WORLD GEOGRAPHY UNIT 4 VOCABULARY USA & CANADA

America & Canada make up most of North America

ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS OF THE REGION: The part of the region that is experiencing increased environmental problems as a result of NAFTA is _____. the Rio Grande The solutions that the United States and Canada implemented to deal with air pollution are: _____, _____, and _____. emissions laws, alternatives to automobile transportation, and making cleaner cars The factors that contribute to water pollution in the region are: _____, _____, _____, and _____. sewage, industrial and agricultural wastes, acid rain, and car emissions Acid rain: precipitation that carries high amounts of acids Clear-cutting: taking out whole forest when harvesting timber

In 1970, a bunch of strict pollution laws were enacted in America

THE ECONOMICS ($-making) OF THE REGION: Trade surplus: earning money through export sales The type of economic system that the United States and Canada has is a _____. market economy The economic activity that employs most people in both the United States and Canada is _____. service industry Trade deficit: loss of income through trade Tariff: a tax on imported trade goods _____ supply great quantities of fish and other sea animals to North America. Fisheries Market economy: an economic system in which people can own and profit from their own businesses Socioeconomic status: level of income and education

The hotel business is a perfect example of a service industry

SOME CULTURAL ASPECTS OF THE REGION: Patriotism: loyalty to one's country Literacy rate: percentage of people who can read and write Immigration: the movement of people into one country from another The most widely practiced religion in Canada is _____. Christian-Catholic The most widely practiced religion in the United States is _____. Christian-Protestant The literature of the United States began to change in the late 1800's because many writers began to write about _____. different regions of the country

SOME GEOGRAPHIC ASPECTS OF THE REGION: Farmers on the wide grasslands, or _____ of the Great Plains broke up sod to grow crops. prairies Many North American rivers have their _____, or source, in the Rocky Mountains, where a _____ determines the direction of the rivers' flow. headwaters; divide Important cities grew up along the _____, where the Piedmont drops to the Atlantic Coastal Plain. fall line A _____ of the Mississippi River may be a stream or small river. tributary The Pacific Ranges were formed by the: _____. collisions between the Pacific and the North American tectonic plates many years ago The effect that the Continental Divide has on the direction that rivers flow is: _____. that the waters east of the Continental Divide flow into the Mississippi River system and then into the Gulf of Mexico; the waters west of the Continental Divide flow into the Pacific Ocean The kind of climate that is common in most of the United States and southern Canada is: _____ varied due to elevation Two types of vegetation in this region are: _____ and _____. mixed forest and grasslands

No … not this kind of FALL LINE (ours has to do w/the fall season of the year & a dividing line)

GOVERNMENTAL & HISTORICAL ASPECTS OF THE REGION: Most settlers in the United States and Canada came from _____. Europe The Underground Railroad helped enslaved African Americans escape to freedom by _____. building safe houses and a route/map Most of Canada's population concentrated near _____. the United States' border Dominion: partially self-governing country with close British ties Republic: a government in which people elect their own officials

CLIMATE ASPECTS OF THE REGION: The warm, dry wind or _____, melts snow at the base of the Rockies. chinook Lichens and mosses grow above the _____. timberline Spring and summer tornadoes are spawned by a violent thunderstorm called a _____. super cell Dry farming: cultivating land so that it catches and holds rainwater

No … not this kind of CHINOOK (ours is wind)

Misc. (extra) TERMS TO KNOW: Metropolitan area: a central city and outlying communities Megalopolis: a chain of closely linked urban areas and suburbs Bilingual: ability to use two languages Technological innovations that led to the expansion and development of the United States are:_____, _____, _____,and _____. the transcontinental railroad, dry farming, mass production, and transportation by car Post-industrial: reduced emphasis on heavy industry Retooling: converting old factories to new uses

Aerial view of Metropolitan Area