Chapter Eleven

North America

Global Prominence and Controversy

“New World”

The United States has a prominent global role.

Toponym

Regional Culture History

Cultural Intersection and Cultural Emergence

Native AmericansFirst Nations

European Settlers

Regional Culture History (cont’d)

Wealth of Natural ResourcesPrimary Products and New Lands

Slower Canadian Changes

Resources of U.S. Manufacturing

Regional Culture History (cont’d)

Human ResourcesNew People, New SkillsEducation and TechnologyManagement of Manufacturing• Economies of scale• Horizontal integration• Vertical integration• Production line• Fordism

Canada Emerges

Regional Culture History (cont’d)

The Contemporary Human MosaicPatterns of Population Change in the United States

Contemporary Immigration Patterns of the United States

The First Nation

People on the Move: Internal Migration in the United States

The Contemporary Human Mosaic (cont’d)Canadian Patterns of Ethnic Integration

Centrifugal Forces at Play: The Challenge of Québec and the Rights of Indigenous Canadians• Francophones• Parti Québécois

Regional Culture History (cont’d)

Physical Geography and Human-Environment Interaction

Tropical to Polar Climates

Mountains and PlainsWestern Mountains• Alaskan range: Mt. McKinley• Rocky Mountain ranges

Canadian Shield

Interior Lowlands

Appalachian Mountain System

Physical Geography and Human-Environment Interaction (cont’d)

Major Rivers and the Great LakesMississippi River

Missouri River

Ohio River

Colorado River

The Great Lakes—St. Lawrence Seaway

Mackenzie River

Physical Geography and Human-Environment Interaction (cont’d)

Natural Vegetation and Soils

Natural Hazards

Environmental ProblemsDust Bowl

World Roles

Group of Eight (G8)

The United States and the United NationsUN Security Council

Globalization: The Good, the Bad,

and the Ugly

Global Role of the Regional Economy

Supporters of NAFTA

Opened new markets for the three countries.

Competition of lower-priced goods produced in Mexico forces down the price of goods produced in the United States and Canada; thus, U.S. and Canadian consumers “win” with lower-priced goods.

Critics of NAFTAPrimarily opened new markets for Mexico and Canada.Low labor costs in Mexico and lower-priced goods in the United Sates and Canada cause U.S. and Canadian com-panies to move their produc-tion operations to Mexico; thus, thousands of jobs are lost (“exported”) to Mexico, hurting employment in the United States and Canada.

Point-Counterpoint: North American Free Trade Agreement

Strengthens the global economic weight of the three countries and makes them better able to compete with the EU and other trade blocs and countries of the world.

Significant economic disparity exists between the affluent United States and Canada and the relatively materially impoverished Mexico, placing Mexico at a disadvantage and creating more of a service role for Mexico to Canada and especially the United States, rather than truly making it an equal trade partner and stronger international economic player.

Point-Counterpoint (cont’d)

Supporters of NAFTA Critics of NAFTA

Promotes democracy and political stability in Mexico and strengthens the Mexican economy, thus ensuring greater stability for North America.

Perceptions by some Mexicans of heightened economic disparity in their country due to NAFTA result in political instability such as the Zapatista uprising (see Chapter 10).

Point-Counterpoint (cont’d)

Critics of NAFTASupporters of NAFTA

Creates thousands of jobs in Mexico. Cities and towns in northern Mexico, where the majority of NAFTA-related production (maquila) takes place, enjoy much higher living standards and higher rates of employment than most other parts of the country.

Cultural distinctions are blurred in all three countries. U.S. culture may overpower parts of Canada and es-pecially northern Mexico. Fast food is replacing traditional food; U.S. holiday celebrations are replacing traditional celebrations. Areas in the U.S. Southwest are developing a watered-down culture that is a mixture of U.S. and Mexican elements. The increased use of the Spanish language in parts of the United States, especially areas in the Southwest, increases tension with some English-speaking residents.

Point-Counterpoint (cont’d)

Critics of NAFTASupporters of NAFTA

Strengthens Mexican environmental conditions through environmental side agreements negotiated along with the primary trade agreement, resulting in a healthier environment for Mexico and especially the border region; reverses environmental damage on the U.S. side of the border.

The side agreements negotiated with NAFTA fall far short of strengthening environmental laws and enforcement in Mexico. U.S. companies are further attracted to relocation in Mexico due to lax enforcement. The wording of NAFTA facili-tates environmental abuse by companies in all three countries as NAFTA protects the companies’ rights to free trade over the rights of people living in areas polluted by factories and other production facilities.

Point-Counterpoint (cont’d)Supporters of NAFTA Critics of NAFTA

Forces the equal treatment of corporations in the three countries.

Corporations are too powerful under NAFTA.

Point-Counterpoint (cont’d)

Supporters of NAFTA Critics of NAFTA

Subregions of North America

Regional Population DistributionHighly urbanizedPrimary population clusters between Washington D.C. and Boston, Mass. (Megalopolis), around the Great Lakes from Chicago to Detroit, in Florida and westward along the Gulf coast to southeastern Texas, and along the Pacific coast in the west.The Canadian people are concentrated in a belt across the southern part of Canada nearly parallel to the border with the United States.

The United States

The United States at a Glance

Problems of AffluenceIncreasing Gap Between the Materially Wealthy and the Materially Poor• Uneven development

Congregation and Segregation

Urban and Rural Contrasts

Environmental Impact of Affluence: Disproportionate Consumption

The United States (cont’d)

PeopleUrban Population

The United States (cont’d)

Economic DevelopmentCommercial Farming Basis

Manufacturing Becomes Central

Service Industries

Regional Policies• Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA)• Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC)

The United States (cont’d)

Urban LandscapesPreindustrial U.S. Towns

Industrial and Commercial Cities• Central business district (CBD)• Concentric pattern of urban zones• Ghettos

Post-1945 Cities

Postindustrial Cities

Gentrification

The United States (cont’d)

Regions of the United StatesNew EnglandMegalopolisManufacturing BeltAppalachiaU.S. Heartland: Midwest and Great PlainsThe SouthWestern MountainsPacific CoastAlaska and Hawaii

Canada

PeoplePopulation Growth

Regional Changes in Population

Canadian City Landscapes

Economic Development

Canada (cont’d)

Regions of CanadaAtlantic ProvincesQuébec• Long-lot

OntarioPrairie ProvincesWest CoastNorthern Canada