North America

THE PEOPLE 69% - married 41% - children 44% one child 39% two children 50% of households are married couples with 22% having children under 18 Smaller households than in the past 2008 = 61% had 1 or 2 children 1970 = 46% had 1 or 2 children Canada family characteristics similar Canada & U.S. BOTH have aging populations 69% - married 41% - children 44% one child 39% two children 17% three or more children

the united states Education & Healthcare Network of private & public schools Attending school req’d until age 16 USA has 99% literacy rate Healthcare is available to many, but some are unable to purchase health insurance The government is in the process for providing healthcare for all citizens

Education & Healthcare of Canada 99% literacy rate Network of public & private schools, each province is responsible for organizing and administering public education Required for students 6 to 16 Gov’t pays for healthcare for all citizens Each province finances & manages its own health care systems High life expectancies = increased healthcare costs = limited benefits or raising taxes

Economic activities Market Economies – allows people to own, operate, and profit from their own businesses Hire employees & pay them for their work Laws in place to protect private property rights, employment opportunities, and the health and safety of workers Both countries developed with mostly industrial economies Postindustrial Economies – place less emphasis on heavy industry and traditional manufacturing and more emphasis on service and high-tech business

POSTINDUSTRIAL ECONOMIES: HIGH TECH INDUSTRIES Less dependent on location Located in areas similar to that of a person’s choice where to live: weather, proximity to work, access to recreational facilities Example: Silicon Valley – the 3rd largest high tech center after New York & Washington, D.C. Located near a cosmopolitan area, year round pleasant weather and offices near housing

Post industrial economies 77% of the region’s workers are employed in service jobs such as government, education, healthcare & banking Many of these service jobs located in the central business district of urban areas Central business district - a traditional business and commercial center referred to as downtown

Economic activities: manufacturing 20% of both US & Canadian economies Companies began moving from the Manufacturing Belt south to the Sunbelt Rust Belt, area left behind as new industries moved south to the Sunbelt. Many old, unused factories being converted for new industries, a process called retooling

Economic activities: manufacturing examples Sunbelt – transportation equipment & machinery California/Washington – aircraft and aerospace equipment Midwest – automobiles California/Northeast – food processing Canada/Quebec – wood base product (timber resources)

Economic activity: agriculture Commercial agriculture – producing agricultural commodities Most farms are still owned by families, rather than large corporations, many have formed cooperative operations Approx. 920 million acres in US used for agriculture Approx. 167 million acres in Canada used for agriculture Size of farms has decreased in U.S. due to: High cost of farming Unpredictable consumer demand Risk of natural disaster Time/hard work to run a farm

Key agriculture products Cattle ranches – Western, Southern, Midwestern, North-Central United States/ Prairie Provinces, Quebec, and Ontario Wheat Belt – Great Plains United States/Prairie Provinces of Canada Corn – Corn Belt stretches from Ohio to Nebraska/Quebec, Ontario, and Manitoba Agriculture Technology: Dairy farming in the United States can occur in every American state & many Canadian provinces as a result of: Improved feed sources & automation

Trade & iNTERDEPENDENCE Global Economy – merging of economies in which countries are interconnected and become dependent on one another for goods and services Exports & Imports U.S. spends more on imports than it earns from exports = TRADE DEFICIT Large consumer population & growing industries that are costly High tariffs on U.S. imports which increases price of US products & decreases sales abroad Canada exports more than it spends on imports = TRADE SURPLUS NAFTA