Canada

Capital : Ottawa
Government: Federal parliamentary democracy
and constitutional monarchy
- is a country occupying the northern portion of North America, and is the world's second
largest country in total area. Canada was founded as a union of British colonies, some of
which had earlier been French colonies.
Today, Canada is known as a parliamentary democracy and constitutional monarchy.
Canada defines itself as a bilingual and multicultural nation. Both English and French are
official languages of the country

Geography : Canada occupies the northern portion of North America. It shares land
borders with the contigous United States to the south and with Alaska to the northwest. It
shares territorial water boundaries with the United States, Greenland to the northeast, and
Saint-Pierre and Miquelon (an overseas community of France) to the southeast.
Canada is the world's second-largest country in total area, after Russia
The population density of 3-4 people per km2 is among the lowest in the world. The highest
density is in the southern part of Canada – on the borders with USA, because of climatic
conditions.
Climate is depending on the location.
The far North – polar climate with permanent snow and very low temperatures through the
year. (winter temperatures can reach -50 °C in the far North)
Mild Climate/temperate zone between 40° - 60°N
- Central parts + prairies = continental type with dry, warm summers and cold winters with
snow - Coastal areas = marine/oceanic type - climate with a mild and rainy winters
and sunny warm summers.

Vegetation depends on climatic conditions.

Tundra :

■ Most of the Tundra is permanently frozen ground called Permafrost

■ Treeless zone because of low summer temperatures (less than 11°C), and because of
short growing season (only 2 months on average)
■ Vegetation: small scrubs and short grasses, mosses, lichens, poppy
■ Animals: arctic fox, caribou, musk-ox, polar bear, seal and whales
Boreal taiga forest

■ Canada`s largest region; south from the Tundra

■ Very typical for north of the region are Evergreens (have needle -leave trees/conifers
and do not lose all their needles over the course of one year)
■ Vegetation: spruce, fir, pine, mosses, greases – sedge (ostrica) and vegetation in a fen
bog /marsh/ marshland
■ Animals: caribou, moose, grizzly bear, wolf, elk and wood buffalo (bison)

Grasslands

■ Prairies of southern Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba – they represent only 4-5%
from total area = arable soil – crops production
■ The climate is very dry, very few trees can grow in these conditions
■ Trees can occur only in the moist river valleys
■ Vegetation: grasses (sagebrush-palina), cactus, small trees or scattered trees
■ Animals: elk, prairie dogs, coyotes, snakes, rodent

Canada is composed of ten provinces and three territories. The provinces have a
large degree of autonomy from the federal government, the territories somewhat less. Each
has its own provincial or territorial symbols.

All provinces have unicameral, elected legislatures headed by a Premier selected in the same
way as the Prime Minister of Canada. Each province also has a Governor representing the
Queen

About three-quarters of Canada's population live within 150 km of the U.S. border.

“golden horse shoe”= most industrial area, consist of Toronto-Hamilton and Oshawa +
Montréal, and Ottawa metropolitan areas

The most frequently stated white European ancestries are English (20%), French (15.7%),
Scottish (14%), Irish (12.9%), German (9.2%) and Italian (4.3%).
immigration to Canada has fluctuated somewhat but become more heterogeneous in
makeup. Asian Canadian, is the most significant minority (9% of the population). The largest
immigrant groups are Chinese (1 million members) and South Asian (0.9 million members).
mixed race, Black Canadian etc. make up the remaining 4,1%.
67% of Canadians identified as being Christians; of this, Catholics make up the largest group
43% of Canadians. About 23.9% of Canadians declared no religious affiliation, and the
remaining 12% were affiliated with religions other than Christianity such as Sikhism,
Hinduism and Judaism.

