1. U.S. and Canada Wealthy region: – Natural resources: Water – Mississippi – Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway, Gulf Intracoastal Waterway, – Niagara Falls Fuel – Oil – Natural Gas Minerals – Gold – Copper – Iron

2. – Timber – Fishing Gulf Coast Grand Banks

3. Urbanization – Urban sprawl: growth of suburb Loss of farmland Cheaper to develop than city properties Long commutes, emphasis on security and exclusivity Megalopolis: cities over 10 million people

4. Economic Activities – Primary: farming, agriculture – Secondary: manufacturing – Tertiary: service industry: banks, doctors, lawyers – Quaternary: research: What has happened over the past 100 yrs?

5. Agriculture: – Only 1.7% of GDP – Mechanized agriculture Employ less than 2% of pop Corporate farms: – Environmental effects: » Genetic engineering Manufacturing: – Interstate Highway System 1950-1990 – Less low-skill jobs, more high-tech jobs – Change in 1960s and 1980s Rust Belt – Retooling – Employs less people, but still produce a lot of products

7. Service Industry: – 75% of GDP – 70-80% of jobs – High pay to low pay – Often connected to international trade Research: – Knowledge economy – IT industry – Can be located anywhere: major universities and research institutions – Use computers/internet to process and transport information

9. HDI: Where Does North America Stand? United States: Very High, #4 Canada: Very High, #6 Why??? Looks at a number of factors – Demographic indicators – Economic indicators – Social indicators – Political indicators

10. Demographic indicators Life expectancy Birth rate Death rate Infant mortality rate

11. Economic Indicators GDP GDP per capita GNP GNP per capita employment rate # of automobiles per capita # of computers per capita # of telephones per capita # of televisions per capita

12. Social Indicators Literacy rates % attending college # of professionals Housing Water supply Sanitation Access to basic services

13. Political Indicators Freedoms enjoyed Type of governance Voting rights Level of human rights impact of colonialism Degree of government oppression Level of tolerance for different points of view

14. Physical Indicators climate access to water (landlocked) natural disasters availability of natural resources