Answer to Question 1
Remember that formal regions are areas distinguished by recognized boundaries that have a shared physical, economic, or cultural characteristic. The example of a formal region given in the book is the part of Canada in which the primary language is French (Quebec), or formally defined areas such as the Corn Belt (an economic region), the Rocky Mountains (a physical region), or areas that share a cultural similarity such as Hip Hop, Bluegrass, or Rockabilly music.
A functional region is a region that usually has a transportation linkage that connects cultural, economic, political, and other characteristics that are interwoven into a functional whole. The book gives the example of Chicago as a distinct urban area that has interrelated characteristics that make it a functional, or nodal, region.
Answer to Question 2
Canada's regional and provincial governments are more self-sustaining than American states; Canada is a Commonwealth country, with the executive and legislative branches connected through the parliament, and where the British monarchy is the official head of government though one with no real power, whereas the United States is a presidential republic with the legislative and executive branches officially separated.
The Spinal Cord, The Spinal Cord and Spinal Nerves; Close-up of the Caudal Region of the Spinal Nerv
The magnetic field of Uranus as observed by Voyager 2 in 1986. S and N are magnetic south and north
Mary Cassatt, In the Loge (At the Français, a Sketch).
John Gast, American Progress.
PMDD Diagnostic Criteria from the American Psychiatric Association
Functional Groups of Carbon