The official language of Quebec is French. Quebec provides most government services in
both French and English. French is mostly spoken in Quebec with pockets in New Brunswick,
eastern and northern Ontario, Saskatchewan, and southern Manitoba. three groups of
aboriginal peoples in Canada: the "Indians" (their legal designation, but now usually called
First Nations or Native Americans), Inuit and Métis (3,3% of Canada's population)

Alberta's Tar Sands (oil sands)* the third largest reserves of oil in the world. Atabasca oil
sands = large deposits of bitumen/heavy crude oil, they consist of a mixture of crude
bitumen (a semi-solid rock – a form a crude oil), silica sand, clay minerals and water.
Canada's mineral resources are diverse and extensive. Across the Canadian Shield and in the
north there are large iron ore/stone, nickel, zinc, copper, gold ore, lead, molybdenum, and
uranium reserves
Canada's many rivers have afforded extensive development of hydroelectric power.
Extensively developed in British Columbia, Ontario, Quebec and Labrador
An affluent, high-tech industrial society, Canada today closely resembles the U.S. in
its market-oriented economic system, pattern of production, and high living standards. In
the last century, the impressive growth of the manufacturing, mining, and service sectors
has transformed the nation from a largely rural economy into one primarily industrial and
urban.

Canada has vast deposits of natural gas on the east coast. Is a member of North American
Free Trade Agreement – NAFTA (which included Mexico) until 1994

Fisheries*, Forestry/ Woody industry, Processing industries- Food industry (maple syrup),
Petroleum industry, Engineering, Ferrous and Non-ferrous Metallurgy and Mining.

The most populous and the most industrial region of Canada is “Golden Horseshoe
region”, situated on the west bank of the lake Ontario (Hamilton, Toronto + Ottawa).

Forestry has long been a major industry in Canada. The provinces with the largest forestry
industries are British Columbia, Ontario and Quebec. 54% of Canada's land area is covered in
forest.
 Only 5% of Canada's land area is arable. Agricultural regions in Canada include the
Canadian prairies, the Lower Mainland and interior plateau of British Columbia, the St.
Lawrence Basin and the Canadian Maritimes. Main crops in Canada include flax, oats, wheat,
maize, barley, sugar beets and rye in the prairies in Saskatchewan and Manitoba. Fruit and
vegetables are grown primarily in the Annapolis Valley of Nova Scotia, Southwestern
Ontario, the Golden Horseshoe region of Ontario, along the south coast of Georgian Bay and
in the Okanagan Valley of British Columbia (vineyards – vine, fruit groves - apples).
Cattle, sheep and hogs are raised in the valleys of BC,in Quebec and Maritimes,also on the
prairies, in Western Ontario, Quebec.

Central USA
North Dakota
 Due to the sub-humid continental climate, North Dakota is perfect for the production of
livestock and small grains

 90% of the state’s land is used for agriculture (which is about 40 million acres) and it is a vital
economic force in ND, as 24% of its population is employed in this sector

 ND is the number 1 producer of honey, spring wheat, and canola in the nation

South Dakota
 its economy is based on agriculture as its leading industry with a $21 billion annual impact

 The land is comprised of a great variety of soils (over 650 types) making it the ideal location
for farming and harvesting

 Overall the Mount Rushmore state has over 31,000 farms and 44 million acres of farmland

 Mount Rushmore National Memorial The sculpture features the 18 m heads of Presidents :
George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln

Most notable crops and livestock: Wheat, corn (grown primarily east of the Missouri river),
soybeans, sunflowers, turkeys, and poultry in general

Minesota
 Minnesota is a state known for its natural and cultural beauty, neighbouring with Canada and
Lake Superior, a Land of 10,000 lakes

 Its major industries include agriculture, manufacturing (food products, machinery, computer
and electronic products), mining (iron ore), bioscience and fishing

 main industrial city – Minneapolis

 over 74,000 farms spread across it and the agricultural industry provides over 340,000 jobs
  Most notable crops and livestock: Corn (ranks 4th in the nation), soybeans (3rd in the nation),
sweet corn, green peas, wild rice (2 nd in the nation), Hogs (Minnesota’s top-producing
livestock commodity), Minnesota is a leading milk-producing state; most of it is converted
into butter or various cheeses.

