North America: Culture Characteristics

Colonized by the Europeans The Spanish colonized Florida, Texas, and California The English colonized the East Coast The French colonized Canada down to New Orleans

FOOD Canada Mexico United States Canadian food has been shaped and impacted by continual waves of immigration, with the types of foods and from different regions and periods of Canada reflecting this immigration Aboriginal peoples Europeans – French and English East Asian Dishes Maple syrup, Poutine, Nanaimo bars, smoked salmon, and butter tarts Mexican cuisine is known for its intense and varied flavors, colorful decoration, and variety of spices. Most of today's Mexican food is based on pre-Columbian traditions, including Aztec and Maya, combined with culinary trends introduced by Spanish colonists  tacos, quesadillas, enchiladas, burritos, tamales, barbacoa, chilaquiles, The European colonization of the Americas yielded the introduction of a number of ingredients and cooking styles. French, English, and Spanish One characteristic of American cooking is the fusion of multiple ethnic or regional approaches into completely new cooking styles Generally speaking, in the present day 21st century, the modern cuisine of the United States is very much regional in nature Examples - PIZZA, BBQ, Chili, Tex-Mex

Language Canada Mexico United States A multitude of languages are used by Canadians, with English and French  (the official languages) being the mother tongues of approximately 60% and 20% of Canadians respectively The country has the largest Spanish-speaking population in the world with almost a third of all Spanish native speakers.[ Almost all of the Mexican population speaks Spanish, 99.3% according to the latest census 5.4% still speaks an indigenous language  English (American English) is the de facto national language. Although there is no official language at the federal level, some laws—such as U.S. naturalization requirements—standardize English. In 2010, about 230 million, or 80% of the population aged five years and older, spoke only English at home 12% - Spanish

Government Canada Mexico United States Canada has a parliamentary system within the context of a constitutional monarchy Commonwealth Nation The federal government is composed of three branches Juridical, Legislative, Executive Prime Minister Federal presidential constitutional republic President The United States is the world's oldest surviving federation. It is a Constitutional Republic and representative democracy.  The government is regulated by a system of checks and balances defined by the U.S. Constitution

Religion Education Literacy- 99% Literacy- 95.1% Literacy- 100% Canada Mexico United States 67.3% Christianity Roman Catholic-38.7% Other Christian- 28.6% 23.9% No Religion 8.8% Other Religions 93% Christianity Roman Catholic- 83% Other Christian- 10% 5% No Religion .2% Other Religions 70.6% Christianity Protestant - 46.5% Roman Catholic- 20.8 Other Christian- 3.3% 22.8% No Religion 5.9% Other Religions Education Canada Mexico United States Literacy- 99% Literacy- 95.1% Literacy- 100%

Sports Canada Mexico United States Canada's official national sports are ice hockey and lacrosse Mexico's most popular sport is association football (Soccer) American Football, Baseball, Basketball, Ice Hockey Economics Canada Mexico United States GDP Per Capita- $46, 199 10th largest Economy Capitalist GDP Per Capita- $10, 174 15th largest Economy GDP Per Capita- $57,220 Largest Economy in the World  Capitalist 

High Literacy Rates North America has a high literacy rate What does that mean? The percentage of people who are able to read and write

High Standards of Living What does it mean for a country to have a high standard of living? Factors Income Quality and availability of education Cost of goods and services Quality and affordability of housing Hours of work required to purchase necessities GDP Affordable/free access to healthcare

Income Gap A gap between the rich and poor based on their income. The United States has one of the widest income gaps of any high income nation today!