Download The United States and Canada

The United States and Canada
Geography
What Makes Us Americans?
Oh Canada
Beware of Ethnocentrism….
What do you know
about the land to
the north?
Challenging Stereotypes
Colbert on Canada
What stereotypes about
Canadians and Canada
does Stephen Colbert
challenge in his ‘better
know a riding’?
Create a list…
Start at 1:47
http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-reportvideos/264536/february-22-2010/better-know-ariding---vancouver-s-south
Start at 2:00
http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-reportvideos/264537/february-22-2010/better-know-ariding---vancouver-s-south---ujjal-dosanjh
(interview)
Geography of N. America
What makes us American?
Physical Characteristics – What can you
identify as US geographical features…
Human Characteristics – (cultural
features….)
Geography of the Country
Impact of Geography on our country’s
culture
East and West
East –
Landforms are older
Mountains have been eroded,
hilly ground is prevalent
Coastal plains have formed along
Eastern seaboard and barrier
islands have developed
The piedmont – area at or near
the Appalachian Mountain range
West –
Younger landforms
Steep mountains, active
volcanoes, more diversity of
landforms and landscapes…
Deserts, Mountain ranges, low plain
lands…
American Geographic Features
Physical Regions –
Atlantic, Pacific, Great
Basin, Arctic Ocean
Major landforms
Rocky Mountains
Piedmont
Great and Interior
Plains
Appalachian
Mountains
Rivers (original super
highways)
North American
Watersheds
Landforms
The U.S. and Canada have several
major mountain ranges:
A. The Rocky Mountains
B. The Appalachian Mountains
C. Pacific Coastal Ranges
The Rocky Mountains
The Rocky Mountains extend about
3,000 miles from Alaska south to New
Mexico. They are younger and taller
than the Appalachian Mountains. The
Continental Divide is the line of highest
points in the Rockies that marks the
separation of rivers flowing eastward
and westward.
The Appalachian Mountains
The Appalachian Mountains extend
about 1,600 miles north to south from
Newfoundland in Canada to Alabama.
Pacific Coastal Ranges
A series of small mountain ranges
stretch from southern California to
Washington. These ranges are low
in elevation and right on the coast.
They make the coastline rugged
and steep. This area is also on the
Ring of Fire and has many active
and dormant volcanoes.
Earthquakes are common in this
area.
How do Mountains help define
the Geography of N. America
Mountains divide and define the
landscape of North America
Create barriers which can led to
regionalization
Mineral wealth – mining
Fertile valleys around mountain regions
Ex: Southern Californian valley grow most of
the vegetable produce consume in the US
Entertainment/ Landscapes
Ex: Appalachian trial, skiing, tourism in CA
Other Landforms
A. The Canadian Shield
B. Interior Lowlands
C. Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plains
D. Basin and Range
E. Great Plains
F. Grand Canyon
Canadian Shield
The Canadian Shield is a rocky,
mainly flat area around Hudson
Bay.
Large geographic features
unique to Canada
Canadian Shield - a massive
geological shield covered by a thin
layer of soil, caused by long volcanic
history
continental ice sheets depressed the land
surface (see Hudson Bay), scooped out
thousands of lake basins, and carried
away much of the region's soil.
Geographic Features
The Canadian Cordillera
part of the American cordillera, stretches from
the Rocky Mountains in the east to the Pacific
Ocean.
extensive area of mountain ranges, basins,
and plateaus in western North America
Geographic Features
Canadian Arctic
While the largest part of the
Canadian Arctic is composed
of seemingly endless
permanent ice and tundra
north of the tree line,
The ground in the Arctic is
mostly composed of
permafrost, making
construction difficult and
often hazardous, and
agriculture virtually
impossible
Geographic
Features
Prairies/ Plains -
The Prairies in Canada
comprise the provinces of
Alberta, Saskatchewan, and
Manitoba, as they are much
covered by prairie.
These are flat areas that
stretch along the Gulf of
Mexico in the south and
the Arctic Ocean in the
north. The Arctic
Coastal Plain is tundra.
Great Plains
A largely treeless flat area that extends
from Canada down to Mexico. The soil
is very fertile and good for farming but
the climate can be harsh with cold
winters and hot summers. This area
also gets many tornadoes.