Nebraska
 Agriculture, manufacturing (food processing, production of chemicals, machinery), and
mining (petroleum, sand, clays, limestone) all belong to Nebraska’s leading industries

 Once again, agriculture significantly contributes to the state’s economy with

 Nebraska ranked 4th in the nation for commercial red meat production, and 3 rd among the
states in total livestock receipts

Most notable crops and livestock: Corn, soybeans, wheat, Beef cattle, hogs, Livestock products make
up 2/3 of Nebraska’s farm income.

Iowa
 Iowa is a state that’s mainly made up of farmland and is known for its many cornfields and
plains, with 92% of its overall land devoted to agriculture
 leading industries are also mining (mainly limestone, but also clays, gypsum, sand) and
manufacturing (food processing, machinery and electrical equipment production)
 nation’s leader in the renewable energy industry (wind energy and renewable fuels)
 The US’s largest popcorn-processing plant is located in Iowa

Most notable crops and livestock: Corn, soybeans, wheat, apples, vegetables, Hogs, dairy cattle,
poultry (mainly chickens and eggs)

Kansas
 Also called the “sunflower state,”

 Kansas has a strong agricultural tradition

 manufacturing industry, including the production of chemicals, fibres, construction materials,

fuels

 The development of bio-based and bio-energy resulted in the reduction of Iowa’s

dependence on petroleum and other imported materials

Most notable crops and livestock: Wheat, sunflowers, Beef (one of the top producers of processed
beef)
Missouri
 With eight different bordering states, Missouri is the state with the highest number of
neighbouring states, along with Tennessee

 It has a highly diversified economy, which includes service industries, tourism, a travel sector,
a wine industry, manufacturing and agriculture
 It’s a leading producer of transport equipment aerospace technology, beer and other
beverages
 Mining industry: lead (90% of the nation’s non-recycled lead), the Vibranium Trend of the
New Lead Belt)
 Agricultural industry: corn, soybeans, rice, cattle, hogs,
 Manufacturing employment is concentrated mainly in metropolitan areas such as St. Louis,
Kansas City, Springfield

Oklahoma
 Oklahoma’s economy is not as balanced as in the other states, they have been making efforts
to attract new forms of industry

 Its industries are mainly made up of furnishing foods, raw materials, fuels, manufacturing,
whole-sail and retail trade, construction, public utilities, and mining

 Mining and mineral production: Oklahoma ranks high in this area, as it includes petroleum,
natural gases
 Agriculture: livestock ranks first, followed by wheat, dairy products, cotton, soybeans
 Oklahoma relies heavily on tourism: Cherokee heritage, the Sandstone Hills, Red River Plains

Texas
 Its industries including: all manufacturing, mining, banking, construction…

 the economy still heavily depends on oil (in which Texas leads all the other states), cotton,
and cattle production

 The state’s petrochemical industrial complexes are centred in the costal areas of Gulf of
Mexico

 Agriculture: cotton (in which Texas is the leading nation), fruit and vegetable production
(along the Rio Grande valley), rice cultivation (in the coastal lands)

 Forestry, lumber and paper production

 Huston –the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Centre (an installation of NASA).

 Dallas (petroleum industry)

 Austin - „The city of the violet crown“, also „Silicon Hills“ , Companies based in Austin :
Amazon, Apple, Google, IBM, Intel....
  San Antonio - Lackland Air Force Base = the greatest United States Air Force base

 San Antonio - fort Alamo and San Antonio National Historical Park

West Coast states of the US

Alaska
 Northern and western most state in the USA.
 The capital city of Alaska is Juneau, which lies in the southeast in the panhandle region.
 The name Alaska comes from alaxsix, meaning „mainland“ or „great land“.
 Alaska does not only have its´mainland peninsula, but contains 38,800 square km of fjords and
inlets and 54,400km of indented tidal coastline.
 The highest peak of Alaska is known as Mount McKinley which is 6,190km high.
 Mostly 1/3 of Alaska lies within the Arctic Circle, where 4/5 of Alaska is underlain by permafrost.

