Chapter 3:
North
America
(Fig. 3.1)
North America
•	Learning Objectives
–	Apply concepts of globalization to a familiar region
–	Understand the following concepts and models:
Introduction
Setting the Boundaries
North America includes the U.S. and Canada
–	Sometimes called “Anglo America” because of ties to Britain, but North America is increasing its cultural diversity through globalization and immigration
–	Highly developed and wealthy
–	In Stage 4 of Demographic Transition
Environmental Geography: A Threatened Life of Plenty
The Costs of Human Modification
–	Transforming soils and vegetation
•	Introduction of new species (wheat, cattle, horses)
•	Settlers cut down forests
•	Grasslands converted to grain and forage crops

•	Managing Water
•	City dwellers use  170 gal/person/day
•	Agriculture/industrial users average 1,500 gal/person/day
•	Quality and quantity of water are both problems 
–	Clean Water Act in U.S; Green Plan in Canada
•	Altering the Atmosphere
•	Urban activities raise city temperatures above nearby rural temperatures
•	Air pollution from factories, utilities, and vehicles
•	Acid rain occurs when airborne pollutants (sulfur & nitrogen) mix in chemical reaction to make acidic precipitation; originates in industrial areas, falls as rain & snow; travels via wind across the continent
Environmental 
Issues in 
North America 
(Fig. 3.4)

•	The Price of Affluence
•	North Americans use almost twice as much energy per capita as the Japanese and more than 16 times that of people in India
•	Patterns of Climate and Vegetation
–	Great variation in climate and vegetation because of latitudinal range, varied terrain (altitude) and oceans
–	Maritime climates in coastal zones (moderated temperatures)
–	Continental climate in the interior (great temperature range)
•	Frequent winds, including tornadoes
Environmental Geography: A Threatened Life of Plenty
A Diverse Physical Setting
Climate
(Fig. 3.9)
Population and Settlement:
Reshaping a Continental Landscape
Modern Spatial and Demographic Patterns
Population and Settlement: Reshaping a Continental Landscape
•	Occupying the Land
–	Indigenous people in N.A. for 12,000 years
–	Europeans arrived 400 years ago
–	European diseases and disruptions reduced Native American populations by 90% in some areas
Population and Settlement: Reshaping a Continental Landscape
•	Occupying the Land
–	European Settlement Expansion (fig 3.11)

•	North America on the Move
–	Westward-Moving Populations

•	North America on the Move
–	Black Exodus from the South
•	1900: more than 90% of African-Americans in the South
•	Movement North for jobs during and after WWII
–	Rural to Urban Migration
•	More than 75% of North Americans live in cities

•	North America on the Move
–	Growth of the Sunbelt South
•	Fastest growing region since 1970, with some states growing by 20% (GA, FL, TX, NC)
–	The Counterurbanization Trend
•	Since 1970 people have moved to smaller cities and rural areas to avoid perceived problems of urban life
•	Lifestyle migrants: seeking amenities
Growth of the
American City
(Fig. 3.15)

•	Reconfigured land use
–	Concentric Zone Model: Urban land uses organized in rings around the Central Business District
–	Urban realms model or Edge Cities: New suburbs with a mix of retail, office complexes & entertainment

•	Change in cities:  
–	People and investment flee city for suburbs
–	Poverty, crime, racial tension in cities
•	Gentrification:  
–	Movement of wealthier people to deteriorated inner-city areas; may displace low income residents
•	Suburban downtowns:  
–	Similar to edge cities; suburbs becoming full-service urban centers with retail, business, education, jobs, etc.

Settlement Geographies: Rural North America
•	North Americans historically favored a dispersed rural settlement pattern
–	Township-and-range survey system: Rectangular survey system introduced in 1785 in U.S. for unincorporated areas; similar system in Canada
•	Railroads opened interior to settlement
•	Today, many rural areas are experiencing population declines, as family farms are replaced by corporate farms

Cultural Coherence and Diversity: 
Shifting Patterns of Pluralism
•	The Roots of a Cultural Identity
•	Early dominance of British culture, then Consumer Culture after 1920 provided common experience
•	Ethnicity – group of people with a common background & history identify with one another (often as a minority group in larger society); both Canada & U.S. have many minorities
•	Peopling North America
•	Cultural assimilation – the process in which immigrants are absorbed by the larger host society
Cultural Coherence and Diversity (cont.)
•	Peopling North America (cont.)
–	Migration to the U.S.
Cultural Coherence and Diversity (cont.)
•	Peopling North America (cont.)
–	The Canadian Pattern
•	Similar to U.S., but with larger French presence
•	Today, 16% in Canada are foreign-born

•	Culture and Place in North America
–	Persisting Cultural Homelands: French-Canadian Quebec; Hispanic Borderlands; African-Americans in the “Black Belt;” Cajuns in Southern Louisiana; Native American Reservations

