Mr. Womack Geography Canada

Canada Canada is the second largest country in the world. Canada is highly industrialized. Canada has a high standard of living, and much land and open space. Canada has far fewer people than the United States but does share a similar culture and economy.

Canada-Statistics Population: 34,299,000 Area (in square miles): 3,849,670 Longest River: Mackenzie (2,635 miles) Highest Mountain: Mt. Logan (19,524 feet) Major Languages: English, French Currency: Canadian Dollar Number of Newspapers: 108 Number of Television Sets: 19.4 million

Where is Canada? Canada stretches 3,987 miles from east to west. That is almost one-quarter of the way around the world. The Atlantic Ocean is the border on the east. The Pacific Ocean is the border on the west. The Arctic Ocean is the border on the North. The United States is the border on the south.

Canada

What Physical Regions Exist? Canada has six physical regions. The Canadian Shield The Central Plains The Rocky Mountains The Arctic Region The Appalachian Mountains Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Lowlands

Physical Regions of Canada

What Political Regions Exist? There are six political regions in Canada. Maritime Provinces Quebec Ontario Prairie Provinces British Columbia Arctic North

Political Regions of Canada

Maritime Provinces Maritime means bordering on or near the sea. The provinces of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, and Prince Edward Island make up the Maritime Provinces. They border the Atlantic Ocean. They were the first places Europeans settled. These are rugged areas of low, forested mountains. People depend upon the forests and sea to make a living. The Grand Banks have some of the best commercial fishing in the world.

The Maritime Provinces Confederation Bridge-Linking Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick Nova Scotia Newfoundland

Quebec This is Canada’s largest province. One out of every four Canadians live in Quebec. Its most famous cities are Montreal and Quebec City. Both cities are on the St. Lawrence River. Quebec is an important center for manufacturing.

Quebec Montreal Quebec City

Ontario This is the industrial center of Canada. Great forests cover Northern Ontario. Most of the people live in Southern Ontario. The United States buys most of the things that Ontario produces. Ontario is one of the fastest growing business centers in the world. Toronto, the biggest city in Canada is located in Ontario. The capital of Canada, Ottawa is also in Ontario.

Ontario Toronto Ottawa

Prairie Provinces This was once an area that was covered with tall grasses. Today the provinces produce much of the world’s wheat. Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta make up the Prairie Provinces. Manitoba has manufacturing and agriculture. Saskatchewan is mostly agricultural. Alberta has natural gas, oil, farming and tourism is important. Major cities are Winnipeg, Manitoba; Regina, Saskatchewan; Calgary and Edmonton, Alberta.

Prairie Provinces Winnipeg Regina

Prairie Provinces Calgary Edmonton

British Columbia The Rocky Mountains separate this province from the rest of the country. The part of the Rocky Mountains in British Columbia is called the Brooks Range. Thick forests and rivers loaded with salmon make British Columbia famous. The largest city is Vancouver. It is Canada’s port city on the Pacific Ocean.

British Columbia Vancouver Brooks Range

Arctic North This area covers more than a third of the country. This area included the Yukon Territory, the Northwest Territories, and Nunavut. Nunavut was created for the Inuit, who are also called Eskimos. This area is a desert, because it is dry, but it is a cold desert. Much of this area is covered by tundra. Tundra is a cold plain with no trees. Miners have discovered huge mineral deposits there.

Arctic North Ice Breaking Ship The Northern Territories of Canada

Physical Features of Canada Glaciers once covered much of Canada. They wore down the eastern mountains of Canada. These glaciers created the gentle rolling land that dominate Eastern Canada. These glaciers also left behind many lakes and rivers. Canada has more lakes than any other country in the world. About 30% of the world’s freshwater is located in Canada.

How did glaciers change Canada? The melting of glaciers left behind rich soil in the prairie. There are still many glaciers in the Rocky Mountains of Canada. The St. Elias Mountains in the Yukon have the tallest mountain in Canada: Mt. Logan (19,542 feet). Glaciers cover many islands in Canada. Canada has over 50,000 islands. The three largest islands are Baffin, Ellesmere, and Victoria. Those three islands are bigger than many countries.

Highest Point in Canada Glaciers in Canada Mt. Logan- Highest Point in Canada Canadian Islands Baffin Island

Major Bodies of Water in Canada Hudson Bay is so big that the entire state of Texas would fit into it! The southern shore is flat and swampy so very few people live there. The northern part of Hudson Bay is frozen much of the year. Hudson Bay is in inlet from the ocean. It has a mix of salt water and fresh water.

