Human Geography of the U.S. Chapter 6 – An Abundant Land

Population United States – 313 million Largely populated by many groups of immigrants. About 5% of the world’s population live in the U.S.

Early Americans 1 st people to migrate to North America came from Asia Crossed the land bridge across the Bering Strait

Early Americans In the 15 th century, Europeans began to explore the “New World” Spanish arrived first In 1565, they founded St. Augustine, FL, the oldest permanent settlement in the U.S. The French and English came later English made their first permanent settlement in Jamestown, VA in 1607

Castillo de San Marcos Fort St. Augustine, FL

Jamestown, Virginia

Economic Success 3 factors have contributed to the overall success of the U.S. economy: Available natural resources A skilled labor force A stable political system

Human/Environment Interaction The growth of industry changed the development of the U.S. and Canada. The West became a source of raw materials. Europeans cleared forests for farmland.

Industry and Expansion Mass production enabled goods to be produced more quickly. Advances in transportation helped get the goods to the marketplace.

World’s Largest Economy World leader in agricultural products, manufactured goods, and global trade. U.S. produces 10% of the world’s exports Leading industries are petroleum, steel, transportation equipment, chemicals, electronics, food processing, telecommunications, consumer goods, lumber, & mining

Agriculture Fertile soil, favorable climate, and early mechanization of the country’s farms are mainly responsible for success 40% of world’s production of corn 20% of cotton 10% of wheat, cattle, and hogs

A Diverse Society 70% trace ancestors to Europe Hispanic Americans – 13% African Americans – 12% Asian Americans – 4% Native Americans – 1%

Culture: Religion Religious freedom is valued because many of the people who migrated to the region did so to worship freely Most are Christians (85%); others practice Judaism, Islam and Buddhism

Culture: Language U.S. – primarily English speaking, many Spanish-speaking people live in the Southwest, French-speaking live in southern Louisiana Only officially bilingual state - New Mexico – English and Spanish

American Life Today About 80% of Americans live in cities and surrounding suburbs The move to the suburbs was made possible by the widespread ownership of automobiles (one auto for every 1.3 Americans)

Highlands Ranch, Outskirts of Denver, CO

Culture: Leisure Time Playing and watching sports (basketball, baseball, football, soccer, tennis, skiing, ice skating, etc.) TV, movies, music, video games Vacationing (beaches, national parks, etc.) Not all Americans live well, unfortunately 1 in 10 Americans live in poverty

Bryce Canyon National Park, UT

Subregions of the United States The Northeast (9 states) 5% of the nations land, 20% of the population Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, & Conneticut make up New England The other 3 – Pennsylvania, New York, and New Jersey – are referred to as the Middle Atlantic states

The Northeast Megalopolis – cities overlap to form a single urban area Boswash – largest megalopolis is in the Northeast, between Boston and Washington D.C. Stretches 500 miles A satellite view of the Boswash region at night. (NASA)

Subregions of the U.S. The Midwest (12 states) Nation’s “Breadbasket” ¼ of the people live in the Midwest Its central location and excellent waterways make the Midwest a trade, transportation, and distribution center

Subregions of the U.S. The South (16 states) Contains more than 1/3 of the population “Sunbelt” – climate draws millions of tourists and retirees Agriculture was the South’s 1 st economic activity, and cotton, tobacco, fruits, peanuts, and rice are still grown there Development & manufacturing aided by air conditioning

Subregions of the U.S. The West (13 states) ½ of the land area, about 1/5 of the population Includes Alaska & Hawaii Most rapidly growing region Farming, ranching, food processing, logging, fishing, mining, oil refining, tourism, filmmaking, & the production of computers Harbors in Seattle & Los Angeles make foreign trade – especially with Asia – important

Seattle’s Harbor