Impacts of Development on the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway: A Case Study in Alabama
U.S. and Canada Wealthy region: – Natural resources: Water – Mississippi – Great Lakes-St....
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Transcript of U.S. and Canada Wealthy region: – Natural resources: Water – Mississippi – Great Lakes-St....
U.S. and Canada• Wealthy region: – Natural resources:
• Water – Mississippi– Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway, Gulf Intracoastal Waterway, – Niagara Falls
• Fuel– Oil– Natural Gas
• Minerals– Gold– Copper– Iron
– Timber– Fishing• Gulf Coast• Grand Banks
• Urbanization– Urban sprawl: growth of suburb• Loss of farmland• Cheaper to develop than city properties• Long commutes, emphasis on security and exclusivity
• Megalopolis: cities over 10 million people
• Economic Activities– Primary: farming, agriculture– Secondary: manufacturing– Tertiary: service industry: banks, doctors, lawyers – Quaternary: research:
• What has happened over the past 100 yrs?
• Agriculture: – Only 1.7% of GDP– Mechanized agriculture
• Employ less than 2% of pop• Corporate farms:
– Environmental effects:» Genetic engineering
• Manufacturing:– Interstate Highway System
• 1950-1990– Less low-skill jobs, more high-tech jobs– Change in 1960s and 1980s
• Rust Belt– Retooling
– Employs less people, but still produce a lot of products
• Service Industry:– 75% of GDP– 70-80% of jobs– High pay to low pay– Often connected to international trade
• Research: – Knowledge economy– IT industry– Can be located anywhere: major universities and research
institutions– Use computers/internet to process and transport information
HDI: Where Does North America Stand?
• United States: Very High, #4• Canada: Very High, #6• Why???• Looks at a number of factors– Demographic indicators– Economic indicators– Social indicators– Political indicators
Demographic indicators
• Life expectancy• Birth rate• Death rate• Infant mortality rate
Economic Indicators
• GDP• GDP per capita• GNP• GNP per capita• employment rate• # of automobiles per
capita• # of computers per
capita
• # of telephones per capita
• # of televisions per capita
Social Indicators
• Literacy rates• % attending college• # of professionals• Housing
• Water supply• Sanitation• Access to basic services
Political Indicators
• Freedoms enjoyed• Type of governance• Voting rights • Level of human rights• impact of colonialism• Degree of government
oppression
• Level of tolerance for different points of view
Physical Indicators• climate• access to water
(landlocked)• natural disasters• availability of natural
resources