Hudson Bay

Other major bodies of water The longest river is the Mackenzie. It is frozen much of the year. The St. Lawrence river is smaller but very important. More than 60% of Canada’s population lives close to or near this river. Canada and the United States share four of the five Great Lakes. The countries also share Niagara Falls. This huge waterfall is 158 feet high and 2,600 feet wide.

Mackenzie River St. Lawrence River Niagara Falls

Subarctic climate Most of Canada is in this climate which is the area immediately outside the Arctic Circle. Canada is one of the coldest countries in the world. Average: 22 degrees In the Arctic North the ground is always frozen. This is called permafrost. This area gets less snow than the rest of Canada, but it so cold the snow never melts. Some parts of Canada get as warm as 80 degrees, but the summers are short.

Arctic Circle Arctic North of Canada

Maritime Climate This climate exists on Canada’s west coast. Being close to water influences this climate. Rain falls more frequently than snow in the winter. On the winward side of the coastal mountains some place receive as much as 195 inches of rain a year.

Continental Climate The Prairie Provinces have a continental climate. This area is landlocked and far from the ocean. They have short, warm summers and long winters. The summers are even shorter in Canada because they are in higher latitudes. Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta do not receive much rain because they are on the leeward side of the mountains. Chinook winds from the mountains can cause a break from cold temperatures and droughts in the summer.

Prairie Provinces Chinook Winds

Humid Continental Climate There is one small part of Canada that experiences this very mild climate. It is the southernmost point in Canada and is farther south than some parts of California. People here enjoy four different seasons. They have short winters and long summers .

The Southernmost Point in all of Canada Point Pelee, Ontario The Southernmost Point in all of Canada

How does geography affect the Canadians? The Inuit have a great balance with nature. They have over 100 names for snow because it is so important to them. They live by hunting and fishing. Fish and other seafood provide work for commercial fishermen, and attract tourists to Canada. Agriculture is a big business in the prairies. Canada’s mineral resources and forests also provide work for many Canadians.

The First Canadian Culture The oldest cultures are those of the native peoples, called “First Nations” in Canada. The Inuit were given a new territory, Nunavut in 1997. They govern themselves. About 370,000 Non-Inuit natives live in Canada. The Inuit’s have their own language and culture. They used to live in igloos and drive dog sleds. They now live in wood or brick homes, and drive snowmobiles and watch television.

Other cultures in Canada Canada is a country of immigrants. When the country was founded in 1867, there were only 3.4 million people. Today there are over 34 million people. Many cities have a European influence from all of the immigrants. Asians now make up 3 percent of Canada’s population Many settled in Vancouver.

What languages are spoken? Most Canadians speak English. In Quebec most people speak French. Canada is bilingual because it has two official languages. Road signs and other messages appear in both English and French. Besides these two languages, many other languages are spoken by natives and immigrants.

Road signs in Canada have information in English and French.

Where do most Canadians live? About 23% of Canadians live in rural areas. About 6% live on farms. Most people live in urban areas. Three main areas are Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver. Toronto is Canada’s largest city and has many different cultures inside the city. Montreal is the center of French-Canadian culture. Vancouver developed after the completion of the Canadian Pacific Railroad.

Trends in Canada Diversity is becoming more and more important in Canada as more cultures come into the country. The U.S. controls much of Canadian industry, and produces much of what the Canadians read and see on television. Some people in Quebec want to be their own country and feel very strongly about the French language being used by everyone.

Natural Resources in Canada Canada has a lot of good farmland. Canada has lots of water used for fishing and hydroelectricity. Canada has about 10% of the world’s forests. Canada leads the world in zinc and uranium production. British Columbia has some of North America’s largest coal deposits. Huge reserves of oil and natural gas lie in Alberta, the Northwest Territories, and off the coast of Newfoundland.

Canadian Hydroelectricity Canadian Forests Canadian Hydroelectricity

Major Canadian Industries Every major U.S. automaker operates factories in Canada. Japan and Germany are the only countries that export more vehicles. Forest products are Canada’s single largest export. The trees are used to produce paper. Large amounts of lumber are exported to Asia, especially to Japan.

Other Jobs in Canada Not a lot of people work in mining or in agriculture, but these industries are very important because they provide important resources to Canada and the rest of the world. Most Canadians work in service industries. About 80 percent of them work in tourism, banking, and restaurants.

Environmental Problems The paper industry has created a lot of water pollution. Soil erosion is happening in some areas because of poor farming methods. Deforestation has been a problem because of the size of the logging industry. Some wetlands have been threatened which creates a variety of problems.