This document provides an overview of the key topics covered in a chapter about the geography of the United States and Canada. It describes the different landforms, climates, populations, economies, and diversity found within the two countries. Some of the main challenges discussed include managing water resources, addressing poverty, and balancing economic development with environmental sustainability.

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Chapter 2 Lecture
World Regional
Geography
A Developmental Approach
11th Edition
United States
and Canada

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Chapter Learning Outcomes
• Describe the general differences and similarities between the United States and
Canada in terms of culture and history.
• Organize correctly the location of the general landform regions in Canada and the
United States.
• Locate climatic regions in the United States and Canada, and explain the general
processes involved in their formation.
• Explain major environmental challenges facing this world region, from water
resources to the impacts of resource development.
• Outline the territorial evolution of what is now the United States and Canada.
• Compare the benefits and costs of the various forms of energy production in Canada
and the United States.
• Explain the meaning of diversity to the population geographies of Canada and the
United States, and how this diversity serves as both an advantage and disadvantage
to the development process.
• Relate the geographies of agriculture and manufacturing in the United States and
Canada to the larger processes of globalization and economic restructuring.
• Describe the diverse population geographies of both countries, and its advantage and
disadvantage to the development process.

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The Map

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Landforms

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Landforms
• Both are on the North American continent,
which also includes Mexico and Central
America.
• Together these two countries encompass
every type of landform and climate
classification that exists.

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Appalachian Highlands and Lowlands
• Low-lying mountains from Newfoundland to Alabama
• Six distinct landforms:
1. Piedmont—PA southward to GA
2. Fall Line—Series of river and stream rapids that mark the edge of the
Piedmont where it descends on the coastal plain
3. Blue Ridge Mountains—NC, TN, and GA (also called Great Smokies)
4. Ridge and Valley province
• Folded landscape of long, parallel ridges and valleys from NY to
northern AL
• Includes Hudson and Shenandoah Valleys
5. Appalachian Plateau—Western portion of Appalachian Highlands
6. New England
• White Mountains of NH and ME
• Green Mountains of VT
• Continues into Canada to form a Maritimes–Newfoundland extension

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Gulf-Atlantic Coastal Plain
• Gulf of Mexico to U.S. Atlantic Coast
• Location
– Cape Cod to Florida
– Florida
– Coastal Texas
– Much of lower Mississippi Valley

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Western Mountains and Plateaus
• Rocky Mountains—Northern NM
northward to CO and WY
• Interior plateau
– West of the Rocky Mountains
– Transition between Rockies and Pacific
Coastlands

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Western Plateaus
• Colorado plateau—More than a mile high in SW CO, eastern UT, northern
AZ, NM
• Basin and range
– West and south of the CO plateau
– Much of NV and western UT, parts of southern CA and AZ
• Columbia plateau
– North of basin and range
– Eastern OR and WA
– Snake River area of ID
• Pacific Coastlands
– Sierra Nevada Mountains
• North to south in eastern CA
• Eleven peaks in excess of 14,000 feet
– Cascade Mountains
• North of Sierra Nevada
• Central OR and WA
– Coast Ranges—Length of the Pacific Coast
• Great Valley—Alluvial trough
• Willamette Valley (OR)
• Puget Sound Lowland (WA)

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The Canadian Shield
• Shields
– Piece of Earth’s crust that is very old and
geographically very stable
– Probably cannot be further revised
– Cultural nuclei around which mountain formation
tends to occur
• Location
– Extends outward from the Hudson Bay
– Includes much of Quebec & Labrador
– Most of Ontario & Manitoba
– Substantial part of Canadian Arctic

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Interior Lowlands
• South and west of the Canadian Shield
• Between North America’s backbones of east
and west
• Components
– Great Plains—East of the Rocky Mountains
– Great Lakes—MI, NY, and Ontario
– Ozark Plateau—MI
– Ouachita Mountains—AK
– Black Hills
• Western SD
• Peaks that exceed 7,000 feet

