THE CULTURAL GEOGRAPHY of THE

US AND CANADA

THE UNITED STATES KEY TERMS:

IMMIGRATION, SUNBELT, URBANIZATION, METROPOLITAN AREA,

SUBURB, URBAN SPRAWL, MEGALOPOLIS, UNDERGROUND RAILROAD,

DRY-FARMING, BILINGUAL, LITERACY RATE.

POPULATION PATTERNS

Influenced by immigration Asiatic peoples reached US over 20,000

years ago Why people move here today?

Political and religious freedom, economic opportunity, wars, disasters

Ex: 2004- 11.7% of total US pop. Foreign born

DENSITY and DISTRIBUTION

Avg. is 80 people per sq. mi. Northeast and Great Lakes region

Dense b/c of commerce and industry Pacific Coast

Economic opportunity and mild climate Alaska, Great Plains, and Great Basin

Little to no pop. South and Southwest (Sunbelt) Arizona, NM, and

California Manufacturing, service, and tourism

URBAN AREAS Urbanization- rural to cities Metro-area- main city w/50k

and outlying suburbs Urban sprawl- growth of

metro area; people move away from city core

GROWTH, DIVISION, and UNITY

1800’s- U.S. doubled in size (addition of Louisiana) Industrial Revolution Coal in Midwest = power for machines = emergence of

Midwest as industrial power South

Textile industry Slavery = Underground R.R. = series of safe-houses for

escapees Movement- Eastern cities to Great Plains

(overcrowding) Dry-farming- cultivating land to catch and hold water R.R. = spread of manufactured goods

CULTURE Main language= English

Spanish= 2nd most spoken Many religions

Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism

Education Private and Public; 97% literacy rate

CULTURE: THE ARTS Jazz- blending African rhythms w/European

Harmonies Other notables: LA, NYC

THE CULTURAL GEOGRAPHY of

CANADA KEY TERMS:

LOYALIST PROVINCE,

INUIT DOMINION

PARLIAMENT QUEBECOIS

NAFTA SEPERATISM

POPULATION PATTERNS

Highly developed: big cities; wilderness Some are descendants of Native Americans Their settlers moved for the same reasons

as the Americans Ex: Loyalists- to the British Crown came over

after the American Revolution Settled in Maritime Provinces

Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island

Provinces- political units similar to states

POPULATION PATTERNS (cont)

Quebec- settled by French; keeps its French heritage

Inuit- Arctic peoples of North America; about 1 million

90% of the people live bet. the U.S./Canada border Much of Canada is inhospitable Rugged terrain and bitterly cold

Avg. pop. density = 8 per sq. mi. Most live in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and

Alberta

MAJOR URBAN AREAS

Toronto = industry and finance Montreal = industry and

shipping Vancouver = trade b/t Canada

and Asia Edmonton

Click icon to add pictureClick icon to add picture

Click icon to add picture

HISTORY and GOVT Driven by French and English roots,

independence and immigration 1400s- John Cabot and Jacques Cartier 1600s- French and British competed 1800s- British and French feared US

invasion 1867- Dominion of Canada

Quebec, Ontario, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick

Dominion = partial self governance

HISTORY and GOVT (cont)

Independence 1st attempt 1931 British gov’t kept the right to approve

constitutional changes 1982

Canada granted full freedom Constitutional monarchy established

EXPANSION and DIVERSITY

1800s- land from Atlantic to Pacific, and Arctic to US Border

1815-1855- 1 million British settlers Quebecois- French speaking people of

Canada Klondike Gold Rush

Many Natives booted 1998- Nanavut- “our land”; formal

apology

MODERN CHALLENGES

NAFTA Trading bet. US and Canada Elimination of trade barriers

What to do w/Quebec? French nationalists want to start a

separatist movement Want independence

CULTURE Official languages: English and French Religions: Christianity, Islam, Buddhism,

Hinduism, Judaism, Sikhism Education and Health-Care:

Private and Public 97% literacy rate Must be in school bet. 6-16 yrs of age Health-Care- gov’t sponsored

THE ARTS British, French, American, and Native

influences 1950s- mass media pushed purchasing of

locally produced goods Early 1900s- art by Natives

Group of Seven- painted the rugged Northern Canadian Landscapes

Writers- Hugh MacLennan & Margaret Lawrence

Toronto- theater and music capital of Canada

FAMILY LIFE One of the wealthiest in the world High standard of living 70% are married

60% of these have kids 1970s

1 of 10 was 65 or older Today

1 of 6 is 65 or older Avg. life expectancy = 80 yrs (highest in

world)