Human Geography of the United

States and Canada

• Human Geography:
– Population Geography
– Economic Geography
– Cultural Geography
– Urban and Rural Geography
– Political Geography
Questions About the US and Canada
(Human Geography)
• Can I analyze the effects of physical and human
geographic patterns and processes on the past and
describe their impact on the present, including
significant physical features and environmental
conditions that influenced migration patterns and
shaped the distribution of culture groups today?
(WG 1A)
• Can I explain how political, economic, social, and
environmental push and pull factors and physical
geography affect the routes and flows of human
migration? (WG 7B)
Questions About the US and Canada
(Human Geography)
• Can I locate and describe human and physical
features that influence the size and
distributions of settlements? (WG 6A)
• Can I explain the processes that have caused
changes in settlement patterns, including
urbanization, transportation, access to and
availability of resources, and economic
activities? (WG 6B)
Questions About the US and Canada
(Human Geography)
• Can I compare how democracy operates in specific
countries? (WG 14B)
• Can I compare maps of voting patterns to make
inferences about the distribution of political power?
(WG 13B)
• Can I assess how changes in climate, resources, and
infrastructure (technology, transportation, and
communication) affect the location and patterns of
economic activities? (WG 11C)
Population Geography
• The population of the US is
concentrated in the northeast.
Why do you think this is? (WG
6A, 6B)
– Historically, this is the first place
colonized by Europeans
– Access to international
transportation routes
• Canada is the world’s second
largest country in area. The
population of Canada is
concentrated near it’s border
with the U.S. Why do you think
this is? (WG 6A, 6B)
– Harsh climate and lack of
farmland in the north
– Access to economic markets
 Population Geography
• http://www.youtube.com • Migration to the U.S. has
/watch?v=NWNBlTyk88o also changed over time.
• What factors led to the Historically, most
changes in population immigrants came from
distribution shown in the Europe and settled in the
video? How do you think Northeast.
the distribution of the • Now, most come from
U.S. population will Asia and Latin America
change in the future? and settle throughout the
(WG 6A, 7A) country but particularly in
the West and South.
• Immigration is a source of
conflict in the U.S.
 How do you think immigration to the US over this time
period impacted the cultural geography of the country?
What about economic geography? (WG 1A)
Read the title
and subtitle.
Why might this
graph create an
incomplete
picture of
immigration to
the US?
 Economic Geography
• Both the US and Canada have free enterprise
economic systems.
• Canada is a major exporter of minerals and
agricultural products. It also has a large
manufacturing and service industry.
• The US has the largest economy in the world
and relies heavily on global trade.
• Sub-regions of the US focus on different
industries.
 Midwest – a major farming region and Northeast – financial
leading producer of industrial goods; center with a large
contains the “Corn Belt” (Nebraska to transportation and trade
Ohio)and the “Dairy Belt” (Wisconsin, network; was once the
Minnesota, Michigan) dominant economic area of
the nation, but that has
shifted in the last 50 years
West –
livestock,
mining, tourism
and high tech
industries in
California’s
“Silicon Valley”
South –
historically an
agricultural center
but in recent
decades new
industries like
high-tech,
How do you think changes in climate, resources, and automobile,
infrastructure (technology, transportation, and communication) banking, and
affect the location affect the economic activities of each region? aerospace have
(WG 11C) been growing
 Economic Geography
• Economic cooperation between the US and Canada is
important to both countries.
• In 1992, the US, Canada, and Mexico signed the
North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). This
eliminated tariffs (taxes on imports) on goods flowing
between these countries. Trade increased
dramatically but still remains controversial because
some claim that free trade allow American
companies to move factories to countries with lower
wages and business costs, causing unemployment in
the US.
 Sample STAAR Question
• In the United States, regional differences in
economic development are primarily due to
a) settlement patterns of immigrant groups
b) pressure from various religious groups
c) state and federal election laws
d) geographic factors in various parts of the
nation
 Cultural Geography - History
• Both the U.S. and Canada were once populated with
Native Americans.
• Europeans started settling the eastern coasts of both
nations in the early 1500’s.
• The U.S. was settled mostly by British colonists
escaping religious persecution. These settlers created
13 colonies declared their independence from Britain
in 1776 during the American Revolution.
• After independence, the U.S. will set up a republic
system of government, first under the Articles of
Confederation, which was replaced with the
Constitution.
 Cultural Geography - History
• Immigrants will swell the American population
following independence and on into the 1800’s.
• Many Americans will move westward after
independence, seeking better farmland and seeking
riches due to the discovery of gold in California in
1849.
• Many immigrants from Ireland will be displaced from
that country due to a famine caused by a complete
collapse of the potato crops there.
• What push and pull factors do you think motivated
migration to and within the US? (WG 7B)
• What was the impact of the westward expansion of
the US on Native Americans? (WG 1A, 6B)
 Cultural Geography - History
• Differences between the northern and southern sections of
the US (including the use of slaves) will cause conflict for
much of the early history of the US, until the Civil War
erupts in 1861 between the North (Union) and the South
(Confederacy). This war lasted until 1865 when the North
wins. It was the deadliest war in US history. Why do you
think the Civil War was the deadliest war in US history?
• After the Civil War, rapid industrialization will cause cities to
expand rapidly. By 1920, more Americans will live in urban
than in rural areas.
• In the twentieth century, the US became increasingly more
involved in global issues, fighting in WWI and WWII and
coming into conflict with the Soviet Union in a global rivalry
known as the Cold War.
• http://www.animatedatlas.com/movie.html
• How did political geography and economic
geography drive the expansion of the United
States? (WG 6B)
– War and international relations
– Use of slavery
– Industrialization and railroads
 Sample STAAR Question
• What would be the best title for this series of maps?