Basin and Range
This area is mostly in Nevada and it
consists of rocky outcroppings of rock
and large depressions.
Grand Canyon
The Grand Canyon was formed by water
erosion from the Colorado River. The canyon
is 277 miles long and ranges in width from 4
to 18 miles. Most of the canyon is in Grand
Canyon National Park in Arizona.
See the Grand Canyon skywalk at youtube!
Geographic Features
Many of the plains and flatlands are
Canada’s and US’s agricultural
heartland
The great plains = the “bread basket” of the US
Canadian Arctic contains many natural
resources & has a new transportation
zone
Ie: natural gas, oil deposits, and mineral wealth.
North West Passage has opened as a result of global warming
Unique features = great natural parks &
dangerous meteorological areas.
Ie: the Grand Canyon and Tornado Ally
Groups of Islands
A.
Hawaiian archipelago - A group of 19
islands and islets in the Pacific Ocean that
formed over a hotspot in the earth’s crust.
The largest island, Hawaii, has an active
volcano.
B.
Aleutian Islands - A chain of over 300 small
volcanic islands that extend from Alaska to
Russia.
Volcanic Island
Constantly changing geographic
features caused by Plate Tectonics
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jRfEGvp6wDU
Rivers
Some major rivers in the United States
are:
A. Mississippi
B. St. Lawrence
C. Colorado
D. Columbia
E. Rio Grande
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the second
longest river in the United States with a
length of 2,340 miles. The river is an
important transportation route from the
grain producing states of middle
America to the Gulf of Mexico.
St. Lawrence River
The St. Lawrence River connects the
Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean. The
river has a system of locks that allow
large ships to transport loads of
minerals and goods. Part of the river
serves as the boarder between Canada
and the United States.
Colorado River
The Colorado River flows from
Colorado to the Gulf of California. The
river formed the Grand Canyon by
erosion and it is an important source of
fresh water in an arid region. The
Hoover Dam on the river provides
electricity for Los Angeles.
Columbia River
The Columbia River is the fourth largest
river in the U.S. and the largest river in
the Pacific Northwest. The river has
many dams that are used to create
hydroelectric power. The dams have
also impacted the local salmon industry.
Rivers Provide…
Transportation
Rivers provided the first ‘super highways’
of the United States
Natural Resources
Lots of Major Cities are built along these rivers (ie: Portland) or
uses the water from these rivers (ie: Las Vegas uses Lake Mead).
Energy
Dams create electricity
One of the reasons New England became the center of the
Industrial Revolution is the many waterways throughout the region
Tributaries
Off of each major river many tributes feed smaller communities and
provide water for agriculture.
Other Water Features
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
F.
Some other important water features are:
Gulf of Mexico
Importance:
Great Lakes
- These water features often
Arctic Ocean
provided ports and easy
access to transportation
Pacific Ocean
- Majority of North American
Atlantic Ocean
population lives along these
water features (for better or
Hudson Bay
worse…)
Climate
Canada and the United States are in
the middle and high latitudes. The
most common climates are:
A. Humid Subtropical and Continental
B. Semiarid and Arid
C. Marine West Coast and Mediterranean
D. Tundra and Icecap
Climate
Most of the Eastern United States is
humid subtropical. This climate zone
has a mild winter and hot humid
summers. The Northern states are
humid continental. They have much
colder winters but the summers can still
be hot and uncomfortable.
Climate
Semiarid = Great Plains into the Southwest
Arid = Southwest
Marine West Coast = Coast of Oregon and
Washington
Mediterranean = Coast of Southern California
Tundra = Northern Canada and Alaska
Tropical Wet = Hawaii
The tundra is a flat treeless plain with lichens, shrubs,
and some flowers.
The taiga is a coniferous forest that grows in subarctic
climates. Only coniferous trees grow because of the
Lack of sunlight in the wintertime.
Human-Environment Interaction
Humans adapt to the
environment
To Weather –
To Terrain –
Humans change the
environment to fit our
needs
Ex: Creating Land,
Farming, deforestation,
Global Warming, Dust
Bowl
Humans conserve
environmental resources
Ex: National Parks
How have humans adopted to
their environment in North
America?