Geography
 Alaska has more than 130 active volcanoes
 The Arctic coastal plain north of the Brooks Range, often referred to as the North Slope,
has a truly polar environment, with the sea waters along the coast frozen eight months
of the year and the ground permanently frozen except for a thin zone of summer
melting. It is treeless and, in summer, grasses and Arctic alpine flowers abound.
 National Petroleum Reserve–Alaska, The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge lies to the east
of the Colville. Prudhoe Bay, located between those reserves, is a center of oil-drilling
activities in the region.

 Alaska is known for its variable climate, which is influenced by ocean currents. The
western coasts are bathed by the Alaska Current, which carries relatively warm Pacific
waters northward and westward along the southern Aleutian Islands. Those warm
oceanic waters enter the Bering Sea and then flow eastward along the northern coast of
the Aleutians. The mixing of the warm waters with the Bering Sea’s cold waters
contributes to an atmospheric low-pressure center known as the Aleutian low.

Places for visiting

 Denali National Park- most popular place, surounded by McKinley
 Kenai Fjords National Park
 Glacier Bay National Park

Industry
 The oil and gas industry is the largest component of Alaska’s economy. Nearly 85 % of the
state budget is supplied by oil revenues
 Tourism is also a major sector of Alaska’s economy attracting over 1.1 million visitors
annually.
 The rich fishing waters off Alaska’s coast make it one of the world’s finest sources for wild
seafood. Each year nearly 6 billion pounds of seafood are harvested.
 largest silver and zinc mines, gold
Washington
 Washington contains the Seattle Metropolitan, the centre of transportation, business as
well as the industry.

 Washington is one of the wealthiest and most socially liberal states in the country. The

state consistently ranks among the best for life expectancy and low unemployment.

Geography
 The Cascade Range
 Mount Rainier
 Mount Rainier, an active stratovolcano, is the state´s highest elevation

Wildlife
 Due to the wide range of geography, the State of Washington is home to several
different ecoregions, which allow for a varied range of bird species. This range includes
raptors, shorebirds, woodland birds, grassland birds, ducks, and others.
 National Park Service units such as: , Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area, San Juan
Islands National Wildlife Refuge

Places for visiting

 Seattle Centre

 Olympic National Park- It overflows with incomparable scenery. The park covers most of the
Olympic Peninsula.

 San Juan Islands

 Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument

Industry
 Aerospace & Commercial Space

 Boeing (small city near Seatle - Everet), Airbus components, Embraer and Bombardier.
STARBUKS and Microsoft corporation are based in Seatle

 Agriculture and food manufacturing

 Manufacturing industries
 Washington has more than a thousand dams, built for a variety of purposes including
irrigation, power, flood control, and water storage
Oregon
 The capital city is Salem

 Home to many indigenous nations for thousands of years

Geography
 Most geographically diverse state.
 Marked by volcanoes, abundant bodies of water, dense evergreen and mixed forests, as
well as high deserts and semi- arid shrublands.

 Oregon's only national park, Crater Lake National Park, comprises

the caldera surrounding Crater Lake, the deepest lake in the United States. 

 Oregon claims the D river as the shortest river in the world.

 Oregon lies in two time zones. Most of Malheur County is in the Mountain Time Zone,
while the rest of the state lies in the Pacific Time Zone.

Places for visiting

 Columbia River George- vast U -shaped corridor known as the Columbia River Gorge
 Astoria- Situated at the mouth of the Columbia River, the city’s backdrop is the scenic
Astoria-Megler Bridge, the country’s longest continuous truss bridge.
 Cannon Beach- One of the most popular seaside resorts

Industry
 Hydroelectric power, food, and lumber provided by Oregon helped fuel the development of
the West

 Oregon is also one of four major world hazelnut growing regions, and produces 95% of the
domestic hazelnuts in the United States.

