The Geography of North America - Essay Example

North America Physical Geography North America is made up of two countries: the United s, which has 50 s and the District of Columbia; and Canada. The United States has a land area of 9,809,460 square kilometers, while Canada has 9,976,140 square kilometers (North America). Regarding the climate, North America has a very diversified climate. In Northern Canada and Alaska, there is an Arctic climate with relatively short summers. In the Gulf Coast, the conditions are termed as subtropical humid.

There is a midlatitude temperate climate in the west coast, east coast and the greater part of Canada. There is also a Mediterranean climate in the South West, and a dry continental interior in the Great Plains (North America). As to the vegetation type in North America, it is also varied and the types that exist in it include grasslands, drought-resistant vegetation, coniferous forests, deciduous broadleaf forest, and tundra. Among the land forms in North America, there are mountain ranges, plains, and volcanoes.

Lastly, among the natural calamities, there are tornadoes, floods, hurricanes, earthquakes, and ice storms (North America). Cultural GeographyWhen it comes to language, the two most common spoken languages in North America include English and Spanish. English is predominantly spoken in the United States, Bermuda, Canada and the Cayman Islands. On the other hand, Spanish is being spoken in the rest of the countries, while a part of Canada would speak French (“Facts about North America”).North American culture is all about individualism, which is common among Americans.

This is the practice of keeping personal distance with another person. This must have developed because of the fact that families are spread out across the country and the continent. Moreover, Thanksgiving Day is a time that families gather and restore their bond with each other. North American culture is also all about equality and exchanging of gifts (“North American Culture”).Economic GeographyThe wealthiest countries in North America are Canada and the United States (“Facts about North America”).

Moreover, there are a total of 393 high-tech regions in this continent and there are 19 specific high-tech industries that exist here. The largest and most influential high tech center in the world, Silicon Valley, is the leader of the metropolitan regions of the continent (DeVol et al.). Population GeographyCurrently, the United Stateshas a population of 316.1 million and Canada with 35.2 million. North America has 11 megaregions in the United States alone and these regions are where the growth of population is maximum.

Moreover, there is an expected growth of 10.9 billion people in North America by 2100 and around 685 million by 2050 (“North America Population”)Contemporary Issues Some social issues that confront North America nowadays include drug trafficking and use, homelessness, racism and prejudice, illegal immigration, violence, poverty and welfare, child abuse, and freedom of speech. There are also problems concerning political parties as well as issues with Native American Indians (“Social, Political and Economic Issues in America”).

Bottom of FormWorks CitedDeVol, Ross, Kevin Klowden, Armen Bedroussian & Benjamin Yeo. “North America’s High-Tech Economy: The Geography of Knowledge-Based Industries." Milken Institute. 1 Jun. 2009. Web. 13 Nov. 2014. “Facts about North America." Maps of World. 2014. Web. 15 Nov. 2014. “North America Population.” World Population Review. 19 Oct. 2014. Web. 13 Nov. 2014. “North American Culture.” Berich, LLC. 2014. Web. 15 Nov. 2014. “Social, Political and Economic Issues in America.

” University of Berkeley. 2014. Web. 13 Nov. 2014.