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THE CULTURAL GEOGRAPHY of THE US AND CANADA
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THE UNITED STATES KEY TERMS: IMMIGRATION, SUNBELT, URBANIZATION, METROPOLITAN AREA, SUBURB, URBAN SPRAWL, MEGALOPOLIS, UNDERGROUND RAILROAD, DRY-FARMING, BILINGUAL, LITERACY RATE.
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POPULATION PATTERNS Influenced by immigration Asiatic peoples reached US over 20,000 years ago Why people move here today? Political and religious freedom, economic opportunity, wars, disasters Ex: 2004- 11.7% of total US pop. Foreign born
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DENSITY and DISTRIBUTION Avg. is 80 people per sq. mi. Northeast and Great Lakes region Dense b/c of commerce and industry Pacific Coast Economic opportunity and mild climate Alaska, Great Plains, and Great Basin Little to no pop. South and Southwest (Sunbelt) Arizona, NM, and California Manufacturing, service, and tourism
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URBAN AREAS Urbanization- rural to cities Metro-area- main city w/50k and outlying suburbs Urban sprawl- growth of metro area; people move away from city core
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GROWTH, DIVISION, and UNITY 1800’s- U.S. doubled in size (addition of Louisiana) Industrial Revolution Coal in Midwest = power for machines = emergence of Midwest as industrial power South Textile industry Slavery = Underground R.R. = series of safe-houses for escapees Movement- Eastern cities to Great Plains (overcrowding) Dry-farming- cultivating land to catch and hold water R.R. = spread of manufactured goods
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CULTURE Main language= English Spanish= 2 nd most spoken Many religions Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism Education Private and Public; 97% literacy rate
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CULTURE: THE ARTS Jazz- blending African rhythms w/European Harmonies Other notables: LA, NYC
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THE CULTURAL GEOGRAPHY of CANADA KEY TERMS: LOYALIST PROVINCE, INUIT DOMINION PARLIAMENT QUEBECOIS NAFTA SEPERATISM
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POPULATION PATTERNS Highly developed: big cities; wilderness Some are descendants of Native Americans Their settlers moved for the same reasons as the Americans Ex: Loyalists- to the British Crown came over after the American Revolution Settled in Maritime Provinces Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island Provinces- political units similar to states
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POPULATION PATTERNS (cont) Quebec- settled by French; keeps its French heritage Inuit- Arctic peoples of North America; about 1 million 90% of the people live bet. the U.S./Canada border Much of Canada is inhospitable Rugged terrain and bitterly cold Avg. pop. density = 8 per sq. mi. Most live in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta
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MAJOR URBAN AREAS Toronto = industry and finance Montreal = industry and shipping Vancouver = trade b/t Canada and Asia Edmonton
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HISTORY and GOVT Driven by French and English roots, independence and immigration 1400s- John Cabot and Jacques Cartier 1600s- French and British competed 1800s- British and French feared US invasion 1867- Dominion of Canada Quebec, Ontario, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick Dominion = partial self governance
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HISTORY and GOVT (cont) Independence 1 st attempt 1931 British gov’t kept the right to approve constitutional changes 1982 Canada granted full freedom Constitutional monarchy established
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EXPANSION and DIVERSITY 1800s- land from Atlantic to Pacific, and Arctic to US Border 1815-1855- 1 million British settlers Quebecois- French speaking people of Canada Klondike Gold Rush Many Natives booted 1998- Nanavut- “our land”; formal apology
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MODERN CHALLENGES NAFTA Trading bet. US and Canada Elimination of trade barriers What to do w/Quebec? French nationalists want to start a separatist movement Want independence
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CULTURE Official languages: English and French Religions: Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, Judaism, Sikhism Education and Health-Care: Private and Public 97% literacy rate Must be in school bet. 6-16 yrs of age Health-Care- gov’t sponsored
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THE ARTS British, French, American, and Native influences 1950s- mass media pushed purchasing of locally produced goods Early 1900s- art by Natives Group of Seven- painted the rugged Northern Canadian Landscapes Writers- Hugh MacLennan & Margaret Lawrence Toronto- theater and music capital of Canada
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FAMILY LIFE One of the wealthiest in the world High standard of living 70% are married 60% of these have kids 1970s 1 of 10 was 65 or older Today 1 of 6 is 65 or older Avg. life expectancy = 80 yrs (highest in world)
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