Vocab #4 – The United States and Canada Read pp. 148-154

Immigration The movement of people into one country from another; the United States and Canada were founded on immigration.

Urbanization The movement of people from rural areas to cities

Metropolitan area This includes a city with a population of at least 50,000 people and outlying areas (suburbs)

Suburb Outlying communities of a metropolitan area

Urban sprawl Metropolitan areas that have become crowded, leading to the further spread of people and suburban development

Megalopolis A chain of closely linked metropolitan areas (for example, Boswash – Boston to Washington, D.C.)

Underground railroad An informal network of safe house; used prior to the U.S. Civil War for escaped slaves to head north

Dry farming A method of cultivating land to catch and hold rainwater; settlers used this process to grow crops in the Great Plains of the United States.

Bilingual The ability to speak more than one language; for example, Canada is an officially bilingual nation (English and French are both national languages.)

Literacy rate The percentage of people who can read and write; for example, the literacy rate in the United States and Canada is 99%.