View
220
Download
0
Category
Tags:
Preview:
Citation preview
Human Geography of the U.S.Chapter 6 – An Abundant Land
Population
•United States – 313 million
•Largely populated by many groups of immigrants.
•About 5% of the world’s population live in the U.S.
Early Americans
• 1st people to migrate to North America came from Asia
• Crossed the land bridge across the Bering Strait
Early Americans
• In the 15th century, Europeans began to explore the “New World”
• Spanish arrived first• In 1565, they founded St. Augustine,
FL, the oldest permanent settlement in the U.S.
• The French and English came later• English made their first permanent
settlement in Jamestown, VA in 1607
Castillo de San Marcos FortSt. Augustine, FL
Jamestown, Virginia
Economic Success
• 3 factors have contributed to the overall success of the U.S. economy:• Available natural resources
• A skilled labor force
• A stable political system
Human/Environment Interaction
• The growth of industry changed the development of the U.S. and Canada.
• The West became a source of raw materials.
• Europeans cleared forests for farmland.
Industry and Expansion
• Mass production enabled goods to be produced more quickly.
• Advances in transportation helped get the goods to the marketplace.
World’s Largest Economy
• World leader in agricultural products, manufactured goods, and global trade.
• U.S. produces 10% of the world’s exports
• Leading industries are petroleum, steel, transportation equipment, chemicals, electronics, food processing, telecommunications, consumer goods, lumber, & mining
Agriculture
• Fertile soil, favorable climate, and early mechanization of the country’s farms are mainly responsible for success
• 40% of world’s production of corn
• 20% of cotton• 10% of wheat, cattle,
and hogs
A Diverse Society
• 70% trace ancestors to Europe• Hispanic Americans – 13%• African Americans – 12%• Asian Americans – 4%• Native Americans – 1%
Culture: Religion
• Religious freedom is valued because many of the people who migrated to the region did so to worship freely
• Most are Christians (85%); others practice Judaism, Islam and Buddhism
Culture: Language
• U.S. – primarily English speaking, many Spanish-speaking people live in the Southwest, French-speaking live in southern Louisiana
• Only officially bilingual state - New Mexico – English and Spanish
American Life Today
• About 80% of Americans live in cities and surrounding suburbs
• The move to the suburbs was made possible by the widespread ownership of automobiles (one auto for every 1.3 Americans)
Highlands Ranch, Outskirts of Denver, CO
Culture: Leisure Time
• Playing and watching sports (basketball, baseball, football, soccer, tennis, skiing, ice skating, etc.)
• TV, movies, music, video games• Vacationing (beaches, national parks,
etc.)• Not all Americans live well,
unfortunately 1 in 10 Americans live in poverty
Bryce Canyon National Park, UT
Subregions of the United States
• The Northeast (9 states)• 5% of the nations land, 20% of the
population• Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire,
Massachusetts, Rhode Island, & Conneticut make up New England
• The other 3 – Pennsylvania, New York, and New Jersey – are referred to as the Middle Atlantic states
The Northeast
• Megalopolis – cities overlap to form a single urban area
• Boswash – largest megalopolis is in the Northeast, between Boston and Washington D.C.
• Stretches 500 miles
• A satellite view of the Boswash region at night. (NASA)
Subregions of the U.S.
• The Midwest (12 states)• Nation’s “Breadbasket”• ¼ of the people live in the Midwest• Its central location and excellent
waterways make the Midwest a trade, transportation, and distribution center
Subregions of the U.S.
• The South (16 states)• Contains more than 1/3 of the population• “Sunbelt” – climate draws millions of tourists
and retirees• Agriculture was the South’s 1st economic
activity, and cotton, tobacco, fruits, peanuts, and rice are still grown there
• Development & manufacturing aided by air conditioning
Subregions of the U.S.
• The West (13 states)• ½ of the land area, about 1/5 of the
population• Includes Alaska & Hawaii• Most rapidly growing region• Farming, ranching, food processing, logging,
fishing, mining, oil refining, tourism, filmmaking, & the production of computers
• Harbors in Seattle & Los Angeles make foreign trade – especially with Asia – important
Recommended