 Timber producer

 Dales = Google complex, NIKE is based in Campus

California
 Sacramento is the state´s capital city, with Los Angeles being the most populous city in
the state
 California is considered to be a worldwide trendsetter in popular culture, as well as
entertainment sports, inovation etc.
 Home of Hollywood and the oldest and largest film industry.
 The Central Valley, a major agricultural area, dominates the state's center.

Geography
 Although California is well-known for its warm Mediterranean
climate and humid seasonal weather, the large size of the state results in climates that
 vary from moist temperate rainforest in the north to arid desert in the interior, as well as
snowy alpine in the mountains.

 California is the largest consumer of water on the entire continent of North America

 The Sacramento Valley serves as the watershed of the Sacramento River

 45% of the state´s total surface is covered by forests.

 As part of the Ring of Fire, California is subject to tsunamis, floods, droughts, Santa Ana

winds, wildfires, landslides on steep terrain, and has several volcanoes. It has
many earthquakes due to several faults running through the state, the largest being
the San Andreas Fault.

Industry
 The five largest sectors of employment in California are trade, transportation, and
utilities; government; professional and business services; education and health services;
and leisure and hospitality.
 Silicon valey = San Jose, Sacramento, San Francisco – high technology industry (Google,
Microsoft, Apple....)
 Agriculture is an important sector in California's economy. The three largest California
agricultural products

Hawaii
 Located in the Pacific Ocean, only state outside North America, only island state and only
state in the tropics.
 Capital city is Honolulu
 Hawaii is composed of 137 volcanic islands- that are physiographically and ethnologically
part of the Polynesian subregion of Oceania.

Geography
 The Hawaiian islands were formed by volcanic activity initiated at an
undersea magma source called the Hawaiʻi hotspot. The process is continuing to build
islands; the tectonic plate beneath much of the Pacific Ocean continually moves
northwest and the hot spot remains stationary, slowly creating new volcanoes.
 Mauna Loa, Mauna Kea , Kilauea – the most active volcano on the Earth
 Due to the hotspot's location, all currently active land volcanoes are located on the
southern half of Hawaiʻi Island.

 Hawaiʻi's climate is typical for the tropics, although temperatures and humidity tend to
be less extreme because of near-constant trade winds from the east.

Places for visiting

 Waikiki Beach and Diamond Head State Monument
 Pearl Harbor and USS Arizona Memorial
  Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve
 Volcanoes National Park

Industry
 Agriculture is a major component of the local economy
 Tourism is Hawaii’s largest industry
 Ocean surface transportation is Hawaii’s lifeline, and Honolulu Harbor, with its extensive
docks, warehouses, and storage sheds, is the center of Hawaiian shipping

East Coast region

What is the US East Coast region?

The US East Coast region, is the coastline along which the Eastern United States meets the North
Atlantic Ocean.

- Climate is affected by their geographical location.

- By area, the largest state on the East Coast is Florida, Rhode Island is the smallest

- By density, Florida is the most populous and Delaware the least

What percentage of the US population lives on the east coast?

More than 1/3 of the population of the United States lives in one of the East Coast states. The East
Coast is also the wealthiest region in the United States. including the wealthiest state, Maryland.

Maine
 its capital is Augusta

Vermont
 The capital is Montpelier and Bennington is the most popular city
 is also known for its forested natural beauty, Green Mountains, scenic hiking trails and skiing
complexes
 A majority of its terrain is forested with hardwoods and conifers, and its open land is used for
agricultural production.
 - A majority of its terrain is forested with hardwoods and conifers, and its open land is used
for agricultural production.
  Vermont has no fossil-fuel reserves, so it is one of two states in the US without coal-
generated electricity.
Instead, the state primarily uses nuclear power, which produces 70% of state's electricity.

New Hampshire
What is New Hampshire most known for?

 It's commonly known as the Granite State for its extensive granite formations and quarries,
but also has three other nicknames: Mother of River, the White Mountain State and
Switzerland of America.
 The capital is Concord – In the 19. century, the city was well known for air carrige making and
the „concord coaches“ become wolrd famous.

