A Regional Overview of North America

 
North America is made up of two countries-the United States of America and Canada.  It the world's third largest continent and is surrounded by four different masses of water.  The Artic Ocean borders the north, the Atlantic borders the east, the Gulf of Mexico on the south-eastern side of America and the Pacific Ocean on the eastern side. 

Physical Features:

Feature 1- The Four Regions of North America 
North America sits on the North American Plate, Pacific plate and the Caribbean plate.  The San Andreas fault is the tectonic boundary where the Pacific plate and North American plate meet.  The San Andreas fault runs approximately 800 miles through California.  North America is divided among four large regions and each of those contains many sub regions.  The four regions include: the southwestern region, the Great Plain up through Canada, the western mountains stretching through Canada and Alaska and the eastern region which includes the Atlantic coast.  (Encyclopedia of Britannica, 2011)


Feature 2- Hawaiian Islands
The Hawaiian Islands are a territory of the United States that include eight major islands and 129 smaller, uninhabited islands.  The island chain sits in the North Pacific Ocean and are approximately 1,860 miles from the nearest continent.  Hawaii became the 50th state of the U.S. in August of 1959.  The eight main islands are Hawaii, Maui, Lanai, Molokai, Oahu, Kauai, Ni'ihau and Kaho'olawe.  The HawaiianIislands formed as the Pacific plate moved about 25 million years ago.  The "Big Island" of Hawaii is the only island with recent volcanic activity.  It is built from five volcanoes.   The islands are tropical but experience different climates.  The mountains of Hawaii do experience snow fall and the islands experience heavy rainfall, tsunamis and earthquakes.  The islands do not experience a drastic temperature variance.  There is usually no more than a fifteen degree temperature difference in any year because of the proximity to the equator and length of days.  The islands economic contribution to North America is its export of pineapples to the continent. As of 2006 the population of Hawaii was 1.3 million.  The average lifespan of its citizens is 79.8 years which is longer than any other North American region. (Census, 2008)

Feature 3- Alaska-The Last Frontier
Alaska is located in the northwest corner of North America.  The Artic ocean borders the north and the Pacific ocean borders the west and south.  It became the 49th state of the U.S. in January of 1959.  Alaska is bordered by the Yukon territory of Canada. The territory of Alaska vocers 663,000 square miles and most of this is uninhabited.  Most of Alaska's popluation lives in Anchorage and its surrounding suburbs.  According to the 2008 census Alaska ranked 47th in the US in terms of its population with a total of 699,000 people. (Census, 2008) Alaska is typically divided into six regions: The Southcentral region includes Anchorage and the Kenai peninsula, th Panhandle which includes the state's capitol of Juneau and the Tongass National Forest, the Interior which is the largest region and made up of wilderness, the Southwest which includes 500 miles inland fromt he Bering Sea, the Artic Slope which is the northernmost part of the state and the Aleutian Island Chain whcih is more than 300 volcanic islands that reside in the Pacific ocean and stretch more than 1200 miles.    Alaska's lakes and wetlands cover more than 188,000 square miles.  The territory has half the world's glaciers which cover approximately 16,000 square miles. (Benson, 1998)  (Rennicke, 2001)    

Feature 4- The Yukon
Location: Canada
The Yukon is a river that flows 2,300 miles through Canada and Alaska.  Only four other rivers in the world have a greater flow: the Amazon, the Mississippi, the Missouri, and the St. Lawrence.  It is the fifth longest river on the North American continent and it the largest river flowing into the Pacific Ocean.  It empties into the Bering Sea.  This river has a long history.  It has been used by the Eskimo people and was prospected during the days of the Gold Rush.  The river was used to transport diptheria serum hundreds of miles to Nome, Alaska in the days before air travel.    (Place, 1967)

Feature 5- The Great Lakes and its surrounding National Forests
The surrounding national forests of the Great Lakes cover more than 8.2 million acres in eight states-Wisconsin, Minnesota, New York, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Indiana and Ohio. The national forests include waterfalls, gorges, lakes, rivers timber, hiking trails and wildflowers.  The majority .of these national forests are federally owned with very few private holdings.  There are 13 national forests of the Great Lakes.  The largest of these national forests is the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.  There are five Great Lakes: Huron, Superior, Michigan, Erie and Ontario.  The largest Great Lake and the largest freshwater lake in the world-is Lake Superior.  (Freedman, 1995)

