U.S and Canada

U.S and Canada Climate and Vegetation

Arctic: long, frigid winters & short, cool summers

  • vegetation: tundra and coniferous forest

Subarctic: long, harsh winters & permafrost

  • vegetation: coniferous forest, temperate grassland, very little mixed forest.

Humid Continental: four distinct seasons

  • vegetation: mixed forest, temperate grassland, deciduous forest

Marine West Coast: mild temperatures, high humidity

  • vegetation: coniferous forest, mixed forest

Mediterranean: mild, wet winters & hot, dry summers

  • vegetation: chaparral, oak wood

Humid Subtropical: hot, humid summers & mild to cool winters

  • vegetation: most vegetation types, mixed forest, coniferous forest, temperate grassland, deciduous forest

Highland: cooler, lower temperatures & high altitudes

  • vegetation: coniferous forest

Desert: very low annual precipitation & arid conditions

  • vegetation: desert scrub, cacti, shrubs

Political Systems

U.S:

  • representative democracy, where citizens elect leaders to represent them in the government

  • gained independence from the British empire through a revolution

  • established a federal republic

Canada:

  • parliamentary democracy + constitutional monarchy ( in a ceremonial sense)

  • gradually gained independence from the British empire

  • parliamentary democracy: parliament selects a prime minister and creates laws; citizens elects members of parliament

  • constitutional monarchy: still recognizes the British monarch as the ceremonial head of state, there is a monarch that rules over the entire country but must follow a set of rules written by parliament

  • head of the government in the prime minister

Political History of U.S and Canada

→ first settlers trekked across Bering Strait Land Bridge: once connecting Asia and Alaska

History of Regions

  1. Native Americans first controlled many areas of the North American continent

  2. 1600s - 1700s: European settlers came to North America, groups included the French, British, and Spanish

  3. Treaty of Paris (1783): officially shaped the U.S colonies

  4. U.S expanded their land mass through various land agreements, Canada did so through fur trading and building of railroads

  5. Both nations ended up taking land from the Native Americans.

Formation of Borders

  1. 48th parallel agreed as the main boundaries between Canada and U.S (Great Lakes - Rocky Mountains)

  2. Following the War of 1812, the U.S Canadian border became the most peaceful, longest border in the world

  3. Disputes over water and fishing rights still exist

Territory and Resource Control

  1. U.S and Canada are strong allies + trade partners

  2. USMCA and NATO

  3. international debate over control and resources over melting arctic zone

U.S GDP

  • manly dominated by service-oriented industries

  • manufacturing industry is declining

Sectors between U.S and Canada

Primary/Agricultural Sector: 

  • U.S: primarily commercial farming 

  • Canada: primarily commercial farming with an emphasis on livestock cultivation

Secondary/Manufacturing Sector:

  • U.S: diverse sector + produces domestic and international products

  • Canada: reliant on resource-based manufacturing, diverse in recent decades

Tertiary/Services Sector: 

  • U.S: dominant sector, wide range of services

  • Canada: significant sector, focus on financial, natural resource, and tourism services

Quaternary/Technology Sector:

  • U.S: one of the top countries in tech + strong focus in software, hardware, and biotech

  • Canada: strong tech sector + strong focus on AI, clean energy, and aerospace tech. 

Trade: 

  • U.S: major importer and exporter of goods, focused on trade with other developed countries

  • Canada: exports natural resources, agricultural products, manufactured goods + biggest trade partner is the U.S. 

NAFTA and USMCA

Free Trade Agreement: a treaty between two or more countries to establish a free trade zone where goods and services can be directed across borders without tariffs

NAFTA: reduce trade barriers and tariffs among Canada, Mexico, and U.S

Pros: 

  • increased globalization

  • higher standard of living

  • more jobs in border towns

  • lower price for consumers

Cons:

  • increased pollution due to increase in factories

  • exploitation of cheap labor

  • US loses manufacturing jobs

  • imbalance of power

  • US consumers not buying domestic products

USMCA (2020): tried to increase/improve benefits for countries + address flaws in NAFTA(1992)

Vocabulary:

Free Trade Zone: an area where goods can be imported or exported without tariffs

Globalization: the process of the world becoming more interconnected across international borders

Mixed Economy: an economy system where essential services are handled by the government and other businesses are private

Outsourcing: When work is contracted outside one country to foreign one that otherwise could be completed within the country's own borders.

Sustainable development: Economic development that satisfies current needs without limiting the ability of future generations to fulfill their own.

Tariffs: taxes on imports that often increase costs for consumers and decrease costs for producers

Trade Agreements: An agreement between two or more countries in which the countries agree to meet certain obligations that affect trade of goods and services and protections for investors and intellectual property rights.

Various:

  • Indigenous people modified the land through hunting, fishing, and agriculture

  • Subsistence Agriculture: farming method focused on producing only enough food and goods to sustain the farmer’s family or household, rather than for commercial sale.

  • Boreal forests: long, cold winters + short, cool summers