Case study of sparsely and densely populated areas of North America.

North America’s average population density is even lower than Brazil’s at 32 people per square mile. In
the US it’s 35 people per km2 and in Canada it’s only 4 people per km2.

The population of the USA is 340,577,725 while that of Canada is 38,885,276 as of October 2023.

75% of Canadians live within 160 km of the main border within the US. Parts of the southwestern US
have become densely populated.

The greatest concentration of population in the US is in the Northeast. More than half of Americans live
in countries adjacent to the Atlantic, Pacific oceans, Gulf of Mexico, and Great lakes. In Canada the main
concentration of population is in southern parts of Ontario and Quebec.

Extremely Cold Temperatures cause Canadians to move towards the main border within the US in
search of warmer temperatures. The parts of southwestern US that have become densely populated
because of major development resulting in Phoenix, Tucson and Las Vegas which have become huge
attractions because of a higher standard of living, urbanisation and recreational opportunities.

Large Parts of Southwestern US remain sparsely populated as it is still mainly desert or semi desert and
there is a major water crisis. The Northeastern part of The US has the greatest population concentration
because it is the greatest manufacturing region and so offers major employment.

It is also urbanised and draws crowds of people seeking the advantages of an urban environment.
Southern parts of Ontario and Quebec draws a Canadian crowd because of the presence of extremely
large, developed cities such as Toronto and Montreal. Accessibility of Urban employment is now the
main influence for population density and distribution in North America as opposed to the location of
natural resources such as coal, iron ore and oil which was the preference in the past.