 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 challengeFrench-speakers once considered

secession Native peoples and national politics

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

Canada: Native Claims Office (1975); Nunavut Territory created in 1999 (Canada’s newest): 85 percent of Nunavut’s 30,000 residents are Inuit

FIGURE 3.28 Life in Nunavut

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Current geopolitical issuesHow does the US get along with Canada?

How does the US interact with Mexico?

What is the role of migration in each case?

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The continuing pull to North America

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How much of this is cultural? How much is economic?

DIVIDED QUEBECDIVIDED QUEBEC63

Take quiz 3.4

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Economic & Social developmentDominance of the US economy.

Diversified sectors

Distribution within North America

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Major Economic Activities of North America

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Sectors of the economy

• 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

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Watch a silly little cartoon to illustrate.

Sectoral transformation:• The evolution of the nation’s labor force from primary sector

activities to secondary, tertiary and quaternary activities.• Many in the developing world are going through this

transformation now.

Creating a continental economyRegional economic patterns

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

Megalopolis: urbanized area from Boston to Washington, D.C., ishistorical manufacturingcore

FIGURE 3.30 Major Economic Activities of North America

But not all areas are improving—much industry has left North AmericaFor example:

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Persisting social issues

21st-century challenges United States and Canada’s social indicators

compare favorably, but concerns persist • Jobs, education

• Health care, chronic disease, aging

• Gender gap

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Take quiz 3.5

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