Climate:
North American regions reflect a variety of climatic zones.  The Artic Zone includes the northern parts of Alaska, the Canadian Shield, and the Canadian Artic.  In the Arctic zone temperatures below 0' F last 5-7 months of the year.  During summer months (June-September) temperatures may reach above 32' F.  The Artic zone's precipitation is low.  The totals of precipitation generally do not exceed 64 inches in any given year.  The cool temperature zone extends to Alaska from the Hudson Bay to the Ohio Valley.  It experience long, cold winters and temperatures fall quickly beginning in October and generally do not rise until April or early May.  In spring, tropical gulf air raises the temperatures more than 50'F.  The gulf air in the summer and fall causes the most precipitation during the year with an average of 35 inches of rainfall.  The warm temperature zone exists on the southeastern and Gulf coasts of the US and extends to the Mississippi River.  The Gulf of Mexico is responsible for the warm, humid air in this zone.  Average summer temperatures exceed 80'F.  The mixture of heated land and tropical air make hurricanes an annual occurance.  The Mediterranean climate is found in the Southwest region of America.  The summer months are dry and winters in this region are mild with precipitation.  Frost and snowfall are rare and they are high evaporation rates in the southwest.  The tropical humid climate exists in Hawaii.  The temperature remains decidedly consistent throughout the year with only a 15' deviation.  Dry climates exist in the desert regions of North America.  There is a lack of rainfall and the winds that move down from the North create drier, warmer air.  (Britannica, 2011)

Resources:
Resource 1-
Iron Ore
Iron ore is extracted from rocks and minerals and is used for steel production.  Iron is the world's most commonly used metal.  Iron ore production is beneficial to the economy for several reasons: steel production for the automobile industry, engineering, and other machinery is integral for the stability of a significant portion of the US job force.  The moving of iron ore relies on the railway system of North America.  Mining iron ore is a high volume low margin business, as the value of iron is significantly lower than base metals. In 2006 the US was responsible for 54 metric tons of iron ore production and Canada 33 metric tons. (Financial Times, 2009)

Resources 2-
Agriculture
Canada is one of the world's largest producers and exporters of agriculture.  Canada produces dairy, eggs, poultry and grains.  A large amount of vegetables, fruit, cotton and tobacco are grown in the warm temperate areas of the US.  Florida is known for its citrus produce, Hawaii for its pineapples, the Midwest for corn, beef and poultry and the southern regions for its cotton fields and tobacco production.  The "Corn Belt" is a section of the US known for its warm temperatures that is favorable to the growth of corn.  This area extends from the Ohio River to the lower Missouri River.  Soybeans are also a leading crop of North America.  Economically, soybean crop is exported while corn is used to feed and fatten cattle and pigs.  The Dairy Belt is a region in the New England and Great Lakes areas.  Clover, hay and grains grow in this region.  The Winter Wheat Belt exists in Kansas and Oklahoma.  The wheat is harvested in the fall and spring rainstorms distributes the grain sown.  According to the Encyclopedia of Britannica, wheat farming takes plane on an ever larger scale than corn and soybean farming, using more machines and porducing more per acre.  (Encyclopedia of Britannica, 2011)

Environmental Issues:
Issue 1- Air Polliution
Air pollution is a large problem in North America.  The greenhouse gas emissions generated by North America make up more than one quarter of the emissions released in world.  North America's reliance on automobiles and gas powered machinery are to blame for its increased emissions.  These emissions lead to other environmental problems including smog and acid rain.  Smog is a term used that means a mixture of fog and smoke which is polluted with gas emissions.  Acid rain refers to a mixture of wet and dry deposition from the atmosphere containing higher amounts of nitric and sulfuric acids. (Environmental Protection Agency, 2010)

Issue 2-
Hazardous Wastes
A hazardous waste is a substance that is usually a by product of industrial or nuclear waste that poses potential or hazardous threats to the public or environment.  Some examples of hazardous wastes produced in North America are: weed killers, gasoline, cleaning products, paint and nuclear or industrial wastes from manufacturing.  Canada produces far less waste than the US.  According to the textbook military bases are a major source of hazardous waste, generating more wastes than the top five US chemical companies combined.  (Pulsipher & Pulsipher, 2008) 

Population Patterns:
According to the 2008 census Canada had a population of 33.6 million people and the US had a population of 314.7 million people.  Canadians live primarily in the south eastern portion of the continent-along the Great Lakes.  Much of Canada remains remote wilderness uninhabited by people.  The US is predominantly populated in the Eastern region. (Census, 2008) 

Role of Gender:
In the US both men and women  populate the workforce.  The US has almost an even amount of women and men in the workforce.  Typically men are still holding more top executive positions in business and making more money per hour than women.  This is not the same in Canada, where women tend to earn more than men.  In both countries women are estimated to work more hours than men.  In single family homes there are significantly more single women raising children than their male counterparts in the US.  Women business owners are equally prominent and rising in both the US and Canada. (Pulsipher & Pulsipher, 2008)

Religions:
Religion in Canada
The national census of Canada in 2001 indicated that the most prodominant religion in Canada is Christianity.  In the census 72 percent of the Canadian population list Roman Catholicism or Protestantism as their religion.  Non-Christian religions in Canada included Muslim, Judaism, Buddhists, Hindu, and Sikh.  16 percent of those surveyed said they were non-religious.  (New World Encyclopedia, 2008)

Religion 2
Religion in the United States
According to the US Religious Landscape Survey conducted in 2007 more than 78 percent of Americans practice Christianity. Of these 51 percent are Protestant and and 27 percent are Roman Catholic. 5 percent of Americans practice other religions including: Jewish, Hindu, Muslim and Buddhist.  The remaining 17 percent do not practice a religion or are unaffiliated.  According to the survey men are more likely than women to claim no religious affiliation and of married couples more than 37 percent are married to a spouse with a different religious affiliation.  (Pew Forum, 2011)

