What are the competing interests of the government and its citizens?

Citizens may want things that will benefit them locally, however, aren't necessarily beneficial to the country in the grand scheme of things. 

Opposite to this an example or where conflicts occur is when for example the government installs a wind farm in a scenic area of English countryside this may cause noise pollution or act as an eyesore to the local people and therefore may result in NIMBYism (Not in my back yard) despite it being a cleaner energy and potentially beneficial to the whole country

Yes you are cute answer theories to explain the colonization of the new world the last great habitable landmass to be occupied by humans focus on the bering land bridge, or beringia, which emerge by siberia and alaska the last ice age.