The Nine Nations of North America is a 1981 book by Joel Garreau, in which the author suggests that North America can be divided into nine nations, which have distinctive economic and cultural features. He also argues that conventional national and state borders are largely artificial and irrelevant, and that his "nations" provide a more accurate way of understanding the true nature of North American society. The work has been called "a classic text on the current regionalization of North America".
The nine nations
Approximate map of the Nine Nations of North America with each of their capitals
Hawaii, which the author considered an Asian aberration as much as a North American aberration.
Northern Alaska, despite its categorization on the front cover as part of the Empty Quarter, was listed in the aberrations section of the book.
Despite their presence within North America, Garreau did not assign the central and southern regions of the country of Mexico to any of his nine nations.
Reception
Paul Meartz of Mayville State University called The Nine Nations of North America "a classic text on the current regionalization of North America".[2] In The Boston Phoenix, Michael Matza wrote that "it is Garreau's affection for the easy observation -- the serviceable cliché -- that undercuts Nine Nations, a book that tells much that we already know in language that is entertaining and sometimes refreshing. It is, perhaps, more like Coca-Cola than Garreau lets on: effervescent, short of intoxicating."[3]
