Appalachia A Regional Geography

Although Appalachia has long been recognized as one of the most distinctive subregions in North America and has been studied widely as an "underdeveloped problem area," this book is the first to provide a comparative and analytical geographical perspective on the entire Appalachian region rather than on portions of it. The authors highlight the div

A fascinating overview of the lands and peoples of the United States and Canada, both past and present. Based on decades of research and written in clear, concise prose by one of the foremost geographers in North America, John C. Hudson's Across This Land is a comprehensive regional geography of the North American continent. Dividing the terrain into ten regions, which are then subdivided into twenty-seven smaller areas, Hudson's brisk narrative reveals the dynamic processes of each area's distinctive place-specific characteristics. Focusing on how human activities have shaped and have been shaped by the natural environment, Hudson considers physical, political, and historical geography. He also highlights related topics, including resource exploitation, economic development, and population change. Praised in its first edition as a readable and reliable interpretation of United States and Canadian geography, the revised Across This Land retains these strengths while adding substantial new material. Incorporating the latest available population and economic data, this thoroughly updated edition includes • reflections on new developments, such as resource schemes, Native governments in Atlantic Canada, and the role of climate change in the Arctic • a new section focused on the US Pacific insular territories west of Hawaii • evolving views of oil and gas production resulting from the introduction of hydraulic fracturing • revised text and maps involving agricultural production based on the 2017 Census of Agriculture • current place names • more than 130 photographs The most extensive regional geography of the North American continent on the market, Hudson's Across This Land will continue as the standard text in geography courses dealing with Canada and the United States, as well as a popular reference work for scholars, students, and lay readers.

Based on decades of research and written in clear, concise prose by one of the foremost geographers in North America, John C. Hudson's Across This Land is a comprehensive regional geography of the North American continent. Clearly organized, the book divides the entire United States and Canada into six major regions, then further subdivides them into twelve smaller areas. Hudson emphasizes each region or area's distinguishing place-specific attributes, including—to a larger degree than previous regional geographies—political considerations. In this way, the book tells the story of each region, relying on a brisk narrative that reveals the dynamic processes of their distinctive characteristics. The first extensive regional geography of the North American continent in over seventy-five years, Hudson's Across This Land will become the standard text in geography courses dealing with Canada and the U.S. as well as a popular reference work for scholars, students, and lay readers.

Now in a thoroughly revised and updated edition, this text offers a comprehensive discussion of the physical and human geography of the United States and Canada, weaving in the key themes of environment and sustainability throughout.

In this comprehensive new text, Chris Mayda offers an exciting alternative to conventional North American geographies. Throughout her thorough discussion of the physical and human geography of the United States and Canada, the author weaves in the key themes of environment and sustainability. Her inclusive and cohesive narrative highlights not only the diversity and richness of each region but the fundamental connections that link the continent. In the course of her research, Mayda traveled to every state and province in the United States and Canada, imbuing her writing and photographs with authenticity and immediacy. She traces the problems each region faces but also illuminates the positive actions that Americans and Canadians are taking to position their countries as healthy leaders in the world economy. Combining incisive analysis, rich description, human stories, and vibrant photographs, this text offers a complete and vivid portrait of the region from human, physical, and cultural perspectives. Designed expressly for ease of teaching and learning, the book features four-color photographs and maps throughout, chapter highlights, key term and place listings for each chapter, discussion questions, and a glossary, plus PowerPoint slides, and a sustainability blog on the book's website: http://everythingisconnectedblog.wordpress.com/.

The fifth and thoroughly revised edition of Regional Geography of the United States and Canada provides a rich and comprehensive overview of both the physical and human geography of these two countries, and in the true spirit of geography, the interactions and interrelations of the physical and human. Following long traditions of the discipline of geography, this text incorporates words, maps, drawings, photographs, and numerical data to present its information in an engaging way. After covering beneficial precursor topics—such as the basics of physical and human geography—the text explores fifteen regions of the US and Canada. The authors observe and describe our planet’s geography in thorough and accessible detail, while laying out the spatial basics of the location, shape, and size of the different regions, and summarizes their most distinctive thematic qualities. Physical topics covered include the region’s topography and landforms, soils, climate, hydrography, vegetation, and wildlife. The human topics include the region’s population; the ethnicities and settlement history of its people; economic activities, including agriculture, forestry, mining, fishing, manufacturing, and service industries; cities; and transportation. In-depth essays expand on specific topics of interest and importance, while outlook sections prognosticate about the near future of the regions. Each chapter concludes with a bibliography of books, articles, and reports that provide further sources for the interested reader.

" Richard Drake has skillfully woven together the various strands of the Appalachian experience into a sweeping whole. Touching upon folk traditions, health care, the environment, higher education, the role of blacks and women, and much more, Drake offers a compelling social history of a unique American region. The Appalachian region, extending from Alabama in the South up to the Allegheny highlands of Pennsylvania, has historically been characterized by its largely rural populations, rich natural resources that have fueled industry in other parts of the country, and the strong and wild, undeveloped land. The rugged geography of the region allowed Native American societies, especially the Cherokee, to flourish. Early white settlers tended to favor a self-sufficient approach to farming, contrary to the land grabbing and plantation building going on elsewhere in the South. The growth of a market economy and competition from other agricultural areas of the country sparked an economic decline of the region’s rural population at least as early as 1830. The Civil War and the sometimes hostile legislation of Reconstruction made life even more difficult for rural Appalachians. Recent history of the region is marked by the corporate exploitation of resources. Regional oil, gas, and coal had attracted some industry even before the Civil War, but the postwar years saw an immense expansion of American industry, nearly all of which relied heavily on Appalachian fossil fuels, particularly coal. What was initially a boon to the region eventually brought financial disaster to many mountain people as unsafe working conditions and strip mining ravaged the land and its inhabitants. A History of Appalachia also examines pockets of urbanization in Appalachia. Chemical, textile, and other industries have encouraged the development of urban areas. At the same time, radio, television, and the internet provide residents direct links to cultures from all over the world. The author looks at the process of urbanization as it belies commonly held notions about the region’s rural character.

"These essays, arranged chronologically in the order they were first written, represent Donald Edward Davis's twenty-year career as a writer, environmental activist, and scholar of all things Appalachian. Join Davis in an exploration of a region consistently under attack by mining interests, developers, and the tourist industry, and consistently misunderstood by scholars. Approaching this unique region from both historical and environmental angles, Davis presents twenty essays to help illuminate the problems, peoples, and places of what may be the oldest mountain range in the world."--BOOK JACKET.