GEOG101: World Regional Geography

4a. Summarize North America's physical geography and how it affected European settlement and westward migration

• What are the mountain landforms that separate North America's Atlantic Coastal Plain, Interior Plains, and Intermontane Plateaus?
• Why does the east coast have a coastal Plain, but the west coast does not?
• Why is the Canadian Shield sparsely populated?
• What is the general temperature pattern of North America from north to south?
• Why does the western United States experience a strong rain shadow effect?
  

The Appalachian Highlands separate the Atlantic Coastal Plain and the Interior Plains, including the Great Plains and the Central Lowlands. The Rocky Mountains separate the Interior Plains and the Intermontane Plateaus, including the Basin and Range Province. The Pacific Mountains are the western border of the Intermontane Plateaus and North America.
 
The west coast of North America lacks a coastal plain because it is an active tectonic plate boundary. The west coast is characterized by earthquakes and volcanic activity, whereas the east coast is not. The Atlantic Coastal Plain is in the interior of the North American Plate, about 2,000 miles from its eastern edge.
 
The northern portion of North America is dominated by the Canadian Shield. During the Ice Age, continental glaciation removed the soil from this area and deposited it in southern Canada and the northern United States leaving the bedrock known as the Canadian Shield exposed.
 
In North America, temperatures generally get warmer from north to south in accordance with their locations relative to the Equator. Precipitation generally decreases from east to west. The Pacific Mountains create a rain shadow effect that limits precipitation in much of the western half of the United States, including eastern Washington and Oregon, the Great Plains, and the Desert Southwest. The east coast lacks a coastal mountain range that would prevent moisture-laden air from reaching the interior.
 
To review, see Classifying North America's Climate, North America's Rain Shadow Effect, North America's Physical Setting, and Landforms in the United States and Canada.
 

4b. Describe the effects of colonization on the indigenous landscape of North America

• What was the impact on the indigenous populations of North America when European colonists arrived?
• Where in North America did the different colonial powers settle?
• What is the current evidence of colonial influence in North America?
  

Britain, France, and Spain all altered the physical and cultural landscape of North America. It is estimated that the colonists reduced the indigenous populations of North America by 80 to 90 percent – initially through the spread of disease and then by violence as the colonists seized their land and forced them to relocate. The colonists arrived from different directions, dominating parts of North America accordingly.
 
The British arrived on the eastern seaboard, settling in areas from South Carolina to New England. They eventually turned their sights northward, entering Canada by way of Hudson Bay. The French arrived from the north, entering the Gulf of St. Lawrence. They penetrated Canada and the Great Lakes and made their way down the Mississippi River Valley. The Spanish arrived from the south, establishing the oldest colonial city in North America, St. Augustine, Florida. They also made their way into the Desert Southwest, Texas, and California.
 
The evidence of European colonialism exists today in the languages spoken in the areas they infiltrated, the names of places, and patterns of land use. In the case of Canada, it is also part of the British Commonwealth.
 
To review, see North American History and Settlement, Territorial Claims in North America, Why Aren't There More Native American Restaurants?, and A History of Indigenous Languages.
 

4c. Outline North America's role in globalization, including the effect of location and economic development

• What role has North America played in global trade?
• How is the concept of a cultural melting pot related to globalization?
  

The United States was still a global superpower after the Cold War. It has the largest economy in the world and surpasses the combined output of the European Union. North America has also played a significant role in global trade.
 
Canada and the United States are members of the Group of Seven (G7), which serves as a political forum for the world's leading industrialized countries, and the World Trade Organization (WTO), an intergovernmental organization that regulates international trade.
 
In 1994 Canada, Mexico, and the United States brokered the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) to promote regional trade by increasing economic cooperation among the three countries. Prior to NAFTA, goods bought and sold between Mexico and the United States were subject to expensive tariffs, although Canada and the United States engaged in free trade. The three countries negotiated a similar agreement, the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), when NAFTA expired in 2018.
 
Immigrants and refugees continue to move to Canada and the United States because the region tends to offer a safer environment than countries around the world plagued by war, famine, and the negative effects of climate change. The robust economy of the United States offers greater access to job opportunities, education, and health care.
 
