“Today’s Issues” The United States and Canada Chapter 8 Notes “Today’s Issues” The United States and Canada

September 11 Terrorist Attacks Terrorists hijacked four planes. Two crashed into the World Trade Center and one into the Pentagon. Another crashed in Pennsylvania. Nearly 3,000 people died. Al Qaeda, a global network of extremist Islamic terrorists, led by Osama bin Laden was responsible.

Terrorism Due to the September 11th terrorists attack the United States has now increased security at airports. A primary objective of terrorists is to gain territory or change government policies. Terrorists act in secret, can move from country to country and have so many possible targets.

Weapons used by terrorists Bombs, planes, disease-causing bacteria and viruses, chemical weapons, and nuclear weapons. Disease-causing bacteria, such as anthrax, are known as biological weapons.

Urban Sprawl Urban sprawl is the spreading of a city’s population over a wider and wider area. Unrestricted growth, unlimited use of automobiles and growth of expressways are factors contributing to urban sprawl.

Increased costs for housing, utilities and economic class separation are bad effects of urban sprawl. Canada and the U.S. have adopted plans to manage the growth of places such as Vancouver, B.C. and Portland Oregon. Sustained communities and growth boundary lines have helped limit sprawl.

Infrastructure Infrastructure consists of the basic facilities, services and machinery needed for a community to function.