WORLD GEOGRAPHY
UNIT 4 VOCABULARY
USA & CANADA
America & Canada make up most of North America
ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS OF THE REGION:
The part of the region that is experiencing increased
environmental problems as a result of NAFTA is _____. the Rio
Grande
The solutions that the United States and Canada implemented
to deal with air pollution are: _____, _____, and _____.
emissions laws, alternatives to automobile transportation, and
making cleaner cars
The factors that contribute to water pollution in the region are:
_____, _____, _____, and _____. sewage, industrial and
agricultural wastes, acid rain, and car emissions
Acid rain: precipitation that carries high amounts of acids
Clear-cutting: taking out whole forest when harvesting timber
In 1970, a bunch of strict pollution laws were enacted in America
THE ECONOMICS ($-making) OF THE REGION:
Trade surplus: earning money through export sales
The type of economic system that the United States and Canada has is a
_____. market economy
The economic activity that employs most people in both the United States
and Canada is _____. service industry
Trade deficit: loss of income through trade
Tariff: a tax on imported trade goods
_____ supply great quantities of fish and other sea animals to North
America. Fisheries
Market economy: an economic system in which people can own and
profit from their own businesses
Socioeconomic status: level of income and education
The hotel business is a perfect example of a service industry
SOME CULTURAL ASPECTS OF THE REGION:
Patriotism: loyalty to one's country
Literacy rate: percentage of people who can read and
write
Immigration: the movement of people into one country
from another
The most widely practiced religion in Canada is _____.
Christian-Catholic
The most widely practiced religion in the United States is
_____. Christian-Protestant
The literature of the United States began to change in the
late 1800's because many writers began to write about
_____. different regions of the country
SOME GEOGRAPHIC ASPECTS OF THE REGION:
Farmers on the wide grasslands, or _____ of the Great Plains broke up sod to grow crops.
prairies
Many North American rivers have their _____, or source, in the Rocky Mountains, where a
_____ determines the direction of the rivers' flow. headwaters; divide
Important cities grew up along the _____, where the Piedmont drops to the Atlantic Coastal
Plain. fall line
A _____ of the Mississippi River may be a stream or small river. tributary
The Pacific Ranges were formed by the: _____. collisions between the Pacific and the North
American tectonic plates many years ago
The effect that the Continental Divide has on the direction that rivers flow is: _____. that the
waters east of the Continental Divide flow into the Mississippi River system and then into the
Gulf of Mexico; the waters west of the Continental Divide flow into the Pacific Ocean
The kind of climate that is common in most of the United States and southern Canada is: _____
varied due to elevation
Two types of vegetation in this region are: _____ and _____. mixed forest and grasslands
No … not this kind of FALL LINE (ours has to do
w/the fall season of the year & a dividing line)
GOVERNMENTAL & HISTORICAL ASPECTS OF THE REGION:
Most settlers in the United States and Canada came from
_____. Europe
The Underground Railroad helped enslaved African Americans
escape to freedom by _____. building safe houses and a
route/map
Most of Canada's population concentrated near _____. the
United States' border
Dominion: partially self-governing country with close British
ties
Republic: a government in which people elect their own
officials
CLIMATE ASPECTS OF THE REGION:
The warm, dry wind or _____, melts snow at
the base of the Rockies. chinook
Lichens and mosses grow above the _____.
timberline
Spring and summer tornadoes are spawned by
a violent thunderstorm called a _____. super
cell
Dry farming: cultivating land so that it catches
and holds rainwater
No … not this kind of CHINOOK (ours is wind)
Misc. (extra) TERMS TO KNOW:
Metropolitan area: a central city and outlying communities
Megalopolis: a chain of closely linked urban areas and
suburbs
Bilingual: ability to use two languages
Technological innovations that led to the expansion and
development of the United States are:_____, _____,
_____,and _____. the transcontinental railroad, dry
farming, mass production, and transportation by car
Post-industrial: reduced emphasis on heavy industry
Retooling: converting old factories to new uses
Aerial view of Metropolitan Area