Many immigrants and refugees try to blend into American culture. Some abandon their traditions, while others try to balance their cultural heritage with the practices of their newly adopted country. While the idea of a cultural melting pot is a source of pride for many Americans, others fail to appreciate the people who are the source of this diversity. All too often, feelings of xenophobia and racism, especially towards illegal immigration, have made it difficult for many immigrants to achieve the so-called American Dream.
 
To review, see North American History and Settlement, French Influence in Canada, Industrial Development in North America, and North America's Global Connections.
 

4d. Describe industrialization in North America, including its access to raw materials and its impact on the urban landscape

• What was the urban landscape and resource use like in North America before and after industrialization?
  

Before industrialization, the population of North America was predominantly urban, with vast expanses of sparsely populated land. The urban areas were generally coastal or located along rivers and lakes. As populations increased on the east coast of North America, it became increasingly necessary to support that growth with agricultural production and natural resources.
 
Consequently, the urban areas in the interior of North America, such as Winnipeg and Denver, served as gateways to these resources. Other interior cities grew up along the transcontinental railways of Canada and the United States.
 
In 1760, the U.S. economy was based on agriculture and natural resource production when the Industrial Revolution officially began in Europe. Some of the earliest innovations in U.S. industry, such as its cotton mills and textile factories, were based on its available raw resources.
 
Since hydropower was the primary source of energy for these early manufacturing plants, the U.S. factories were located almost exclusively in the northeastern corridor due to the region's abundant fast-moving rivers. After the Civil War (1861–1865), steam power manufacturing spread throughout the United States, allowing the southern states to industrialize. The industrial core region had high concentrations of manufacturing output.
 
Industrialization in the United States continued to shape the pattern of human settlement in North America. Since industrial development occurred in urban areas, people moved to the cities from their rural farming communities to find work.
 
Today, as a result of this rural-to-urban shift, more than 80 percent of people in the United States live in cities. In some cases, cities have grown so much that they have overlapped, creating a megalopolis. However, economists have witnessed a decline in U.S. manufacturing as the workforce has shifted to jobs in the service industries, such as retail and finance.
 
To review, see Industrial Development in North America, North America's Global Connections, The Urban Landscape in North America, Canada's Quebec-Windsor Corridor, and Urban Sprawl.
 

4e. Identify changes that have occurred in North American cities, including how they relate to spatial patterns of inequality at the local level

• What allowed cities to increase in size beginning in the late 19th century?
• Why have edge cities supplanted central business districts (CBDs)?
  

Originally, North Americans lived in compact cities since most services were located in a city's central business district (CBD), and people had to live within walking distance of those services. When the streetcar was invented in 1888, people were no longer limited by walking distance to navigate the cities in which they lived. They could live farther away and count on the streetcar to get them to jobs, goods, and services. Their only limitation was walking distance to streetcar stops. The streetcar meant that the city was no longer confined to a small, densely populated area. It could now expand beyond the city center. This trend continued as transportation opportunities increased to the point that edge cities developed.
 
People with automobiles who could afford to leave old urban areas began migrating to areas even farther from the city center. These suburban developments grew to have their own job and shopping opportunities meaning residents no longer needed the old city's central business district. Today, the original city centers are now connected by edge cities, suburbs, highways, and railways.
 
To review, see The Urban Landscape in North America, Canada's Quebec-Windsor Corridor, Urban Sprawl, Patterns of Inequality in North America, and Poverty in Toronto.
 

Unit 4 Vocabulary

This vocabulary list includes terms listed above that students need to know to successfully complete the final exam for the course.

• American Dream
• Appalachian Highlands
• Atlantic Coastal Plain
• British Commonwealth
• Canadian Shield
• central business district (CBD)
• Central Lowlands
• cultural melting pot
• Desert Southwest
• edge city
• Great Lakes
• Great Plains
• Group of Seven (G7)
• Gulf of St. Lawrence
• Interior Plains
• Intermontane Plateaus
• megalopolis
• Mississippi River Valley
• North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)
• Pacific Mountains
• rain shadow effect
• Rocky Mountains
• suburb
• United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA)
• World Trade Organization (WTO)