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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 Americans
First Nations
European Settlers
Regional Culture History (cont’d)
Wealth of Natural Resources
Primary Products and New Lands
Slower Canadian Changes
Resources of U.S. Manufacturing
Regional Culture History (cont’d)
Human Resources
New People, New Skills
Education and Technology
Management of Manufacturing
• Economies of scale
• Horizontal integration
• Vertical integration
• Production line
• Fordism
Canada Emerges
Regional Culture History (cont’d)
The Contemporary Human Mosaic
Patterns 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
Regional Culture History (cont’d)
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
Physical Geography and HumanEnvironment Interaction
Tropical to Polar Climates
Mountains and Plains
Western Mountains
• Alaskan range: Mt. McKinley
• Rocky Mountain ranges
Canadian Shield
Interior Lowlands
Appalachian Mountain System
Physical Geography and HumanEnvironment Interaction (cont’d)
Major Rivers and the Great Lakes
Mississippi River
Missouri River
Ohio River
Colorado River
The Great Lakes—St. Lawrence Seaway
Mackenzie River
Physical Geography and HumanEnvironment Interaction (cont’d)
Natural Vegetation and Soils
Natural Hazards
Environmental Problems
Dust Bowl
World Roles
Group of Eight (G8)
The United States and the United Nations
UN Security Council
Globalization: The Good, the Bad,
and the Ugly
Global Role of the Regional Economy
Point-Counterpoint: North
American Free Trade Agreement
Critics of NAFTA
Supporters of NAFTA
Primarily opened new markets
Opened new markets for
for Mexico and Canada.
the three countries.
Low labor costs in Mexico and
Competition of lowerlower-priced goods in the
priced goods produced in
United Sates and Canada
Mexico forces down the
cause U.S. and Canadian comprice of goods produced in panies to move their producthe United States and
tion operations to Mexico;
Canada; thus, U.S. and
thus, thousands of jobs are lost
(“exported”) to Mexico,
Canadian consumers
hurting employment in the
“win” with lower-priced
United States and Canada.
goods.
Point-Counterpoint (cont’d)
Supporters of NAFTA
Critics of NAFTA
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)
Supporters 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.
Critics of NAFTA
Cultural distinctions are blurred in
all three countries. U.S. culture may
overpower parts of Canada and especially 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)
Supporters of NAFTA
Critics 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 facilitates 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
Forces the equal treatment
of corporations in the
three countries.
Critics of NAFTA
Corporations are too
powerful under NAFTA.
Subregions of North America
Regional Population Distribution
Highly urbanized
Primary 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 Affluence
Increasing 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)
People
Urban Population
The United States (cont’d)
Economic Development
Commercial Farming Basis
Manufacturing Becomes Central
Service Industries
Regional Policies
• Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA)
• Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC)
The United States (cont’d)
Urban Landscapes
Preindustrial 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 States
New England
Megalopolis
Manufacturing Belt
Appalachia
U.S. Heartland: Midwest and Great Plains
The South
Western Mountains
Pacific Coast
Alaska and Hawaii
Canada
People
Population Growth
Regional Changes in Population
Canadian City Landscapes
Economic Development
Canada (cont’d)
Regions of Canada
Atlantic Provinces
Québec
• Long-lot
Ontario
Prairie Provinces
West Coast
Northern Canada