US and Canada Flashcards
Piedmont/Fall line impact on settlement
Small ships could easily get to the fall line but couldn’t pass it so many settled there. Also the fall line created a water fall ( fresh water and hydropower)
Continental divide
Divides North America’s major rivers and streams into those flowing eastward and those flowing westward. It is important because continental ice sheets created all the lakes
Consequences of population growth in SW
Less water, drought in aquifers, more wildfires
Locks and canals impact on Chicago
Allow an easy entrance for boats to transport goods from chicago
Ring of Fire
Makes the Western US rugged with mountains, basins, and plateaus bc the ring is full of volcanoes and earthquake faults
Where did the Spanish settle
Florida to California
Where did the English settle
East Coast
Where did the French settle
By major river systems and great lakes
How did the economics of the northern English colonies differ from the Southern colonies
South-farming
North- trade
Westward Expansion
People moved out west because of cheap land
What effect did the Westward expansion have on the American Indians
Pushed Indians further west and on reservations
Agricultural growth of the Great Plains
Irrigation and better plows
Heartland definition
Central and most important part of country
What was the Heartland
Ontario and Quebec
Hinterland definition
Region that lies far away from major political centers
Regionalism
Feelings of strong political and emotional loyalty to ones own region
Separatism
Believe in certain parts of the country should be independent
Ex: Quebec
How do landforms in the Eastern US differ from the Western US
The eastern landforms are older so they are more weathered than the western landforms
Average American gender
Female
Average American race
White
Average American religion
Protestant
Average American language
English
Average American living place
East coast
Megalopolis Boswash
Boston-Washington DC
Collection of big cities (one gigantic urban center)
Megalopolis (San San)
San Diego to San Fransisco
Megalopolis’s
Most of them are on the fall line
Canadian population distribution
- 90% of them live on border of US bc north is too cold
- most in SE (heartland)
Canadian Languages
1) most speak english
2) SE and heartland is where the french are
3) Ontario is Bilingual
Corn Belt
Stretches from Nebraska to Ohio
👉🏻 Illinois to Iowa
Dairy Belt
Includes Wisconsin, most of Michigan, and Minnesota
Rust Belt
Area where a bunch of companies shut down. It is located in the Northeast to midwest along fall line and Great Lakes
Center pivot irrigation
Pulls water up from water table/aquifer
Sprinklers rotate around slowly from center
Ogallala Aquifer in Great Plains
- Supply 30% of irrigated ground waters
- Some zones have been emptied
- Fills up through rain fall
How did Rust belt change the population
The population distributed throughout the whole US bc more jobs opened up in the US
Deindustrialization
Decline in industrial activity in a region or economy
How has Detroit been affected by deindustrialization SOCIALLY
- 2/3 of population moved
- lots of crime, and cops aren’t reliable
- houses were abandoned
How has Detroit been affected by deindustrialization ECONOMICALLY
- Bankrupt
- fireman didn’t have money to put out fire
Free trade
Exchange of goods with no restrictions
Tariff
Tax on imported goods
Quotas
Fixed amount of imported goods allowed
Subsidy
Aid to business in support of that industry
Allows you to lower price
NAFTA
Eliminates many tariffs on products flowing between US, Canada, and Mexico in 1994
Results of NAFTA
Allows American companies to move factories to countries with lower wages and business costs (unemployment), but it allows American companies to sell more products (more jobs)
Trade deficit
Imports(buy) exceed exports(sell)
Trade surplus
Exports(sell) exceed imports(spend)
Canada’s natural resources
- by border it is mostly mining
- a lot of minerals
- # 2 leader in oil (oil sands)
Great American dessert
Described Great Plains east of the Rockies
Drainage basin
Area of land drained by a river and its tributaries
which force has made the Easter US so flat
glaciers
Piedmont
rolling hills and fast flowing rivers
Where is the Ring of Fire located
pacific region
what are Quebec people called
Quebecois
why was there a recent shift in population
population moved out west for jobs and cheaper land
In what region of the Western US do rivers not reach the ocean
Great Basin
Where is the Wheat Belt located
Great Plains
positives of oil fracking
- Allowed US to become a leading oil exporter
- drove oil prices down
negatives of oil fracking
- increase contamination in water supply
- more earthquakes
Manifest destiny
In the 19th century, Americans were going to stretch across the whole US
balance of trade
the difference in value between a country’s imports and exports.