Massachusetts
 The capital of Massachusetts is Boston, which is also the most populous city
 Modern Massachusetts is a global leader in biotechnology, engineering, higher education,
finance, and maritime trade
 The state Massachusetts is also known as a residence of the most prestigeous university
worldwide - Harvard. Harvard University was the first institution of higher education
established in the new world

Maryland
 Baltimore is the largest city in the state and the capital is Annapolis
 Colonial Maryland's economy was marked by heavy reliance on the tobaco crop
 - Recent Maryland's economy benefits from the state's proximity to the federal government
in Washington, D.C. with an emphasis on technical and administrative tasks for the
defense/aerospace industry and bio-research laboratories.
 Typical forms of manufacturing include electronics, computer equipment, and chemicals.
 Maryland has a large food-production sector
 The largest catches by species are the blue crab, oysters

Virginia
 The capital city is Richmond
 Agriculture occupied 28% of the land in Virginia. soybeans instead of cotton. Virginia is still
the third-largest producer of tobacco in the United States.
 Washington, D.C.= It is home to the Capital of the United States, where the White House is
located. Washington, D.C.is in neider Virginia nor Maryland, it is the district of Colombia. The
 state Maryland borders the distict to the north, east and west, and the state Virginia borders
the district on the souther shor of the Potamac River.

Connecticut
 The state capital and fourth largest city is Hartford
 The highest peak in Connecticut is Bear Mountain in Salisbury in the northwest corner of the
state

Rhode Island
 Providence is the state capital and most populous city in Rhode Island

New York
 The capital city is Albany, while the New York City is the largest one (the most populous)
- Population (2020) - over 20mil.
 The southern part of the state is in the Atlantic coastal plain and includes Long Island and
New York City and the lower Hudson River
Valley
 Western New York is considered part of the Great Lakes region and borders on Lake Ontario,
Lake Erie, and Niagara Falls
 The central part of the state is dominated by the Finger Lakes, a popular vacation and tourist
destination.
 - Major Industries are financial services, agriculture, health care, professional and technical
services, manufacturing, educational services
 largest producer of cabbage in the U.S.
 New York City is a megalopolis located in the state New York as well as the most populous
city in the United States
 New York City is composed of five boroughs- Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan, the Bronx and
Staten Island
 Statue of Liberty, Times Square, 9/11 memorial, 5th Avenue, Wall Street or Central Park,
usually located in the center of tourism- Manhattan

Pennsylvania
 The largest city Philadelphia
 Now an agriculture plays major role in its economy
 Very effective is mushroom and apple production, Christmas trees production
New Jersey
 Northeastern New Jersey lies closest to Manhattan in New York City, and up to a million
residents commute daily into the city for work
 New Jersey's economy is multifaceted, but is centered on the pharmaceutical industry,
biotechnology, financial industry, food processing
 New Jersey's agricultural outputs

Georgia
 The state´s capital city and also the largest by area and population is Atlanta
 Widespread farms produce peanuts, the number one producer of pecans, the top five
blueberry producers in the
United States.
 textile industry

Florida
 Florida beaches are also favorite tourist destinations
 Cape Canaveral - is part of a region known as the Space Coast, the site of the Cape Canaveral
Space Force Station, oranges and other citrus fruits are Florida's most important agricultural
product
 Florida's economy relies mostly on tourism, than agriculture, international trade,
aerospace and

Ohio
 Cleveland is a major city in Ohio
 Cleveland is now the poorest among large U.S. cities. It has the highest poverty rate, people
living in bad conditions
 big community of Slovaks living in Cleveland

Alabama
 The state has invested in aerospace, education, health care, banking, and various heavy
industries, including automobile industry, mineral extraction, steel production and
fabrication.

Mississippi
 The northwest remainder of the state consists of the Mississippi Delta, a section of the
Mississippi Alluvial Plain.
 it has some major automobile factories, such as the Toyota Mississippi Plant in Blue Springs
and a Nissan Automotive plant in Canton