World Geography Unit 8 - North America Study Guide - Bowersox

differences of US and Canada

- migrant rate: Canada has a 23.2% higher immigration rate than Americans, making its population more culturally diverse - life expectancy: Canadians have a higher life expectancy at 81.2 years while Americans have a life expectancy of 78.1 years. - government: Americans have a president, whereas Canadians have a prime minister. Canada is a commonwealth of Great Britain, America is a free country. - healthcare: Canada is known for having free universal healthcare. In the U.S., healthcare is generally purchased through private companies or sometimes provided through workplaces.

Canadian population patterns

-Most immigrants came to Canada in search of political and religious freedom. -Loyalists fled to Canada from America after the Revolutionary War. -One-third of Canadians identify as being mixed ethnic origins. -1 million people identify as Native American, Inuit, or mixed European and Native American ancestry.

Aztec civilization

A complex pre-Columbian civilization in Central Mexico with a highly complex social organization, a yearly calendar, and a tradition of human sacrifices.

First Nations

A group of Canada's Native American people

Gulf Stream

A warm ocean current that flows from the Gulf of Mexico northward through the Atlantic Ocean

Idaho (cash crop)

Although dairy plays a significant role in the economy, Idaho is most known for its potatoes. Idaho is the number one producer of potatoes in the nation and contributes to 32% of the country's production.

New Amsterdam

Dutch colonial settlement that served as the capital of New Netherland. This later became "New York City"

How is Canada's physical geography similar to and different from that of the United States?

Canada has a larger land mass than the United States. The land area of Canada is 3, 855, 103 square miles compared to America's 3, 794, 083, making Canada 1.6% larger that the States. A key difference between the United States and Canada is the migrant rate.

What is Canada's relationship with other nations?

Canada maintains relations with countries all over the world. Canada's foreign policy, trade agreements, development assistance, humanitarian aid and our commitment to international peacekeeping forms the basis for our bilateral and multilateral relations with countries and international organizations

Fossil fuels

Coal, oil, natural gas, and other fuels that are ancient remains of plants and animals.

Quebec Act of 1774

Extended Quebec's boundary to the Ohio River, recognized Catholicism as its official religion, and established a non-representative government for its citizens. *Historical Significance:* Colonists feared a precedent had been established in regards to the type of government that had been established in Quebec and resented the expansion of its borders into territory to which they had been denied access by the Proclamation of 1763.

FEMA

Federal Emergency Management Agency

Great Lakes

Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie, Superior

Why did tourism and the tourist industry develop in the United States west of the Mississippi?

Land and resources have attracted many Americans to the western states. The growth of computer technology has spawned other industries. Over time, new industries have focused on tertiary economic activities such as retail sales, entertainment, and tourism. Visitors flock to the area to see the soaring mountains, stunning rock formations, and dense forests. They enjoy unusual features like Alaska's glaciers and Hawaii's tropical beaches. The western region includes some of the most-visited national parks in the country.

Maya civilization

Mesoamerican civilization concentrated in Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula and in Guatemala and Honduras but never unified into a single empire. Major contributions were in mathematics, astronomy, and development of the calendar.

Rivers of North America

Missouri River, Mississippi River, Yukon River, Rio Grande River, Colorado River, Arkansas River, Columbia River, Red River (of the South)

How have cultures from other parts of the world shaped the culture and character of the United States?

Nearly every region of the world has influenced American culture, most notably the English who colonized the country beginning in the early 1600s. U.S. culture has also been shaped by the cultures of Native Americans, Latin Americans, Africans and Asians. People immigrate to America because they want to be free. They also want jobs, education, and other opportunities. As a result, an amazing variety of languages, religions, cultures, and customs can be found east of the Mississippi.

Panama Canal

Ship canal cut across the isthmus of Panama by United States, it opened in 1915.

Languages of Central America

Spanish, Mayan languages, English Creoles, Miskito

Why do most of Canada's people live in southern Canada?

Temperatures are colder to the north than to the south, and winters are longer. Much of the northern part of these provinces is covered by forests that include coniferous and deciduous trees. The combination of harsh climate and not a lot of land to build makes people not want to live north.