Cultural Coherence and Diversity (cont.)
•	The Globalization of American Culture
–	North Americans: Living Globally
•	Many international tourists, students in the region
–	The Global Diffusion of U.S. Culture
Geopolitical Framework: Patterns of Dominance and Division
•	Creating Political Space
–	U.S. broke cleanly, violently from Great Britain; Canada separated peacefully
•	U.S. purchased and conquered new lands
•	Provinces of Great Britain joined Canada
•	Continental Neighborhoods
•	Long boundary between U.S. and Canada
–	Many cross-boundary issues
–	Water resources, transportation, environmental quality
•	North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)
Geopolitical Issues in North America (Fig. 3.27)
Geopolitical Framework (cont.)
•	The Legacy of Federalism
•	Federal states: those that allocate considerable power below the national level
•	Unitary states: those with centralized power at national level
–	Quebec’s Challenge
•	French-speakers consider secession from Canada
–	Native Peoples and National Politics
•	In the U.S., Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act (1975) and the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (1988)
•	In Canada, Native Claims Office (1975) and Nunavut Territory (1999) 
Geopolitical Framework (cont.)
•	A Global Reach
•	U.S.’s geopolitical reach is beyond our borders
–	Monroe Doctrine (1824) asserted U.S. rights in Western Hemisphere
–	WWII and Truman Doctrine gave U.S. wider world role
–	North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), Organization of American States (OAS)
–	Other international involvement: Korea (1950–1953); Vietnam (1961–1973); Afghanistan and Iraq
Economic and Social Development: Geographies of Abundance and Affluence
•	North America has the world’s most powerful economy and its wealthiest population
•	An Abundant Resource Base
•	Direct extraction of natural resources makes up 3% of U.S. economy, and 6% of Canadian economy
–	Opportunities for Agriculture
•	Highly mechanized and productive
•	Agriculture employs 2.4% of U.S., and 3.3% of Canadian labor force
•	Geography of farming in North America determined by (1)diverse environments; (2)continental & global markets for food; (3)historical patterns of settlement & agriculture
Economic and Social Development (cont.)
•	An Abundant Resource Base (cont.)
–	Industrial Raw Materials
•	North America has abundant resources, but still imports raw materials
•	U.S. produces 12% of world’s oil, consumes 25%
•	Creating a Continental Economy
–	Connectivity and Economic Growth
•	Connectivity fosters economic growth
–	Connectivity: how well regions are linked together by transportation and communication

Economic and Social Development (cont.)
•	Creating a Continental Economy
–	The Sectoral Transformation
•	Sectoral transformation: the evolution of the nation’s labor force from primary sector activities to secondary, tertiary and quaternary activities
–	Primary: natural resource extraction; Secondary: manufacturing/industrial; Tertiary: services; Quaternary: information processing
–	Today, tertiary and quaternary activities employ more than 70% of the U.S. and Canadian labor force
Economic and Social Development (cont.)
•	Creating a Continental Economy (cont.)
–	Regional Economic Patterns
•	Location factors: the varied influences that explain why an economic activity is located where it is 
Economic and Social Development (cont.)
•	North America and the Global Economy
•	North America plays a pivotal role in the global economy
•	Spurred the creation of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the World Bank, and the World Trade Organization (WTO)
•	U.S. and Canada members of Group of Eight (G-8)
–	Eight powerful countries that regularly confer on world political and economic issues (with Japan, Germany, Great Britain, France, Italy, Russia)
–	Patterns of Trade
•	North America is prominent in both the sale and purchase of goods and services in international economy
Economic and Social Development (cont.)
•	North America and the Global Economy (cont.)
–	Doing Business Globally
•	Foreign capital comes to North America as investments in North American stocks and bonds and as foreign direct investment (FDI) 
•	Many U.S. firms have established businesses abroad
•	U.S. pension dollars invested in Japan, Europe
Economic and Social Development (cont.)
•	Persisting Social Issues
–	Wealth and Poverty
•	Strong contrasts among communities and ethnicities
–	Black household incomes are 62% of the national average and Hispanic incomes are 71% of the national average
•	Regional contrasts
–	In U.S., Northeast and West are richest regions
–	In Canada, Ontario and B.C. are wealthiest
•	North American poverty rates have fallen 
–	Problems still remain in rural and inner city areas
–	Digital divide: region’s poor and underprivileged have less access to Internet connections
Economic and Social Development (cont.)
•	Persisting Social Issues (cont.)
–	Twenty-First Century Challenges
•	U.S. and Canada’s social indicators compare favorably, but concerns persist 
–	Jobs, education 
–	Health care, chronic disease & aging
–	Gender gap
–	Conclusions
•	North America enjoys abundance, but must work with diverse populations to address challenges