GEOG 101 AMU Introduction to Geography American Military University Week 3 assistance is available at Domyclass
WEEK 3: North, Middle and South America
Lesson Overview
This week we will cover all the Americas from north to south. Exploring the physical makeup of this vast area and the complex diversity of cultures that migration, invasion, and colonization have built. Concepts of urban realms, land-tenure traditions, and megacity are addressed. Emphasis is placed on rapid urban growth, concentration of population, and limitations imposed by physical geography.
Students will be able to:
- Recognize the major geographic qualities of North, Middle, and South America. (CO-2, CO-3)
- Identify the major climate types associated with each American realm. (CO-3)
- Explain the makeup of the realms by means of their individual regions. (CO-1, CO-6, CO-7)
- Describe the migration process along with push and pull factors. (CO-7)
- Contrast the tourist industry to other economic activities in Middle and South America. (CO-4, CO-7)
- Relate the broad economic prospects of the three American Realms. (CO-6, CO-7, CO-8
In this lesson, we will discuss:
- Metropolitan Evolution
- Canada and the United States
- North, Middle, and South America
The following activities and assessments need to be completed this week:
- Reading:
- World Regional Geography: People, Places, Globalization – Chapters 4, 5 and 6
- Forum #3
- Quiz 3
- Assignment 1: Annotated Bibliography
In this lesson, we will study the North American realm’s continuing transformation to a post-industrial society and economy. The emergence of two large countries, the United States and Canada, have provided a pair of major political and institutional territorial structures within which regional differences have been accommodated.
Topics covered will include:
- The North American Realm
- Canada
- The United States
- North American Regions
- Mexico
- Central America
- The Caribbean
- The South American Realm
- South American Regions
Introduction
The Western Hemisphere is composed of two massive, interconnected continents, North America and South America. These large landmasses separate the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, which lie to either side of them, and from north to south extend, very nearly, from one pole to the other. Numerous islands large and small flank the geographically diverse continents, which are indented by many gulfs and bays of historical and economic importance. Of even greater importance is the enormous range of natural resources that the nations within are endowed with.
While two continents form the Americas, three geographic realms blanket them—North America, Middle America, and South America. In the context of physical (natural) geography, the North American continent extends from Canada’s Ellesmere Island in the far north to Panama in the south.
The North American Realm
In terms of modern human geography, the northern continent is divided into North American and Middle American realms. A transition zone marked by a political as well as physical boundary between the United States and Mexico separates these realms. From the Gulf of Mexico to the cities of El Paso in the United States and Ciudad Juarez in Mexico, the Rio Grande forms this border. From El Paso westward to the Pacific Ocean, straight-line boundaries, reinforced by fences and walls, separate the North from the Middle. Here, global core and global periphery meet, sometimes contentiously.
In this lesson, we will study the North American realm’s continuing transformation to a post-industrial society and economy. The emergence of two large countries, the United States and Canada, have provided a pair of major political and institutional territorial structures within which regional differences have been accommodated.
The United States and Canada
Two of the world’s biggest states in physical area form North America; Canada is the second largest in size, while the United States is third. These two states have much in common: they are both federal states (though their systems of government differ); they are both pluralistic societies; and they are both, by world standards, very wealthy nations.
North America’s population, not large by international standards, is one of the world’s most highly urbanized and mobile. Successive waves of immigrants brought with them a variety of cultures; sometimes the differences were subtle, but sometimes they were quite stark. Largely propelled by a continuing wave of immigration, the realm’s population total is expected to grow by more than 40 percent over the next half-century. While North America possesses a highly diversified resource base, nonrenewable fuel and mineral deposits are consumed prodigiously.
Geology, climate, culture, and history have combined to create an interesting matrix of regions in North America. Mountain ranges, coastal zones, deserts, low-lying plains, and a range of climatic environments all demand different kinds of human adaptation. A majority of North America’s regions traverse both countries regardless of the international boundary. But some other regional developments are best understood within the national context of each country. As much as Canada and the United States have in common, their differences are great enough to necessitate a separate focus on each country.