North America

Vocab #1

100

air pollution resulting from chemical reactions involving sunlight and automobile/industrial exhaust

smog

200

ability to speak two languages

bilingual

300

coastal islands created from sand deposited by ocean waves and currents in shallow water

barrier islands

400

feeling of strong political and emotional loyalty to one's own region

regionalism

500

area south of San Francisco that became the leading center for computer technology in the U.S.

Silicon Valley

Vocab#2

100

territories controlled by people from a foreign land

colonies

200

low areas of land often surrounded by mountains

basins

300

soils deposited by streams or rivers

alluvial soils

400

belief that certain parts of a country should be independent

separatism

500

cities in the northeastern U.S. that have grown into one large, built-up area

Megalopolis

Natural Environments

100

Name two of the various landform regions of the United States and Canada.

Gulf-Atlantic Coastal Plain • Great Plains • Piedmont • Rocky Mountains • Appalachian Highlands • Intermountain Region • Interior Plains • Pacific Coast Region • Canadian Shield • Alaska and Hawaii

200

Name two major lakes in North America.

Great Lakes • Northern Canada: Athabasca, Great Slave, Great Bear

300

Name three major rivers of North America.

Mississippi, Missouri, and Ohio Rivers • St. Lawrence River system • Mackenzie River system • Western rivers: Colorado, Columbia, Fraser, Yukon

400

Name two different climate types with locations in North America.

Tropical Humid - Eastern Hawaii • Tropical Wet and Dry - Tip of Florida, western Hawaii • Humid Subtropical - Southeast United States • Humid Continental - Northeast United States and southeastern Canada • Semiarid - Great Plains, western mountains • Arid - Areas east of Sierra Nevada and Cascades • Highland - Rocky Mountains • Marine West Coast - Southern Alaska through northern California • Mediterranean - Southern and central California • Subarctic - Northern Canada and Alaska • Tundra - Northern Alaska to Newfoundland and Quebec

500

What natural resources can be found in North America? Name all five.

forest, water, agriculture, energy, minerals

United States

100

Name two important events from U.S. history.

Earliest inhabitants arrived at least 14,000 years ago from Asia • Europeans began arriving 500 years ago: first Spanish, then English and French • British established 13 colonies • After independence in 1776, U.S. established a federal system of government • Westward expansion in the 1800s gained new lands but caused conflict with American Indians • The North industrialized while the South developed a plantation economy. Differences caused the Civil War • Settlers occupied interior plains; immigration swelled eastern cities • U.S. fought in two world wars; emerged as a major power.

200

Name three unique elements of American culture.

great diversity of people and languages • variety of religions • settlement includes concentration in the Northeast • broad public education • distinctive forms of popular culture: movies, skyscrapers, music, holidays, sports

300

Name two environmental issues faced by the U.S.

pollution and acid rain • decline in population of animal life such as salmon • creation of “dead zone” in the Gulf of Mexico • competition for limited water resources

400

Name three natural disasters and the regions that they affect in the U.S.

Earthquakes on West Coast • Flooding in many areas • Tornadoes in Midwest and South • Hurricanes along East Coast and Gulf of Mexico

500

How is the U.S. economy tied to other countries around the world?

Reliance on world trade • Shifting emphasis from tariff protections to free trade • Pros and cons of free trade agreements (e.g., NAFTA)

Canada

100

Which European countries played important roles in Canada's early history?

France, England

200

Name two important features of Canadian culture.

Mix of French and British culture, with U.S. influences • Many immigrants in recent years • French Canadian culture in Quebec • British culture in Ontario and farther west • Canadian Indians and relocated city-dwellers in north

300

Name two of the ways that Canada is organized and governed.

Maintains British ties and British monarch • Democratic government with a prime minister and elected parliament • Provincial governments have local power • Three northern territories have some control over local issues

400

Name one resource and one economic activity for two different regions of Canada.

ATLANTIC PROVINCES - Resources: fish, forests, minerals, oil; Economic Activities: fishing, mining, some industries • QUEBEC & ONTARIO - Resources: farmland, minerals; Economic Activities: service industries, manufacturing, farming, mining • PRAIRIE PROVINCES - Resources: fertile soils, potash deposits, oil; Economic Activities: wheat farming, mining, oil drilling • BRITISH COLUMBIA - Resources: forests, fish, minerals; Economic Activities: manufacture of forest products, fishing, mining, trade • CANADIAN NORTH - Resources: mineral, diamond, and fossil fuel deposits, freshwater; Economic Activities: mining, construction, military posts, tourism

500

Name two ways that Canada's relationship with the United States has led to economic, cultural, and social changes in that country.

ECONOMY - Economies closely tied together; many U.S. companies in Canada • POPULATION - U.S. population is much larger; most Canadians live near U.S. border • CULTURE - American mass media heard and seen in Canada nearly every day • CITIES - Canadian and U.S. cities linked; increases cultural exchange