Geographic Features
Canadian Arctic
Location = Yukon
Territory, Northwest
Territory, Baffin Island and
Nunavut
The ground in the Arctic is
mostly composed of
permafrost
This makes construction
difficult and often
hazardous, and agriculture
virtually impossible
What is Permafrost
A thick subsurface
layer of soil that
remains frozen
throughout the
year, occurring
chiefly in polar
regions.
What is Permafrost http://videos.howstuffwork
s.com/science/permafrost
-videosplaylist.htm#video-30792
Permafrost Melting in
Siberia http://video.msnbc.msn.
com/nightlynews/45829669#45829
669
Adapting to the Arctic
Background
information
Arctic is named for the north
polar constellation ‘Arktos’ –
Greek for ‘Bear’
It has been inhabited by humans
for close to 20,000 years
Includes all of Greenland,
northern parts of Alaska ,
Canada, Norway, & Russia.
Boundary is defined by
the northern limit of stands of trees or
the line of average July temperature
of 50 F or
the Arctic Circle line of latitude 66
degrees, 33 minutes North. (the sun
never sets on the summer solstice.
Adapting to the Arctic
Variety of land &
animals
Ice Sheets
Tundra
Large mammals
(caribou, bears,
wolves, etc.),
many have adapted
to living in the Arctic
How?
Examples of Animals Adapting
to the Arctic
Cold tolerant organisms have
evolved various methods for coping
with very low temperatures.
Some animals hibernate, take
shelter, or even migrate to warmer
areas.
Others, such as Antarctic seals,
have warm fur and a thick layer of
blubber for insulation.
Arctic plants tend to be small and
grow low to the ground and can be
coated with hair and wax to avoid
wind chill.
Some insects, amphibians and
microbes can even withstand being
frozen solid.
Indigenous people in Canada
Background Information:
Inuit (Arctic based natives) and
Metis (mixed European and First
Nation Ancestry) tribes
First Nations – group of over
630 aboriginal tribes in Canada
(half located in Ontario and
British Columbia)
Each tribe has its own history,
culture and traditions but the First
Nations often deal with the
Canadian government
collectively through the Indian
and Northern Affairs Canada
(AFN) Assembly of First Nations
is an organizations that seeks to
protect the rights of native groups
and treaty obligations
How is Inuit Culture changing?
Young population
New Technology
Changes in Culture
Traditional Culture
‘A Boy among Polar Bears’
Hunting
Why is hunting so
important to Inuit culture?
Why is carving so
important to Inuit culture?
How do Inuit children
traditionally learn about
their culture? Why do they
think this is so important?
Changes
‘tales from the Arctic circle’
How has geography
effected the modern
developments of Inuit
culture?
How has technology
changed Inuit culture?
How have people
adapted to living in a
remote, cold area .in a
modern era?
What values and culture traits remain the same?
Human-Environmental Interactions
Information to find:
Name of Tribe:
History:
Staple Crops:
Myths or Spiritual
Beliefs:
Regional plant and
animal life:
Arctic
Inuit/ Inuktitut
Believed to have crossed the Alaskan land bridge around 1000 AD, spreading eastward across
the artic
Traditionally fishers and hunters with a Semi-Nomadic way of life until the mid-1900s = gather
grasses, tubers, roots, stems, berries and seaweed which were persevered for year round use.
The Inuit practiced a form of shamanism based on animist principles. They believed
that all things had a form of spirit, including humans, and that to some extent these
spirits could be influenced by a pantheon of supernatural entities
The Geography of the artic greatly influences Inuit beliefs: Ex: Some Inuit looked into the
aurora borealis or northern lights, to find images of their family and friends dancing in
the next life.
Hunting dominated society – especially whaling until the late 1300s.
Hunt – walrus, caribou, seal, narwhals, polar bears, muskoxen, and birds
(75% of the traditional Inuit diet comes from protein)
Environment (Biome): Arctic Zone – subarctic and tundra climate
Settlement History: The Arctic tree line serves as the unofficial southern border of the culture.
The Inuit spread eastward from Alaska to Greenland until the 17 th century when they come in
contact with Europeans.
