Geography of the United States

Northeast Northeast- first area to be heavily settled by Europeans. Remains heavily populated Landforms- Appalachian mountains and coastal plain Bodies of water- Atlantic Ocean, Lake Ontario, St. Lawrence River Climate- warm, humid summers: cold, snowy winters Economy- trade, manufacturing, service industries Cities- New York City, Boston, Philadelphia, Buffalo, Newark

Midwest Midwest- Has extremes in weather and a variety of cultures Landforms: Great Plains Bodies of Water: Great Lakes, Mississippi River, Missouri River Climate: hot summers, cold winters Economy: farming, manufacturing, transportation, trade Cities: Chicago, St. Louis, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Detroit

West The West- great variety of scenery, climate, and economic activities Landforms: Rocky Mountains, Sierra Nevada, Grand Canyon, Mojave Desert, Cascade Mountains Bodies of Water: Pacific Ocean, Great Salt Lake, Colorado River Climate: arid, rainy and mild, cold, tropical Economics: Ranching, mining, farming, logging, high- tech industries Cities: Los Angeles, San Francisco, Denver, Phoenix, Salt Lake City, Portland, Seattle

South The South: attracted industries and people due to warmer climate Landforms: Appalachian Mountains, Everglades Bodies of Water: Gulf of Mexico, Mississippi River, Atlantic Ocean Climate: hot rainy summers and mild winters Economy: farming, manufacturing, coal mining, oil drilling Cities: Dallas, Houston, Miami, New Orleans, Washington D.C., Nashville, Atlanta

Geography of Canada

Atlantic Provinces Newfoundland & Labrador, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island. First region settled by the French Bodies of Water: Atlantic Ocean, St. Lawrence River. Large scale commercial fishing, mining and logging. Harsh, rocky landscape. Majority of people live along the coast

Core Provinces Quebec and Ontario Cosmopolitan heartland of Canada Mild summers and harsh winters Contains a majority of the population of Canada Quebec is home to mostly French speaking citizens. Economic center and trading hub of Canada. Cities: Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, Quebec

Prairie Provinces Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta Known for its prairies in the south and thick forests in the north Economy: large wheat farms (Breadbasket of Canada) Mild summers and harsh winters. Landforms: Canadian shield Cities: Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg, and Regina

Pacific Provinces/ Territories British Columbia, Yukon, Northwest Territories, Nunavut Cool Summers to extremely harsh winters Varies from forests in BC to tundra in the territories Home to many natives, known as the Inuit Mostly logging, shipping and mining. Vancouver has the nations largest port and is known for its hydroelectric power plants.

Government of the United States The United States has a Constitutional Republic, in which our leaders are democratically elected by the people, who in return makes the laws of for our country. Our laws are then checked by our current constitution. The leader of the United States is the President, who is elected once every four years. The President is not directly elected by the people, instead the President is elected by the Electoral College. Each state receives a number of electoral votes based on their total number of House members and Senators. Each state within the United States also has their own government. Which is made up of a Governor, and a Congress. State laws only impact those living in or traveling through the state. Issues currently facing the United States are Terrorism, Climate Change/Pollution, Immigration, Health Care, and Gun Control

Government of Canada Canada officially has a Constitutional Monarchy with a Parliamentary system. This means that Canada remains loyal to the Royal family in Great Britain, but the royal family has no say over Canadian politics. Instead, each Province elects ministers to serve in the federal Parliament. The ministers can come from many political parties, but a majority come from the Liberal, Conservative, and New Democratic parties. The political party with the most members in Parliament then elects a Prime Minister who is the head of the State and Parliament. Their current leader the Liberal Justin Trudeau. Each Province is technically sovereign, but they owe allegiance to the federal government of Canada. The Provinces and territories make their own laws and elect their own officials. The newest province is Nunavut, which was carved out of the Northwest Territories in 1999. Issues facing Canada are its healthcare system, federal-provincial relations, Quebec independence, native relations, terrorism, and gun control.

US and Canadian Relations For a majority of the history of the two nations, Canada and the United States did not get along due to Canada’s ties to Great Britain. The United States even invaded Canada twice during the Revolutionary War the War of 1812 which ended in failure for the US. As US and British relations improved in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, so did US and Canadian relations. Canada and the United States created a strong alliance during the World Wars and the Cold War. In the 1990’s Canada and US became economically intertwined with NAFTA, which allowed for free trade between the nations. The Canadian government has supported the US with the wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, and the fight against ISIS. A majority of Canadians did not approve of American involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan. Culturally Canadians and Americans are very similar to one another, and share a common heritage/history. Most Americans think very highly of Canada, as Canada has been 95% of American’s favorite nation. That feeling is not mutual for Canada, as Canadians are often critical on American politics and American influence around the world. Canada and United States share the worlds largest border, which has created issues with the drug trade and illegal immigration. Canadians often favor Democratic Presidents and Congress over their Republican counterparts.