Peoples of North America
Once populated by tribes of native peoples who lived off the land, the vast majority of North America's population now consists of immigrants who arrived over the last 400 years. Today, in terms of both population and economic wealth, the continent is dominated by the US, the richest country in the world. To the north, Canada covers a vast area, but much of it is cold and inhospitable, and so it has a much smaller population. Both countries were once British colonies and are still mostly English speaking. In contrast, Mexico is Spanish speaking, reflecting its past as a Spanish colony. Mexico is a relatively poor country, despite its vast oil and gas reserves.
Population distribution
In general, North America is one of the most sparsely populated continents. Over two-thirds of the population lives in the US. Mexico has the next largest population, followed by Canada. Historically, the eastern US has been the most densely populated area, but in the past fewdecades, many people have moved to the warmer southern and western states. In Canada, people have also left the east coast for the Great Lakes and cities such as Toronto, or for west coast cities such as Vancouver.
People of the US
The US is often known as a cultural “melting pot” because of all the different peoples that make up its population. The main groups are whites (people of European descent) Hispanics, blacks, Asians, and native peoples.
A Continent of Immigrants
There have been many waves of immigrants to North America, mostly from Europe, but from South America and Asia, too. Not everyone chose to go. Today's black Americans are descended from African slaves who were forced to the US between 1619–1808 to work on plantations. Slavery was not abolished in the US until 1865. Today, African Americans are a vital part of American culture, from politics to sports.
Canadian culture
Canadians often display their distinctive maple-leaf flag outside their homes. They are very proud of their country with its wide open spaces, lakes, mountains, and extensive national and provincial parks. But there is always the issue of US entertainment and culture flooding across the border and dominating the Canadian identity. To encourage Canada's own cultural development, the government gives grants to the arts, and the broadcasting, publishing, and film industries.
Native peoples
Native Americans are the descendants of people who probably migrated from Asia via a land bridge across the Bering Strait about 20,000 years ago. Today, native peoples form only a small proportion of the population of the US and Canada. In the US, many Native Americans were moved onto special reservations in the 19th century as settlers took over their lands. In Mexico, native peoples, like these Maya, form about 30 percent of the population and are spread throughout the country.
Good Neighbors
There has not been a war between the countries of North America for nearly 150 years. Recently, Canada, the US, and Mexico agreed to abolish trade barriers and open their markets to each other's exports. The full effects of this agreement are yet to be discovered, but Mexican workers like these farmers have already lost out, as cheaper US food and goods have flooded into Mexico. By
contrast, cheaper food can benefit the poor.
European settlers
Europeans have been settling in the US and Canada since the 16th century, but in the 19th century, immigrants began to flood in. They were often driven from Europe by economic hardship, political unrest, and religious persecution. North America was seen as a land of opportunity, where there was plenty of cheap land and people were promised freedom. The first immigrants settled on the east coast, but began to move northeast in the 1800s as industry began to grow.
Federal governments
All three countries in North America have federal systems of government. This means that each country is divided into a number of states or provinces. These make their own local laws and also have representatives in the national government. Tension sometimes develops between the interests of the individual states or provinces and the interests of the country as a whole. In Canada, for example, a strong independence movement has grown up in the French-speaking province of Quebec.
- North America
- Epilogue: Engaging with Post-Soviet Northern Eurasia
- Central Asia: The Heart of Eurasia
- Eastern Europeans: Ukraine, Belarus, and Moldova
- The Baltics: Europeysky, Not Sovetsky
- The Far East: The Russian Pacific
- Vignette 27.1. Profile of Biysk
- Siberia: Great Land
- The Urals: Metallurgy, Machinery, and Foss il Fuels