Settlement patterns
Movement: Inuit hunted using qajaq (kayaks) and moved about in umiaqs (larger open boats
(location, movement)
made of wood frames covered with animal skins, for transporting people, goods and dogs.). In
and housing structures:
the winter the Inuit used dog sleds
Housing: during the winter they lived in Iglus as temporary housing but in the summer they
Human-Environmental Interactions
Information North
to find:
Name of Tlingit
Tribe:
History:
Fish,
Staple
Crops:
Myths or
Spiritual
Beliefs:
Regional
plant and
animal life:
Environment
(Biome):
Settlement
patterns
(location,
movement)
and housing
structures:
South
East
West
Hopi
Iroquois
Lakota
Your task is to compare and
contrast the Inuit tribe to
one of the following tribes
indigenous to the United
States and Canada.
1. Draw conclusions: How
did the following tribes
establish unique cultural
traits dependent on their
environment?
Ethnic Demographics in Canada
The North
Tundra:
Animals that inhabit the tundra (Caribou)
http://dsc.discovery.com/videos/planet-earthpole-to-pole-caribou-migration.html
Polar Bears
http://animal.discovery.com/videos/planetsbest-polar-bear-tundra-buggy.html
The Arctic Circle:
http://dsc.discovery.com/videos/beyondsurvival-arctic-circle/
How to survive in the Arctic
How to build an igloo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hebm
RUSJpPI
Inuit Hunting
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9xLS_
H2B6hg&feature=related
How is Inuit culture changing (modern
vs. traditional)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KpwQ
GCP19T4&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=033G
BrdphZY&feature=related
National Geographic Battle of
the Arctic Giants 2012
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mxO
6WHXA0nA
–
Physical Features
Regional Traits
1. How does geography create different regional traits?
2. How has history created different cultural regions?
3. How do you connect these different regions & cultures
together to create a common American culture?
5 Themes of
Geography
Region
Region is an area on the
earth’s surface that is
defined by certain
unifying characteristics.
The unifying
characteristics may be
physical, human, or
cultural.
What are the 3 types of
regions?
Regionalism
Clusters of like areas
that are distinctive by
their uniformity or
description
How have formal and
perceptual regions in
the US impacted
culture and politics?
How do we define our
regions?
1. Legal Regions?
2. Regionalism based
on early settlement
patterns?
3. Belt Regions?
4. Cultural Regions?
Regionalism
Clusters of like areas that are distinctive by
their uniformity or description (similar
characteristics, either physical or human).
Many regions are perceptual
How do we define our regions?
1. Legal Regions
2. Regionalism based on early settlement patterns
3. Belt Regions
4. Cultural Regions
Regionalism
1. Legal Regions – US census Bureau
Regions
2. Regions based on settlement patterns
"American Nations: A History of the Eleven Rival Regional Cultures of
North America."
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb
3. Belt Regions
Belt Regions of the US – portions of the
country that share certain characteristics.
First applied to growing regions – follow lines of
latitude and have similar climates, soil conditions.
Usage has expanded to other economic, climatic
and cultural concentrations.
Often vague borders
Ex: Bible Belt, Snowbelt, Sun Belt…
4. Cultural Traits by Region
EX: Observations of Stephen Fry in
Maine….
Language – accents
People – hard workers (immigrant heritage)
Landscape, animals, food (insiders
knowledge)
Maine – 6:30
•
http://video.yandex.ru/users/stephenfry-ru/view/5/?cauthor=stephenfry-ru&cid=3
Cultural Regionalism within State
The Quiet Corner
noticeably more rustic in character than the more suburban towns to the west
under populated and isolated in contrast with the rest of Connecticut, with many of
its towns having populations below 5,000.
Greater Hartford
Not dependent on out-of-state metropolitan areas such as New York City or Boston.
It is on the fairly level land of the Connecticut River valley with soil less rocky than
that of other areas in the state
Cultural Heritage associated
with human geographic features
Rural vs. Urban
Urban - More than 75% of the people of Mexico
live in cities of over 50,000 inhabitants
contemporary life in its cities has become similar
to that in neighboring United States and Europe.
Rural - Most Mexican villagers follow the older
way of life more than the city people do
Blending of Cultures across borders – Tex Mex
What are at least 3 examples of cultural diffusion
occurring along the Mexican/ US border that Tony
Bourdain highlights?
