Have you ever wondered why the lines on the map of North America that define national borders don't correspond to the cultures that divide the continent. This map also explains why we have strong cultural ties across national borders in some areas and why we have strong cultural divisions within national borders. Instead of 3 nations, Canada, USA and Mexico there are 11 cultural nations that divide up North America.
That is what happens when europeans became your prospectors. Want to check out South America? Simon Bolivar expected the continent to be 4 countries. Argentina, Brazil, Gran Colombia and Venezuela. And when that didn't happened he Lamented until his death. He said... "We will never be free". True up to this moment.
Cool map and it explains the various cultural mores that we see. No wonder our country is so divisive.