What are the four sub regions of the Eastern United States? Which of the four sub regions of the Eastern United States does not border the Atlantic Ocean?

The Eastern United States is divided into 4 Sub regions: Southern: Florida, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina. Central: Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia. Northeastern: Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, Maine. The Western great lakes do not border the ocean, but they border great lakes like Lake Michigan instead

How do the physical features of the eastern United States make the region unique? Why do you think geographers divide the United States at the Mississippi River instead of dividing it through the middle into equal halves?

The U.S. East Coast borders the Atlantic Ocean; the Gulf Coast borders the Gulf of Mexico. The Great Lakes are five huge lakes located in the U.S. Midwest and central Canada. The St. Lawrence Seaway connects the Midwest to seaports all over the world. The Mississippi River is one of the world's busiest transportation routes. The Atlantic Coastal Plain is a flat lowland stretching from the northeastern United States to Mexico. The Appalachian Mountain system is the oldest and longest chain of mountains in the United States east of the Mississippi River. The eastern United States has natural resources, including minerals, energy resources, and fertile farmland. Because of the Spine of America Natural Barrier.

How do the physical features of the western United States make the region unique?

The West is a land filled with great mountains, volcanoes, rolling plains, fertile valleys, beaches, and even deserts. California, Oregon, and Washington have earthquakes and volcanoes. Hawaii also has many active volcanoes. Just west of the Mississippi River lie the Great Plains. The Cascades run from north to south through western Oregon and Washington State. The Cascades are volcanic, and some of the volcanoes are still active. The Sierra Nevada range runs along the California-Nevada border. Between the coastal mountains and the lines of the Sierras and the Cascades is the Central Valley. To the north is the Columbia Basin. To the south and east is the Colorado Plateau.

Haitian history (basic)

The recorded history of Haiti began on December 5 1492, when the European navigator Christopher Columbus landed on a large island in the region of the western Atlantic Ocean that later came to be known as the Caribbean. From 1697 on, the western part of the island was French, and the eastern part was Spanish.

U.S. Constitution

The document written in 1787 and ratified in 1788 that sets forth the institutional structure of the U.S. government and the tasks these institutions perform. It replaced the Articles of Confederation.

Bill of Rights

The first ten amendments to the Constitution

What is life like in Central America? How have the economies of the Central American countries changed in recent years?

The major economic income are the agriculture and tourism, although the industrial sector is in strong growth, mainly in Panama. United States is the main socio-commercial of all Central American countries.

Where do the people of the region live? In what ways are Las Vegas and Phoenix different from Los Angeles and Seattle?

The people of this region live in skyscrapers in major cities, they live near ports, they live in mining towns, and many Americans live in rural areas. They might be farmers of the Plains or fishers in rural Alaska, or they may drill for oil in Texas or run a ranch in Montana. Las Vegas and Phoenix aren't located near major water sources.

Continental Divide

The place on a continent that separates river systems flowing in opposite directions

Grand Banks

The rich fishing area in the Atlantic Ocean near Newfoundland

How have the government's actions affected the land and people of the United States?

The three branches of the U.S. government make laws and decisions that affect our nation's land. For example, the president has the authority to set aside land for use as national parks. One example of how government actions have affected Americans positively is the civil rights movement. These laws were meant to help people. Some local governments, however, did not agree with these laws and refused to enforce them

What is life like on the Caribbean islands? How do the languages of the Caribbean islands reflect their colonial history?

Though small in total size, the Caribbean has a favorable tropical climate, a mixture of culture with different influences such as French, Spanish, and English, as well as beautiful beaches that make this region a natural choice for expatriates to live, work and retire. Caribbean languages are usually a mix of native American, African and European languages. It's because slaves from Africa brought their language with them, learnt some American from the natives and also a lot from the colonizers. Later it evolved into a few similar Caribbean languages

Wyoming (natural resources)

Wyoming is rich in varied, natural resources like coal, uranium, trona and bentonite production; second in rare earth mineral reserves; second in helium production; fourth in natural gas production; eighth in oil production; 12th in wind generation; and first in on-shore, high-capacity wind resources.

Vertical climate zones

climate zones in a region that change according to elevation

Atlantic (Maritime) Provinces

the provinces in Eastern Canada-Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland