01 THE GEOGRA PHERS

The world through the eyes of the euro class students

Environment

Culture

Economy

GET TO KNOW THE USA !

April-May 2021 CONTENTS

The Geographers presents you the review of the month into a LIMITED EDITION. We are in Carriat, a modern high school of Bourg-en-Bresse and we are in a european history and geography section. We hope you will enjoy our magazine and the icing on the cake, take a cup of tea to relax.

I- The Boswash By Maryem and Flavien

II- The Main street By Névine and Siryne

III- The Gulf of Mexico By Agatha and Lisa

IV- The Silicon In this new edition, we are gonna present you the United Valley States in all its glory ! By Irina and Have you ever wondered how the United states became the Mélina world's leading power?

Hang on, we are gonna make you travel through famous V- The Pacific Northwest areas in the United States like Washington until By Anthony and passes by and the Gulf of Mexico ending with the Valentin north West of the country.

THE DOMINATIVE AREA : THE BOSWASH

by Maryem Talhi ... and Flavien VENET

For today’s economic article, we will travel to the United States of America, and particularly to the Boswash. This is a : a group of metropoles which create an important economic area. There are several megalopolis in the world like in Japan or in Europe, but the Boswash is one of the most important. Situated in a region of the USA called the “center of command” (in the north west), it is the most populated area and one of the richest in the whole country. We are going to explain this in three points : the economic aspect, the flows of different kinds and the famous tourist places.

First of all, a tiny bit of history. The Boswash was in the 1960’s, the first megalopolis called in this way. This concept was invented by the french geographer Jean Gottman and is nowadays very used and teached at school. The name “Bashwash” comes from the two cities in the extremities north () and South (Washington) of the megalopolis. We certainly don’t forget the other important metropoles which are , Philadelphia, Baltimore, Springfield and Providence.

The Boswash is so important because in 2019 it was the first megalopolis in the world in terms of economy according to the World Economic Forum. Its Economic Output (EO)(1) was indeed of $3,65B, whereas the EO of the European Dorsal which is the second megalopolis in the world, was of $2,505B.

It was also the first in terms of population with 47,6 million of inhabitants and 43,5 for the European Dorsal. Those are mainly due to the importance of the tertiary sector : most of the cities comprise a Central Business District (CBD)(2) which produces a considerable economic activity. The most famous one is Manhattan. Another important thing is education. They are hundreds of renowned(3) colleges and universities among which Harvard, MIT, Brown … This creates a center of excellence : the students work in the CBDs which increase the level of skills and economic capacities.

1 : EO = PIB EN FRANCE 2 : CBD = QUARTIER DES AFFAIRES 3 : RENEWED = FAMOUS / KNOWN BY ALL Be careful, we must not forget that this wouldn't be possible without the international trade. Indeed, the Boswash is one of the most important exchange areas (and that since centuries with the triangular trade). With Northern Europe and Eastern Asia, it creates the major worldwide trade network.

Goods can be exchanged : the Boswash is in a great coastal interface (a group of commercial ports on a single coast) which spreads from Miami to Boston. Moreover, there are several international airports as well as railways and highways to the country. On the map on the left, we see clearly the world marine ways and the importance of the eastern coast of the USA as a major center.

Information is also exchanged : the internet is necessary for the economy and particularly the stock exchanges. It travels through pipelines under the oceans or by satellites. For example, one single fiber optic cables between the USA and the Western Europe (and they are numerous !) have a capacity of 144 Tb/s.

These exchanges, allowed by a fantastic transport network, permit information and humans to travel and migrate to other areas. In fact, according to Census Current Population Survey data, the northeast of the USA lost 350’000 people and 325’000 in 2011. Generally, people leave the Boswash region because life is expensive.

However, there are also people who come to this beautiful area. The northeastern part of the USA, is composed of many famous touristic cities such as New York, Boston and Washington DC. This region holds a lot of history, government landmarks (4), beautiful mountains, and natural resources. Some landmarks in the northeastern region of the United States include New York's Statue of Liberty, Empire State Building, Brooklyn Bridge and Times Square.

New York City and Boston are situated on the Eastern seaboard and attract millions of tourists from around the world each year. Boston's Colonial roots (5) mark it as the "Cradle (6) of Liberty," while New York City's Statue of Liberty was the first sight many immigrants saw as their ships sailed toward Ellis Island. Boston views itself through the lens of blue-collar pride; it's a collegial, down-to-earth (7) destination that never takes itself too seriously.

New York, on the other hand, prides itself on being a busy, bustling hub of culture and arts running over with sophistication.The best time to visit Boston is from late May or early June to October and the best time to visit New York is year round. New York, Boston and Washington DC are cities which attract millions of people from all around the world just to witness (8) their beauty and to get a look into the busy lives of the citizens.

After having a look at the economic aspect, the flows of different kinds and the famous tourist places,we can conclude that the Boswash is a very important area in the united states of America, indeed other than being the first Megalopolis, it is also one of the biggest center of economy and density of population of the region. People from all over the world come to visit these beautiful cities and learn about its importance in history.

4 : LANDMARK = MONUMENT 5 : ROOT = RACINES 6 : CRADLE = BERCEAU 7 : DOWN-TO-EARTH = TERRE A TERRE 8 : TO WITNESS = ATTESTER DE

Volume 1, Numéro 1 2020

MAIN STREET

by Névine and Syrine

To begin you have to know that Main Street is an American area which includes Chicago, Detroit, Cleveland and even some Canadian cities such as Toronto for example. Moreover, it extends to 3000 Km and includes over 65 millions of inhabitants.

Firstly, according to the Council of the Great Lakes Region, the Mega Region of Chicago to Canada is known for their manufacturing. For instance, automobile and aerospace industries like Ford, General Motors, Chrysler, Bombardier, GE Aviation and Magna International. Other industries that generate business for the region are finance, energy, logistics, agriculture and tourism. Also, the area and its industries are mainly involved in the education and health sector.

Nowadays, steel and automobile industry are economic activities in Main Street. There are also big companies which have their headquarters in this area such as MacDonalds for example. Historically, mining industry (coal and iron) and agriculture were the most important activities of Main Street and that is why there is a financial center in Chicago which set the price of the raw material in the world (second world financial center). Secondly, because of being a big area, Main Street needs to be connected with other cities and lands. This connection is possible thanks to all the ways of transport and trade which exists nowadays. In fact, many airports or ferries are built and serve as ways of transport for all the people (students, tourists, employees...). One of these famous and big airports is the Chicago O'Hare which, as indicated by its name is situated in Chicago. This airport allows the flows between Main Street and the rest of the world. Furthermore, ferries exist too to allow the flows between some canadian cities and the area for example. So, we can say that the area needs to be connected with the world because it is a huge area with ressources and goods.

And thirdly, let's talk about the density of population in the area. On this map we can see the population density per square mile, the black circle designing Main Street. The areas which are the most populated are the Main Street and the Boswash (Boston to Washington) between 10,000 and 100,000 people per square mile (2.6 sq km).

To conclude, we can say that Main Street is an important and popular area in the United States of America connected by trades such as airports or boats (waterways). These trades permit an important economy which is expanding due to the wide expanse of industries (automobile, health, education...). But, is this way of fuctionning the key to success ? Is it the same for other American places like the Boswach for example ? Volume 1, Number 1 2021

THE GULF OF MEXICO

by Autin Lisa and Demolliens Agatha

The Gulf of Mexico stretches over Mexico, Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia and finally Florida and Cuba. In this article you will see the main aspects of those states such as tourism, economic assets, political conflicts, etc. There are lots of fascinating things to learn about it.

How is the Gulf of Mexico included in the globalization ?

GET TO KNOW THE STATES BORDERING THE GULF OF MEXICO !

Here are a few basic information to understand better what is surrounding the Gulf of Mexico

DO YOU WANT TO KNOW MORE ABOUT THE GULF OF MEXICO’S ECONOMY ?

TOURISM The Gulf of Mexico, is an ideal trip because of the location for water sports such as fishing, skiing, boating and wildlife viewing. It attracts about 20 million participants annually. There are a lot of activities to do like sunbathing on pristine beaches, carnivals, Mardi Gras, music festivals,discovering new horizons in an adventurous way. In addition, casinos rank among the top gaming markets in the country, which increase the growth of the economy.

Tourism and travel generate more than $177 billion annually and offers a lot of jobs.

MERCHANDISE FLOWS

U.S. goods and services trade with Mexico totalled an estimated $677.3 billion in 2019. Exports were $289.5 billion; imports were $387.8 billion. Mexico is currently the U.S largest goods trading partner with $614.5 billion in total goods trade during 2019. THERE ARE ALSO UNDENIABLE DOWNSIDES

AGRICULTURE Modern agriculture is contaminated with tremendous amounts of chemical pesticides, herbicides, and nitrogen fertilizers to allow plants to grow up faster without any kind of insects that could destroy the crop yield.

About 1.7 million tons of nitrogen per year have washed off the farms' soil in the Mississippi River. For instance there’s a dead zone growing in the Gulf of Mexico. Indeed, a dead zone is an area with a low oxygen rate that can kill fish and other marine life, it’s located off the Louisiana-Texas coastline.

Left unchecked, it could cause irreversible harm to local economies that depend on fishing and water- based activities. The dead zone causes as much as §2.4 billion in damage to fisheries and marine habitat every year.

THE BLACK TIDE AS A RESULT OF THE OIL EXPLOITATION On April 20th 2010 the Deepwater Horizon exploded off the Louisiana coast, killing 11 workers and releasing an important amount of oil in the water. It was used to extract oil from the deep water ground in the Gulf of Mexico. The long-term consequences are terrible for the environment, economy and the social sector. Actually, a study published in the Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences estimated that the damages would last over seven years.

Indeed, 22,000 jobs were lost and the oil is stuck on the seabed. Consequently marine biodiversity is feeding from those deadly oil particles.

Thus the total cost of this tragedy is approximately $8.7 billion. That Black Tide affected every shore and beach of the four states surrounding the Gulf of Mexico.

POLITICAL CONFLICTS

There are several tensions between Mexico and America. The former president of the United States Donald Trump wanted to accelerate the construction of the wall which had as its purpose to separate the two countries. The 1300 km of solid and impassable wall must cost 25 billion dollars to prevent the illegal migrations. This wall is controversial : some Americans don’t want it and some others do. THE SILICON VALLEY :

By Melinaand Irina

The silicon valley is a Companies : productive space on the The silicon Valley is a city where you can find a local scale and also in the lot of start-ups, industries or companies like international sphere. It is the main technology hub , Ebay, Yahoo, Apple, HP, Facebook, on the south west coast Adobe Inc which is an American multinational mainly to gather the GAFAM (Google, Amazon, computer software company or Netflix. It is Facebook, Apple, Microsoft). The silicon one of the biggest companies for instance, in valley is situated in January 2021, Netflix reached 203.7 million California,at the South West of the United States, subscribers. Therefore, Silicon Valley welcomes the main city is San José. a lot of companies which come here to make This area in the bay of is composed of technological advances thanks to skillful center of excellence which engineers who allow them to increase their makes the silicon valley an attractive destination for profits each year. start-ups such as Twitch or Airbnb.

TRANSPORTATION: There is a lot of transportation in Silicon Valley, it depends where you live and where you work. If you're walking distance to a bus stop or train station on both sides of that equation, then it's workable. Indeed the main way of transportation are caltrain, it’s like a train; VTA Light Rail and Bus, a system of buses and light rail, samtrans, this bus service extends north into San Francisco and south into Palo Alto for commuters and there are also local shuttles, little bus utilised in commercial districts, and business parks and private buses to Facebook, Apple… However there are a lot of traffic jam in California because of the high population so Blade, a California standard, preferred to turn to air transport to offer an alternative to the car.

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20 ECONOMIC ASPECT : 10 MIGRATION OF GOODS : 0 Item 1 Item 2 Item 3 Item 4 Item 5 In the economy aspect, California is above In the sector of the migration of approximately all of the famous cities in the United population due to the job offer in the state. The largest economy in California is about $3,2 south west of California the trillion compared to Florida which is $1,1 trillion or population growth quickly, chiefly in New York which is $1,7 trillion. There is $1,5 trillion of difference between California and the state of New 2011. For example the population York, which is huge. jumped up to 10 000 people per year If we go back in time, it’s in 1850 where the city began especially because of an increase in to be attractive thanks to agriculture which was the foreign immigration. most important economic sector bringing the Meanwhile, in the migration of goods population in California. the silicon valley product Military In nowadays, dominant economic sectors are in finance, agriculture, business services, media and high technology, Computer networking, technology. In conclusion, the south West coast is an venture capital which is the capital indispensable region in the US’s economy. invested in a project to help a new or expanding business. THE SILICON VALLEY :

By Melinaand Irina

EDUCATION : DENSITY : Five of California’s 18 top- The density of the population in the west south coast has changed a lot, if we rated high schools are in compare the population in 2005 and ten years later thus that the population in the Silicon Valley: west south coast has stepped up. Moreover, this population is really mixed, - Lynbrook High School, because there are people coming from Europe, Africa, South America and Asia. San Jose, CA (18th) California is an ethnic state where you can find Non-Hispanic Whites, Hispanic or - Henry M. Gunn High Latinos, Asian, African American, American Indian and some other race. Indeed this area has a very mixed population, so it’s very diverse. School, Palo Alto, CA

(17th) - Summit Preparatory High School, Redwood City, CA (16th) - Monta Vista High School, TOURISM: Cupertino, CA (13th) Throughout the year, Silicon Valley attracts many tourists - KIPP San Jose Collegiate, thanks to its outstanding buildings, statues as GooglePlex, San Jose, CA (4th) the corporate headquarters of Google, in the city of And obviously the most Mountain View. It is possible to visit only the campus and not the buildings. For example you can see the statues of famous universities knew the old android operating systems. Most tourists come to all around the world, and California to see the headquarters of the GAFAM. Obviously the most renowned: they also went to seeThe Golden Bridge on the bay of San Francisco is a very splendid monument. The bridge is one of -Stanford University the most internationally recognized symbols of San Los -University of California, Angeles : The city will welcome the olympic games in 2028. -Berkeley University of Moreover we can see Venice Beach, the Beverly Hills California quarter, Hollywood Boulevard and his Walk of Fame (wFrancisco and California. -Los Angeles (UCLA) Then Los Angeles is also the future of the Silicon Valley So, the education in because it will welcome the olympic games in 2028. Silicon Valley is very well- funded, allows the students to have many opportunities and enjoy themselves while being at school and is well known In conclusion in the US for the success of the students. Silicon Valley regroups many key economic areas in the USA, firstly by the economic aspect, the tourism who attract many tourists all around the world, itn also celebrated for the education, children had to learn in excellent conditions. It’s a very important area of the USA, especially thanks to the GAFAM. PACIFIC NOORTHWEST

by Anthony Curt and Valentin Dalle

Seattle is the main financial and economic centre of the Pacific Northwest. It is home to corporate headquarters such as the Boeing Company, one of the largest airlines of the 20th century, and the Microsoft Corporation, which produces computer systems, hardware and applications such as software and computer programs. Seattle is also home to biotech companies such as Jhonson and Jhonson, which have a laboratory in Seattle, or a company in environmental engineering or textiles, which increases Seattle's economic activity.

Seattle also has tourist attractions. One of the most touristy places in Seattle is obviously the Space Needle. Indeed, the Space Needle is an observation deck that also includes a restaurant. By the way, the Space Needle was seen in Grey's Anatomy ! But there is also the Olympic sculpture park, the volunteer park, the discovery park, the Chihuly garden and the glass.

In addition, Alaska has a thriving economy, thanks to the agriculture. Indeed, Alaska trades many goods with Canada. Alaska exports over $399,000 worth of goods to Canada, including fur pelts, fruit, animals, wood, seafood and minerals. At the same time, Alaska imports many goods such as plants, precision instruments and equipment, iron, steel and electrical and industrial machinery. Besides, one of the biggest industries in Alaska is mining. We can find several minerals such as gold, jade, zinc, silver, but also natural gas,and coal. These were used for decades as the Native people of Alaska used them to make tools and jewelry.

After a look at the economy, we will look at the population of Seattle and Alaska. For Seattle, the population density is about 70% white out of 724,000 inhabitants. Seattle, since the 2000s, has seen an increase in its foreign population of over 20% compared to the rest of the country which has seen an increase of 14%. In fact, 113,000 Seattle residents are foreign-born. However, due to the pandemic, Seattle has attracted fewer people. For Alaska, the population density is made up of a majority of native Alaskans and has 731,000 residents.

Mine in Alaska

Tourist attractions in Seattle Now let’s talk about the geographical conditions in the Pacific Northwest.

Actually, climate influences life in these areas. In fact, Alaska has principally a subarctic climate ( long, very cold winters and short, cool summers). Average temperatures are about 7 to 24 °C in summer and about −7 to −23 °C in winter. In Seattle the temperatures are better, Seattle has a temperate climate called sub-oceanic. It has cool, wet winters and mild, relatively dry summers.The average temperature of December in Seattle is 5 °C, and in August it is 19 °C. As we can imagine, large areas of the state are not connected to the road system because of the climate. There is only one railroad across Alaska through Anchorage and there are Alaska car rental, railroad tours, motorcoach and bus line, marine highway system.. In Seattle it’s totally different, there are a lot of cars, trolleybus and the huge “alaskan way viaduct”.

These climates allow only adapted animals and vegetables to live, The Alaskan Big Five are moose, bears, Dall sheep, Caribou and Gray wolves. These 5 species are emblematics of Alaska : Moreover, there are big mammals (humpback whale, orca...) and a lot of species of salmons. But what is very funny is the Wood frog, the only frog who can live in low temperatures using “cryoprotectant” chemicals and freezing his body in the winter ! The plants are very important for the balance of biodiversity, that’s why it is important to protect the 1.500 species of vascular plants, lichens and mosses. All the animals/plants we can find in Alaska are adapted to survive to low temperatures/mountain conditions, today they are in danger because of global warming.

The big five wood frog

To know more about the Pacific Northwest, you can check our sources below : www.currentresults.com/Weather/Alaska/annual-snowfall.php www.britannica.com/place/Alaska/Climate www.climatestotravel.com/climate/united-states/seattle www.planetware.com/tourist-attractions-/seattle-us-wa-s.htm www.usgs.gov/centers/nmic/mineral-industry-alaska www.alaskaminers.org/minerals-in-alaska khmtravel.com/travel-agent-resources/what-are-alaskas-big-five-and-where-can-you-see-them/ www.nps.gov/dena/index.htm en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alaska en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seattle

Now, it could be interesting for you to discover the other impulses areas in the USA (Sunbelt, Main street, Boswash, Silicon Valley…). They all are fascinating areas !

Anthony and Valentin