Analysis of the USA and Canada, Research Paper Example

The United States of America, ever since it became an independent nation and gained its freedom, has prevailed as a world power and has influenced many other countries in various aspects within their nation. With this ever-present success it is only right that we come to compare the United States to other countries and most specifically to countries with a relatively close proximity to the United States. A country that we can very well compare to the United States because of its proximity and relatively close customs to those employed in the United States is Canada. In attempting to compare these two countries we shall rely on key elements that make up any given nation which include: geography, history, government, climate, resources industries and products, recreational and tourist attractions, famous natives, and other key elements that play part in the make-up of these nations.

Geography

The geography of the United States is not limited to the portion in North American but rather also covers Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, Guam, and U.S. Virgin Islands. In the other hand, Canada has a diverse territory that is relatively close together in relation to each other. Both of these countries have tremendous amounts of territory and both have territory that is very much covered in snow year-round. The territory of Canada is ranked second in the world while that of the United States is ranked third.  The main difference between the two lies in the fact that United States territories are very much spread out while those of Canada are pretty much centralized in a single area beside each other.

History

Both countries had been inhabited by natives before they became the nations that they are now. The two nations however have about a hundred year difference that separates their official independence. The official nation of the United States was founded in 1776 while that of Canada was founded in 1867. Both nations were able to obtain their independence after fighting for their freedom and signing treaties that made the nations that owned them cease those territories. After their independence both nations had period of exponential growth in both their economies and their population.

Government

The government of the United States is composed of three different branches which are: legislative, executive, and judicial. Canada has a somewhat similar government as they have a parliamentary democracy in which power is distributed somewhat similarly to how it is done in the United States. The legislature of Canada is parliament while that of the United States is congress. Something particularly interesting about Canada is that they have a constitutional monarchy that is legal and practical but does not interfere with the political aspects of the nation.

Climate

With the prevalent fact that the United States territories are spaced all over the country it is easy to observe the fact that it would have all sorts of climates depending on the location. Therefore we can not derive a single climate for the United States but rather state that the climate will widely vary depending on the geographic location. Canada has a much more prevalent climate which is perma-frost on most of its territory but also finds varying climates for those areas that are more proximal to the equator. Therefore the United States has a complete variation of climates in all of the spectrum and Canada has a prevalent cold climate.

Resources/Industry/Products

The United States has one of the largest industries in the world which is a crucial factor to the success and the power that the nation has. The resources, industry, and products for both nations can not be described in a single item as both have major power over many different industries. When seeking to analyze these things, however, we can rely on the gross domestic product to give us a general outlook of the industry for both countries in general. The GDP for Canada is a solid 1.7 trillion dollars as calculated in 2013 while that of the United States is an astonishing 16.8 trillion dollars in 2013. Therefore, we derive that the United States is a much richer country.

Recreation/ Tourist Attractions

Seeking to analyze recreations and tourist attractions in the United States is particularly hard as the nation is filled with amusement parks, museums, beaches, monuments, sculptures, and gorgeous places all over the territories that restrict the possibility of centralizing in a single thing. This is particularly different from Canada since the Canadian major attraction lie in the Niagara falls, snow sports and events, and the sport of Hockey. Football and basketball are the main sports in the United States which account for the major attraction in sports and the most important boxing fights are held in Nevada within the United States.

Famous People and Politicians

The United States has an innumerable number of famous individuals that are citizens of the country. These people have ranges all over any given subject and include from the first man on the moon, to the doctors responsible for curing some of the world’s deadliest diseases. Canada, however is mainly known for its great actors and the most famous politicians are often considered those that have been in the monarchy although they are not directly involved with the politics. The most famous politicians in the United States have been responsible for transforming the world and ending wars such as World War II.

Other facts

Some important facts about the United States include: the richest person alive, most of the people in the United States are in poverty, the United States has major investments in the military, one in eight Americans has been employed by McDonalds, and thousands of Americans emigrated during the Great Depression. Some important facts about Canada include: Canada has been invaded by the United States twice, the longest coastline, most medals in the Winter Olympics, 60,000 different insects, and there is a hotel in Canada made of ice that is rebuilt every year.

Reaction

Analyzing both countries as a whole this report has allowed me to realize the great power that these two nations have and is essential because it allows me to gain insight as to how the globalization is occurring and the reasons behind the success of these two nations. I would love to visit different areas of both of these countries as they have impressive and beautiful sites to visit. In the United States I would like to the Mount Rushmore and in Canada the Niagara Falls. The first thing everyone should remember is when these two nations came to be, then their systems of government, continuing with the famous people in both of these countries, and finally their impressive gross domestic product.

Works Cited

Ford, Richard. Canada. New York: Ecco, 2013. Print.

“Latest World And Us News.” USA Today. USA.com, n.d. Web. 11 Apr. 2015.

“Learn About the United States of America | USA.gov.” USA.gov: The U.S. Government’s Official Web Portal. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Apr. 2015.

“Welcome to Canada.ca.” Canada.ca. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Apr. 2015.