North America UNIT 2

The Cultural Geography of North America The People Sec. 1

1st Americans Native Americans: Recent Immigrants: Came from Asia across the land-bridge thousands of years ago Way of life depended on physical surroundings Recent Immigrants: From all parts of the world Have moved because for religious, political, economical and educational reasons “Push-Pull Theory”

Population Density and Distribution Canada is larger than the US, but has fewer people 90% of Canadians live near the US-Canadian Border In the US the northeast, Great Lakes and Pacific Coast regions are the most densely populated Recent migrations to the sunbelt have increased US: 78 people/sq. mi Canada: 8 people/sq. mi

The Cities Coastal Cities: Inland Cities: Future Trends: Most people live in metro areas Healthy economies “Boswash”= home to 42 million people Inland Cities: Large cities located on rivers or lakes, transportation hubs Quebec, Montreal, Toronto, Ottawa, Detroit, Chicago, St. Louis, Pittsburgh Future Trends: Most population growth is from immigration due to low birth rates What situations arise from large urban populations?

History Sec. 2

Native Americans European Colonies Lifestyles were shaped by location and climate Examples Plains Indians SW Native Americans Atlantic Coast Natives Pacific Native Americans Late 1500’s European migration to the Americas In search of minerals, farmland and freedom Spanish=southwestern and southern US English=Atlantic Coast French=Canada & northern US

Manifest Destiny By the mid 1800’s the US had expanded westward across North America to the Pacific Canada carried out its own expansion

Growth Division & Unity industrialization transformed the US and Canada during the 1800’s Waterfalls of NE US were sources of power Coal from Midwest powered steam engines Rivers & lakes in central US provided easy transport Cotton/textile industry became more profitable By the 1800’s demand increased as did the demand for enslaved workers Disputes over slavery led to the Civil War

Government The US is a democratic republic Federal system of gov’t State and national government The government is set up by the constitution (1787) The Constitution can be amended from time to time to meet the country’s needs The national government is made up of executive, legislative and judicial branches Canada has a parliamentary democracy with a federal system British monarch is ceremonial head, while the governor-general is a representative of the monarch The Prime Minister heads the majority party in Parliament is the head of the government Canada became independent from the UK in 1931

Cultural Characteristics Religious Freedom Freedom of religion has always been valued in the Americas Most Americans are members of organized religion Most are Christian Language English and French are official languages of Canada French speaking Canadians in Quebec want protection of language and culture English is official language of US

Music Visual Arts Jazz: A mix of African and European musical ideas Born in New Orleans in the early 1900’s Rock n’ Roll and Country became more popular during the later 1900’s Visual Arts Similar to European art forms with American influences Early 1900’s saw American artists diverge from European art Painters depict their unique landscapes both urban and rural

THE ARTS

Popular Entertainment Literature American and Canadian literature took their own identities during the 1800’s & 1900’s Authors wrote about home regions and told stories about ordinary working men and women Writers from other cultures added their views of American lifestyles Popular Entertainment Movie industry has an enormous impact on the rest of the world Both countries are noted for their contributions to the performing arts The US is the birthplace of the musical

Lifestyles

Health Care Education In Canada the gov’t pays for health care In the US most people pay for their own The role of health care is under hot debate in the US Many receive care through their jobs Quality health care is out of reach for many Education US and Canada require all children to attend school Both countries have private and public schools Over 95% of both populations are literate

Sport & Recreation Celebrations Sports are popular in both countries Many Americans and Canadians take advantage of national parks and recreation areas Celebrations People in both countries celebrate similar religious holidays Many civic holidays are similar although held on different dates Independence day US: 4th of July Canada: July 1

SEE YA!