Across This Land

Book excerpt: 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.