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Climate

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Climate
• Several influencing factors:
– Clearly defined changes in seasonal temperatures
– Prevailing wind direction is west to east.
– North–south mountain ranges in the west modify air masses as they
move east.
– Atmosphere takes on the more extreme heating and cooling
characteristics of land than water.
• Winters are cold.
• Summers are hot.
– Gulf of Mexico—Important source of moisture for the Gulf Coast and
Interior Lowlands
• Characteristics:
– Humid subtropics
– Dry subtropics
– Marine west coast
– Western steppes and deserts
– Humid continental
– Subarctic and polar climates

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Humid Subtropics
• Hot and sticky
• Eastern Texas and Oklahoma east to
Florida and Virginia and sections of West
Virginia
• The climate in many of these states is
subject to extremes.

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Dry Subtropics (Mediterranean)
• Pacific Coast
• San Diego to San Francisco
– Summers relatively cool (time of drought)
– Winters relatively warm
• Precipitation low, but clearly defined wet
and dry seasons
• Lack of snow

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Marine West Coast
• Northern CA to Alaska
• Winter—Warmer due to moderating
effects of ocean
• Summer—Cool
• Cascade mountains produce a moderating
effect.

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Western Steppes and Deserts
• Eastern OR and WA south to Colorado Plateau
• East of Rocky Mountains—Corresponds roughly
to the Great Plains
• Semiarid climate
• Temperatures tend toward extremes
• True deserts of North America concentrated in
the southwest:
– Southern TX
– Southern AZ
– Southern CA

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Humid Continental
• Northern part of United States into southern
Canada
• Humidity
• Winter—Cool to cold
• Summer—Can be very hot
• Home to America’s agricultural heartland
– Corn Belt
– Dairy Belt

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Subarctic and Polar
• Subarctic
– Wide swath of central Canada and Alaska
– Precipitation levels low—Mostly as summer rain
• Polar
• Northern edges of Canada and Alaska
– Freezing conditions most of the year
– Some days without sunlight

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Environmental Challenges
• Continental climates have always
experienced environmental extremes.
• Water issues in dry conditions cause
issues.
• Northeastern and midwestern locales may
experience too much water.
• Storms, especially in the southeast, may
cause dramatic problems.

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Water Competition in Desert

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Historical Settlement
• European core has influenced the early settlement of both countries.
• Core influences:
– New England—MA, RI, and CT
• Originally a destination for religious freedom
• Artisanal work and shipbuilding
– Southern Atlantic—VA and southward
• Cultivation of subtropical crops—notably tobacco
• Plantation system a major aspect of work by smaller farms
– Middle Atlantic—NY, PA, and parts of NJ and MD
• English, Dutch, Scots–Irish, and Swedish influences
• Mixed agricultural system
• Manufacture of tools, guns, and wagons
• Iron ore work in PA
• Influential impact of American middle west and parts of Appalachians
– French Canada—Quebec; St. Lawrence River area
• Early settlers were French; British took over in 1763.
• Some farming along St. Lawrence River
• French Canadian population has remained contextual; little spatial diffusion.

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Historical Settlement

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Western Expansion
• Historical view was that all land on the continent is to be civilized by
Americans
• Expansion of United States
– Louisiana Purchase—1803
– East Florida—1819
– West Florida—1810–1813
– Texas—Annexed in 1845
– Mexican Cession—1848
– Oregon County—1848
– Gadsden Purchase—1853

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Evolution Of Canada

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Population
• U.S. population growth
after 1800
– High birthrates (fertility
rates)
– Low death rates (mortality
rates)
– Immigration
• Canadian population growth
– Grew mainly by natural increase between 1867 and 1900
– But limited by a low fertility rate
• Population distribution
– Predominantly east of the Mississippi River
– Greatest concentration in northeast quadrants
• Population of Canada
– Most people live 200 miles of U.S. border

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United States Population

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Canadian Population

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Agricultural Regions

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Agriculture Regions
• Corn Belt—Central Ohio to eastern Nebraska; MN to
SD; Kansas
• Dairy Belt—North of the Corn Belt, stretching westward
from Nova Scotia and New England to WI and MN
• Specialty Crop and Livestock Region—Southern New
England to eastern Texas
• Great Wheat Belts
– Winter Wheat Belt
• KS, OK, CO, and north TX
– Spring Wheat Belt
• ND, SD, MT, and Saskatchewan
• Western farming