a) Industrialization of the United States

b) Sectional Conflicts in the United States
c) Transportation Revolution in the United States
d) Shifting Frontier of the United States
 Sample STAAR Question
• Which geographic advantage did the United
States gain by purchasing the Louisiana
Territory from France in 1803?
a) warm-water ports on the Atlantic coast
b) rich fishing areas in the Great Lakes
c) full control of the Mississippi River
d) vast coal reserves in the region west of
Pennsylvania
 Cultural Geography - History
• Canada was also settled by European colonists, but the first major
power to settle Canada was France, not Britain. They established
Quebec City on the St. Lawrence River in 1608.
• After a long war, however, the British will force the French settlers
to leave and will then claim Canada in 1763. The British will then
organize Canada into provinces and settle the eastern parts of the
country.
• Much like the US, the population of Canada grew and moved
westward through the 1800s. The British government will create
the self-governing Dominion of Canada in 1867 which included
Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick.
• Manitoba, British Columbia, and Prince Edward Island were added
in the 1870s; Alberta and Saskatchewan in 1905; Newfoundland in
1949; and Nunavut in 1999.
• Today, more than 31 million people live in Canada.
Cultural Geography – Language and Religion

What generalizations about the

US population can you make
based on the information on
language and religion presented
in these diagrams? What does
this information tell us about the
influence of immigration on the
culture of the US? (WG 1A)
 Cultural Geography – Language and
Religion
• Most Canadians are English-speaking. However, in Quebec,
most people speak French, and the official language is French.
• Historically, there has been conflict between English and
French-speaking citizens, a division that continues today.
There have been two separate referendums(1980, 1995) in
Quebec, attempting to gain its independence from Canada
because of language differences. Both of those failed
narrowly.
• At the federal (national) level, Canada is officially bilingual –
recognizing both English and French.
• Canada’s two main religions are Roman Catholicism (42%) and
Protestantism (40%).
 Urban Geography
• US cities have seen major changes of the last
50 years as people have moved from inner
cities to suburbs. As a result, the populations
of some large cities have dropped significantly,
particularly in the Northeast. Businesses have
also moved into the suburbs.
• Cities are finding it difficult to provide services
because of this loss of population and tax
income.
 Urban Geography
• Canada’s cities are generally well managed,
clean and safe.
• Toronto is Canada’s largest city and is home to
Canada’s largest stock exchange, major banks,
and insurance companies.
• http://www.travelchannel.com/video/visit-
toronto-11242
• Other major cities include Montreal, Victoria,
Vancouver, Calgary, and Edmonton.
 Sample STAAR Question
• Which is the most valid conclusion that may be
drawn from the study of population patterns in the
United States and Canada today?
a) Most of the population is concentrated in and
around large urban centers.
b) The number of ethnic groups has declined.
c) The population of the South has continued to
decline.
d) Rural areas are increasing in immigrant
populations
 Political Geography
• Both Canada and the US are republics with a
federal system. A federal system is a division
of power between a central (national)
government and state (called provinces in
Canada) governments. The constitutions of
both countries outline the powers that the
national government holds and the powers
that the state/provincial governments hold.
 Political Geography
• US states also play an important role in presidential elections.
When a state’s voters cast ballots for president, they are really
choosing members of the electoral college, or electors.
• The number of electors from each state is equal to its
members in the US House of Representatives and the US
Senate.
• To win the election, a presidential candidate must win at least
270 of the possible 538 electoral votes.
• While each state has the same number of senators (2), the
size of a state’s population determines how many seats that
state gets in the House of Representatives. As a result, states
with the largest populations have the most seats.
• Therefore, changes in the population of each state affect the
distribution of political power in the country.
Electoral College Vote - 1920
Electoral College Vote - 2008
These maps show how
voting patterns in the US
have changed over time.
Democrats (blue) once
dominated elections in the
South. Republicans (red)
did better in the Northeast
and West. Shifts in
migration patterns, political
attitudes, and regional
economics have all played
roles in this change.
What does the 2008 map
indicate about the relative
strengths of the two major
US political parties today?
What role do you think
immigration might play in the
distribution of political power
in this country? How might
these maps support your
answer? (WG 13B)
 Sample STAAR Question
• Which criticism of the electoral
college system is illustrated by
the information in the table?
a) Presidential electors
frequently do not vote for
the person they were
pledged to support.
b) A person can win the
presidency without winning
the most popular votes.
c) The vote of the people in
each state has little
relationship to the election
outcome.
d) Minor-party candidates
often receive too many
electoral votes.
 Political Geography
• Canada’s ties to Great Britain have remained close. Britain’s
monarch is also Canada’s monarch.
• However, Canada has its own prime minister and an elected
parliament, or legislature. Each province also has a
government headed by a minister, or premier.
• Canada has three northern territories across the Arctic –
Yukon, Northwest, and Nunavut territories. While they do not
live in provinces, residents in the territories still have
considerable control over local issues.
• What are some similarities and differences in the political
geography of the US and of Canada? (WG 14B)
 Activity:
• Design a full page travel poster for either the
US or Canada. Include:
– At least two hand-drawn images of physical features of the
country
– A list of activities that tourists can engage in (sailing, skiing,
etc.) and where (a specific place – city, or physical feature
like a lake)
– A description of the economic activities that take place in
the country
– A 5-10 word slogan that tells why the country is so
amazing and why people should visit (for example, Texas’ is
"Texas: It's Like a Whole Other Country”)