Living In The US and Canada

1. Living In TheUS and Canada Unit 1 Chapter 7

2. Economic Activities • Both the US and Canada have freemarketeconomies, in which people can own, operate, and profit from their own businesses. • Once, both economies were agriculture but now are industrial and service economies

3. Agriculture • US has 1 billion acres of farm land and Canada has 167 million acres of farm land. • Only a small percentage work as farmers because it’s so expensive. • How do you make money farming, what do you have to have?

5. Key Agricultural Products • US and Canada produce mostly corn and wheat for crops. • Both have a large supply of ranches and dairies for beef, milk, and eggs. • Lots of fruits and vegetables.

7. Manufacturing • About 20% of Americans and Canadians work in manufacturing industries. • 75% of Americans and Canadians work in service industries. Ex. Government, Education • As the US economy shifted from manufacturing to services, many areas in the Northeast were left abandoned. • This led to the nickname “the Rust Belt”

8. Transportation & Communication • Due to the automobile, there has been investments in the building and maintenance of highways and bridges. • Planes and Railways transfer not only people but goods or freight from place to place. • Pipelines carry the regions gas and oil. • Cell Phones, Faxes, and electronic communication are the most common forms of communications in the 21st Century.

11. Trade Imports Exports The US provides more that 10% of the worlds exports. Foreign tariffs are taxes on our goods, raising the prices of our goods over seas. • American imports more than they export causing a trade deficit. • Canada suffers little trade deficit. NAFTA is the North American Free Trade Agreement – This removes all trade restriction among the US,Canada, and Mexico

13. War on Terrorism • After the terrorist acts on September 11, 2001, the US and other nations have carried out a war on terrorism. • Both SudamHussein and Osama Bin Laden have been eliminated since 9/11

15. Human Impact • Both Americans and Canadians have adversely affected their environment. • However, there are efforts to repair the damage throughout the region, but much work is still needed.

16. Pollution • Acid Rain – Chemical emissions from automobiles and plants react with the water vapor. • Acid rain corrodes buildings and effects the environment. • Smog is a combination of smoke and fog that creates a haze in the air. • Some US states require emissions testing for automobiles. • In addition, these countries are discovering new renewable energies.

18. Water Pollution • IndustrialWaste combines with acid rain to pollute water, killing fish and birds and making people sick. • Runoff from fertilizers and pesticides used on farms also pollutes water resources.

19. Back from the Brink • Water in the GreatLakes region became so polluted that the Cuyahoga River in Ohio actually caught fires several times in the 1970’s • Cleanup efforts are returning the lakes and rivers to their natural state.

20. Challenges for the Future • Global Warming poses major challenges to North America and the rest of the planet. • US and Canada will monitor the changes in temperature as well as the melting of the polar ice caps. • Could create major catastrophes such as major coastal flooding.