Transportation:
Railway, roadways, waterways, and air travel are the methods of transportation used in North America.  In Canada and the United States the railways are independent, they do not connect to eachother.  The US has a very large railway system in place that spans the country and connects almost every major city.  In Canada the run from Newfoundland to Quebec.  Alaska does have its own railway system but it is not currently connected to the North American railroad.  The roadway system of the US is the largest in the world with more than 4 million miles of roads.  The Alaska Highway runs through Canada and connects to the Interstate Highway system of the US.  Canada's roadway is called the Trans Canada Highway.  Waterways are used for the transportation of people and goods in North America.  Duluth, MN and Thunder Bay, Ontario are the most inland seaports in the world.  They are over 2000 miles from the Atlantic Ocean.  Air travel throughout the continent and, of course, the world is extensive.  Major airports of North America include O'Hare International Airport, in Chicago, IL (which is one of the world's most used airports) and Toronto Pearson Airport, in Toronto, Canada. (North American Transportation, 2009)
   
Country of Focus:
United States of America
The US is one of, if not, the richest country in the world yet so many of its citizens reside in poverty.  The wealth of America exists between a concentrated few while a large portion of citizens fall below the poverty level.  For instance, the poverty level of African Americans and Hispanics is almost twice as high of that of Asians and whites.  Women in the United States earn an equivalent of 70 percent of male earnings.  The trend of the richest controlling the wealth has accelerated since World War II.  Differences in income have a major effect on individual's health.  A study conducted in 1997 showed that the life expectancy for a white woman was 80 years and that of an African American woman was 74 years.  The life expectancy for a white male was 75 years while an African American male was 64 years.  As stated in the next section of this overview more than 50 million US citizens cannot afford health insurance.  (Nation's Encyclopedia, 2010)    
 
Health Care Practices:
Healthcare in Canada is a publicly funded system.  The Canada Health Act ensures that the government provide high quality health care at a low or no cost.  Canada does have its own Medicare system.  Many clinics and hospitals are privately owned and prescription costs in Canada are lower than in the US.  The government negotiates the costs of the drugs with drug companies to ensure low costs.  Canada has a life expectancy of around 81 years according to a survey conducted on the world's health care system.  The life expectancy of someone living in the US was 78 years. 
Healthcare in the US is provided by many different sources with a large portion owned privately.  There are many private insurance companies and government funded programs include Medicare, Medicaid, the VA (Veteran's Administration), and the Children's Health Insurance Program.  Most US states have there own publicly funded insurance program for low income citizens.  The U.S. Census Bureau reported that more than 50 million Americans did not have health insurance in 2009. Healthcare in the US is expensive-the third highest in the world.  (Census, 2008) 

Fine Arts:
North America is a "melting pot" of cultures so all the fine arts from the world are represented.  From paintings, sculptures, dancing, writings, digital technology, film production, music and architecture-all can be found in North America spread throughout all of its regions.  This is what makes North America such a rich and interesting landscape to study.  Since the beginning of North America's habitation by humans art has been expressed in a variety of fashions.    

References:
Pulsipher, Lydia Mihelic & Pulsipher, Alex (2008). World Regional Geography: Global Patterns, Local Lives. New York, NY. W.H. Freeman and Company.

 Place, Marion (1967). The Yukon. New York, NY. Ives Washburn, Inc.

Freedman, Eric (1995). Great Lakes, Great National Forests. Lansing, Michigan. Thunder Bay Press.

Rennicke, Jeff (2001). Treasures of Alaska: Last Great American Wilderness. Washington, D.C. National Geographic Society.

Gehman, Raymond (1995). Exploring Canada’s Spectacular National Parks. Washington, D.C. National Geographic Society.

Hoffman, Paul F. North America. (2011) Retrieved from http:///www.britannica.com

Benders-Hyde, Elizabeth. Blue Planet Biomes. (9/23/10) Retrieved from http://www.blueplanetbiomes.org

USGS Minerals. (1/28/11) Retrieved from http://minerals.USGS.gov 

US Department of Commerce (2008). Retrieved from www.census.gov

Blas, Javier. Iron Ore Prices and Supply. (April 2009).  Retrieved from www.ft.com

US Environmental Protection Agency. (Jan 2011) Retrieved from http://www.epa.gov/ebtpages/airairpollutionefacidrain.html

Benson, Carl (1998) Alaska's Size in Perspective.  Retrieved from http://www.gi.alaska.edu

New World Encyclopedia.  (June 2008) Religion in Canada.  Retrieved from (http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Religion_in_Canada)  

The Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life (2007) US Religious Landscape Survey.  Retrieved from (http://www.religions.pewforum.org)

North American Transportation Statistics (Nov 2010)  Retrieved from (http://nats.sct.gob.mx/)  

Photos: Creative Commons. (2011) Retrieved from http://www.weebly.com/