Introduction to Canada - Part 2

The Prairies

Canadian Shield

Western Cordillera

Innuitian Mountains

Hudson Bay Lowlands

Appalachians

Great Lakes - St. Lawrence Lowlands

Regina Winnipeg Vancouver Victoria

Yellowknife Whitehorse Iqaluit Calgary

Edmonton Montreal Ottawa Toronto

St. John’s Charlottetown Fredericton Halifax

Hamilton Quebec City Saskatoon London

The total land area of Canada is 9,984,670 square kilometres (km). It is the second largest country in the world. The longest distance north to south (on land) is 4,634 km, from Nunavut to Ontario. The longest distance east to west is 5,514 km from Newfoundland and Labrador to the Yukon Territory where it borders with Alaska. To put these distances in perspective: it takes seven days to drive from Halifax, Nova Scotia to Vancouver, British Columbia. Flying from Halifax to Vancouver takes seven hours.

Canada has six different time zones: Newfoundland, Atlantic, Eastern, Central, Mountain, and Pacific.

Canada's natural wealth of forests, wildlife, protected areas and water is world-renowned. Canada has: More than 71,500 known species of plants and wild animals. 20 per cent of the world's remaining wilderness 7 per cent of the world's renewable freshwater supply 25 per cent of the world's wetlands 10 per cent of the world's forests The longest coastline in the world

There are approximately 35 million people in Canada. Canada ranks 33rd in population in the world. More than 80 per cent of Canadians live in towns and cities in the southern areas within 250 kilometres of the United States border. There are 25 cities of over 100,000 people in Canada. These cities represent only 0.79 per cent of the country's total area.

The following is a description of Canada’s weather on a tourist site: In Canada, there are four different seasons: spring, summer, autumn (fall), and winter. In the winter, the days are shorter and colder. When outdoors, people wear mitts or gloves, scarves, hats, warm coats, and insulated boots. In the summer, the days are longer and warmer. Overall, the climate varies dramatically across Canada. Many factors influence climate, such as distance from large bodies of water, latitude, elevation, and prevailing winds.

Some regions, particularly the southern coastal regions, have relatively mild climates. Temperatures might range from -10° to 5° Celsius in the winter and 10°C to 30°C in the summer. In these coastal regions, there is more rain than snow during the winter. Some parts of Canada, such as the West Coast, are quite humid. Other parts, like the Prairies, are very dry. Spring (March to May) Snow begins to melt Known as rainy season in most parts of Canada Days become warmer, but nights are still cool Plants begin to grow but, in most parts of Canada, trees remain bare until April or May

Summer (June to August - can last until mid- September) Temperatures can reach 30°C or higher Typically hot, dry weather with occasional rainstorms Often humid near the Great Lakes Season of mosquitoes or black flies in most areas Autumn (or Fall) (September to November) Days become shorter First frost appears Leaves change from green to red, brown, or yellow before falling off trees Weather rainy and unpredictable First snowfall usually in November

Winter (December to February or later) Season of snow and ice Duration of snow coverage varies from as early as October to later than March Temperatures below 0°C from December to mid-March, particularly at night Winds can make temperatures feel even colder (known as the wind chill factor) East and west coasts have milder winters with warmer temperatures; usually very rainy

Canadian Quizzes: Click on the link and take the Quizz! canadiana-whiz-take-this-quiz/ geoquiz

The End