Are we becoming more culturally
unified or do regional traits still
exist?
History of Exploration & Human Settlement
330 BC Pytheas of Massalia, a Greek merchant,
discovers ‘Thule’ (Iceland?)records a discription of the
midnight sun, the aurora, & Polar Ice
870 AD Floki Vilgerdarson, a Norwegian Viking,
discovers Iceland
983 AD Erik Thorvaldsson, known as “Erik the Red”
discovers and settles in Greenland.
1594-1610 A driving force for the exploration of the Arctic was the
desire of European monarchs to find an alternate trading route to China, a
Northwest Passage - many of these expeditions would end in failure
Famous/ Infamous European Exploration
1845-1873 - Sir John Franklin’s expedition aboard Erebus and Terror sails in search of the Northwest
Passage. 129 men set off with hopes of finding the passage—but none would return.
1878 - Baron Nordenskiöld completes the first successful navigation of the Northeast Passage. This he
accomplishes sailing on board the Vega, navigating the northern coasts of Europe and Asia for the first
time.
1886-1909 -The Peary Arctic Club, led by US Navy engineer Robert Peary, organizes 8 expeditions to the
Arctic. in 1908-1909, Peary reports that he has reached the North Pole with his friend, Matthew Henson
and four native people.
Human Settlement
Land Bridge
Last glaciation was at is maximum around 20000 years ago
Water levels dropped about 120 meters
A land bridge formed between Russia and Alaska
Two Theories on How:
Humans crossed during the shift from glaciation to interglacial
period and following an ice free corridor in the ice sheet
Humans crossed during shift from glaciation to interglacial period
and took boats down the coast
Two theories on when:
23000 BC humans migrated across the land bridge (Nat Geo)
Relies upon physical evidence – fossils, rocks, artifacts
10000 BC humans migrated across the land bridge (U of Mich)
University College of London and University of Michigan
found genetic evidence that shows native Americans share
genetic origins with 70 migrants from Siberia
Genetic evidence allows deduction of elapsed time since
common ancestors
Human Settlement
Evidence for the land bridge theory
Coil pottery
Japan/Siberia 15k BC
Alaska/Yukon/BC 1.5k BC (much earlier
evidence probably lost due to rising ocean
levels)
Southern Canada, northern US 700 BC
US NE/Canada SE 1 AD
SIDENOTE – possible connection to
Navajo coil baskets????
DNA similarities
Clovis spears (found in Manitoba, NM, Alaska, VA)
Fossilized animal remains demonstrate movement
across continents
camelids, equids from NA to Asia (then went
extinct in NA)
lions, mammoths from Asia to NA (then went
extinct in NA)
Quebec
Protections for French culture –
Quebec culture protected under Canadian law
Legal system based on French laws … not
English
French one of the official languages
Special immigration laws to attract French
people
Separatism –
Arguments over culture and language
resulted in large percentage of the province an
independent country.
Splitting a Nation: Québec
Separatism in Canada
The Conflict
Many sovereigntists claim that Canada has always been
comprised as two separate and distinct nations, one Frenchspeaking (Francophone) and one English-speaking
(Anglophone).
Some sovereigntists believe that declaring an independent
Québec is the only way to protect the cultural, linguistic, and
social equality rights of the majority-Francophone province.
Those who believe in maintaining the status quo for Canada
point out that bilingualism is the nation's official policy and that
provincial rights are largely unencumbered by federal mandates.
Further, as Québec entered the Canadian federation willingly,
there is no historical basis for the "two nations" argument.
Historical
• Colonized by both England and France in the sixteenth century, competition
over commerce set the foundation for rivalry between Anglophones and
Francophones. Although the British triumphed over the French by 1763,
Francophone society remained largely distinct in the ensuing centuries.
Political
• Canadian politics at the federal level has been dominated by the sovereignty
issue in recent decades, which has made it difficult for any one party to gain
favor on a nationwide basis. Currently, Canada's national parties are largely
regionally based, with the Bloc Québécois holding sway in Québec, the Reform
Party dominating the prairie provinces, and the Liberals holding a majority in
Ontario.
The Questions:
Should Québec be allowed to create a separate
nation, based on French culture and traditions?