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Energy
• Coal
– Major energy source for industrial expansion in United States: WY, KY,
WV, and PA
– Nova Scotia, New Brunswick in Canada
– Easier to import from U.S. Appalachian states
– More emphasis on petroleum
• Oil and gas
– Both United States and Canada are major producers and consumers.
– United States—Production centered in TX, LA, KS, CA, and AL
– Canada—Alberta and Saskatchewan
• Water
– 60% energy via hydroelectricity in Canada
– 8.5% in the United States
• Nuclear
– 20% source of power in United States
– 12% source of power in Canada

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Energy
• Iron ore
– United States and Canada are major producers and consumers.
– Canada—Exporter
– United States—Importer
• Aluminum
– Used extensively in transportation and construction
– Imported from Jamaica, Suriname, Guyana, and Australia as it is
not readily available
• Canada produces other metals:
– Nickel
– Copper

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Manufacturing
• New England
– Waterways
– Railroads
• South
– Remote from transportation
– Produced for exporting
• Coreland
– Southern New England
• Textile
• Leather-working
• Machine tools
• Metro New York
– Diversified manufacturing
– Garment industry

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Problems Facing Manufacturing
• Intensive foreign competition
• Labor costs cheaper
• More modern equipment
• Difficult economic conditions
• Recessions
• Fluctuations
• Social problems
• Social conflict
• Air and water pollution
• Residential quality
• Urban water supply

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Canadian Manufacturing
• Location—St. Lawrence Seaway and Ontario
– Industrial heartland
– Montreal the center of industry—Akin to NYC
• Specialization elsewhere
– Hydroelectric potential—Quebec
– Golden Horseshoe
• Most of Canada’s steel
• Great variety of other goods
• Protected by tariff
• Drift westward
– Alberta and western provinces gain
– Similar trends to United States

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Urban Dynamics
• Cities’ natural attraction for industrialism
– Agglomeration economies
– Multiplier effect
• Highly urbanized by beginning of 21st century
• Globalization transforming cities
– Transportation
• Expressways
• Automobiles
• Spatial expansion
• Megalopolis
– Result of congestion and sprawl
– “A very large city”
– More government—More demands
• Canadian Cities
– More acceptance of government planning
– More compact; higher densities
– More emphasis on public transportation

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Poverty in United States

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Poverty in Canada

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Poverty
• 78% of all poor live in metropolitan areas.
• Effect of biases against specific ethnic groupings
– African Americans
– Hispanic Americans
– Native Americans
– Appalachian whites
• Concentrated in central cities
• Appalachia
• Other areas
– Mississippi Delta
– Along the Mexico border
– Native American reservations in north central

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Diversity
• Numerous subgroups distinguished by
race, ethnic and linguistic differences
– African Americans
– Hispanic Americans
– Asian or Pacific Islanders

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Canadian Diversity
• Tension between English-speaking and French-speaking
– Anglophones—Native English speakers
– Francophones—Native French speakers
• Population Demographics
– French-speaking
• Quebec
• New Brunswick
• Predominantly Roman Catholic
– English-speaking
• Western provinces
• Maritimes
• Predominantly Protestant
• Multilingualism (other than French and English)
– Toronto
– Montreal
– Produced by immigration and ethnic clustering

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Canadian Diversity

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Summary of Chapter
• The United States and Canada occupy one of the largest land
masses in the world, and one with a wide array of environments.
• Both countries evolved out of a spatial integration process in which
frontiers were pushed back by advancing populations. The result is
a racial and cultural mosaic that enriches their contemporary
geographies, while presenting challenges to governments that
struggle to accommodate competing groups.
• Each country is an economic powerhouse that occupies a prominent
position in the world economy.
• Progress has come with costs in terms of environmental
degradation, global warming, employment insecurity among North
American workers, increased reliance on foreign sources for
important natural resources, and a growing fear that economic
progress may not be sustainable.