US and Canada

1. US and Canada Contemporary Issues

2. One Superpower • Since the fall of the USSR, the US has been the only superpower in the world • Used diplomatic and military power to keep peace and further US interests

3. US Government • Representative Democracy (Republic) • People rule through elected representatives • Three Branches • Executive • The President • Approves or vetoes laws • Legislative • Make the laws • Congress • House of Representatives: Based on population • Senate: 2 per state • Judicial • Supreme Court • 9 Justices: one Chief Justice and 8 Associate Justices • Review laws to make sure they are okey-dokey

5. Supreme Court Justices

6. Canada’s Government • Independence from GB in 1931 • Symbolic head is the Queen of England • Parliamentary Government • Legislative and executive combined in a Parliament • Majority leader: Prime Minister (currently Stephen Harper) Stephen Harper’s Awkward Family photo

7. US Economy • World’s Largest national economy (it is 2nd if the EU is counted as one economy) • The U.S. is one of the world's wealthiest nations, with abundant natural resources, a well-developed infrastructure, and high productivity. • It has the world's sixth-highest per capita GDP • The U.S. is the world's third-largest producer of oil • It is the second-largest trading nation in the world behind China • Its five largest trading partners are : European Union, Canada, China, Mexico and Japan.

8. Composition of the Economy • most of the U.S. economy is composed of services • the United States is the world's largest manufacturer, 18% of world’s manufacturing • output is greater than of Germany, France, India, and Brazil combined • Main industries: • petroleum, steel, automobiles, construction machinery, aerospace, agricultural machinery, telecommunications, chemicals, electronics, food processing, consumer goods, lumber, and mining. • The US leads the world in airplane manufacturing • Agriculture: • less than 2% of economy BUT almost ½ of world’s grain produced • Of the world's 500 largest companies, 132 are headquartered in the United States. This is twice the total of any other country

9. Canadian Economy • 11th largest economy • 75% in service industry • Service industry tends to dominate post-industrial economies • Logging and oil very important • NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement) • Jan. 1, 1994 • Eliminated trade barriers and tariffs between Mexico, US and Canada by 2008 • NAFTA created the world's largest free trade area, which now links 450 million people producing $17 trillion worth of goods and services • One goal to boost Mexico’s economy creating better markets for the US and reduce immigration from Mexico

10. Regions of North America

11. Northeast • 5% of land; 20% of population • New England: ME, VT, MA, NH, CT, RI • Mid Atlantic: PA, NY, NJ • Characteristics: • First area settled by Europeans • “gateway” of immigration • Fishing • Heavily industrial and urbanized • Megalopolis: “BosWash” • “Rust Belt "declining traditional industries • Atlantic seaboard cities (Boston, NYC, Philly) are international trade centers

12. Megalopolis • BosWash or the Northeast Megalopolis • especially Washington, D.C., Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York City, and Boston—are, tied to each other through the intermeshing of their suburban zone • Currently about 50 million people

14. Midwest • 12 States: ND, SD, NE, KS, MN, IA, MO,IL, IN, OH, MI, WI • “heartland”, ⅕ of land, ¼ of population • Economy split between agriculture and industry • “Breadbasket” more food produced than any other comparable area in world • Corn, wheat, soybeans, dairy • Excellent waterways: great lakes, Ohio and Mississippi

15. The South • 16 States: TX, LO, OK, KS, MS, AL, GA, SC, NC, VA, TN, KY, WV, MO, AR, FL • ¼ of land of the US • Mix of cultures: • Early European settlement • Descendants of enslaved persons • Cajuns (French Canadian) and Creoles (Fr, Sp, and Af.) • “Sunbelt” because of climate • “Bible Belt” because of conservative views • lower percentages of high school graduates, lower housing values, lower household incomes, and lower cost of living than the rest of the United States (summed up as: boo, yay!, boo, yay!) • Humid subtropical climate was a hindrance to industrialization until AC invented You are here!

16. The West • 13 states • California most populous state • West is most rapidly growing region • western U.S. is the largest region, more than half the land of the US • Most geographically diverse: • Pacific Coast • temperate rainforests • the Rocky Mountains • the Great Plains and prairie • all of the desert areas located in the United States (the Mojave, Sonoran, Great Basin, and Chihuahua deserts) • “Old West” major part of American folklore

17. Regions of Canada

18. General Canada Stats • 75% of Canada's population resides within 100 miles of the U.S. border. • 90% of all Canadians live within 200 miles of the boundary.

19. Atlantic Provinces • Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland • 8% of population (2.3 million) • Rugged terrain, severe weather • Logging, fishing, mining

20. Core provinces • Population: • Canada’s heartland, 62% of population (18.6 million) • Canada's core region lies entirely within the provinces of Quebec and Ontario. • The core is the historical hearth and has the overwhelming share of the country's population & economic activity. • Advantages of the Core Region • Accessibility resources to link it to major U.S. markets, where 88% of Canada's exports are destined • Open to U.S. immigration and investment • Close to power resources (hydroelectric and fossil fuels) • Most settlement along Great Lakes and St. Lawrence • Economic Activity: Farming (1/3 of Canada's total), manufacturing, and hydroelectricity

21. Core Provinces • Ontario • Ottawa: National capital • Toronto: Provincial Capital • Population mostly of English descent • Quebec (French Canada) • French official language • 1960s some terrorist and propaganda movement against English institutions • 1977 PartiQuébécois held power in Quebec • They had run an unsuccessful campaign to become independent in the early 70s • 1995, with the Parti Québécois back a second referendum on sovereignty took place • rejected by a slim majority (50.6 percent NO to 49.4 percent YES) • A poll in Jan of 2012 said that 43% of Quebeckers supported separation

22. Prairie and Pacific Provinces • Prairie Provinces • Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta • 5 million • Economy: farming, mining, oil • Part of the Great Plains, 50% of agriculture in Canada • Diverse population: Eastern and Western Europeans, French-Canadians, Asians, Indian, etc… • Pacific Province • British Columbia (only one province in this region) • 4 million • Part of Rocky Mountains • Population centered around southwest: Vancouver (Canada’s largest port) and Victoria

23. The Territories • Yukon, Northwest, and Nunavut • 41% of land of Canada • Not enough population to be provinces; 100,000 • Nunavut added in 1999 because of large percentage of Inuit • Nunavut means “our land” in Inuit Tundra in Nunavut

24. Dailies: People to Know • Who is the new pope? • Who is John Kerry? • Who is John Roberts? • Who is Stephen Harper? • Who is Chuck Hagel?

25. Dailies: • What is a Megalopolis? • What Cities make up the Northeast megalopolis? • What are two nicknames of the Midwest? • What are two nicknames of the south? • What was the goal of NAFTA in Mexico?