Canada Land and People

Physical Regions What is a physical region? Area of land that differs from other regions because of its geography

Physical Regions There are seven physical regions in Canada (each have different geographic features): Appalachian Region St. Lawrence Lowlands Canadian Shield Hudson Bay Lowlands Interior Plains Western Mountains Arctic Islands

Canadian Shield Largest physical region Rocky, swampy, with little soil Few people live here Why?

St. Lawrence Lowlands Smallest physical region More industries and more people than any other region Best farmland and major water source (St. Lawrence Seaway)

Appalachian Region Low mountains, fertile valleys Along the Atlantic coast Rich forests Lots of fish Beaches

Interior Plains Prairies and farms Wheat crop Northern section is very cold with poor soil

Western Mountains High mountains (Rockies) Pacific coast Known for vast forests and wildlife

Arctic Islands Too cold for trees to grow Mostly tundra (flat frozen ground) Has fjords (narrow area of sea between cliffs)

Hudson Bay Lowlands Mostly swamps Stretches across the southern part of Hudson Bay

Economic Regions What is an economic region? Regions based on what kind of economic activities are going on there How they make their own money in each region

Economic Regions These economic regions make up Canada’s provinces and territories Provinces: govern themselves a lot like our states do Territories: large land areas that do not have the same self-governing rights as provinces

Economic Regions Five main economic regions in Canada that each have different economic activities to make a good economy for Canada Maritime Ontario and Quebec Prairie British Columbia Territories

Maritime Region Also called the Atlantic region Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, Newfoundland, and Labrador Fishing is main economic activity

Ontario & Quebec Heartland of Canada Most goods are made here Economic success due to location next to Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River

Prairie Alberta, Manitoba, and Saskatchewan Canada’s “breadbasket” Farming is major economic activity Mining is also major activity (coal, oil, and natural gas)

British Columbia Forestry is major economic activities Cutting down trees, processing lumber, making paper Vancouver is biggest city in British Columbia Also Canada’s 3rd largest metropolitan area

Territories Nunavut, Yukon Territory, Northwest Territory Very few people live here, so there is little economic activity here

Economic Regions Canada imports and exports a lot In the past Canadians believed they should trade with each other before trading with other countries To do this, they passed a policy called “protectionism” (trade policy where government taxed imports so Canada would only trade within their own country) Today Canada has “free trade”, or trade without limits or protections (NAFTA) and trades a lot with USA and Mexico

Key Ideas Much of Canada’s wealth comes from its wide range of natural resources (minerals, trees, fossil fuels, fish, wheat, etc.) Canada has free enterprise, however, also has parts of a command economy At one time, Canada passes a trade policy called “protectionism” Today, Canada follows a system of free trade.

Key Words Protectionism: trade policy where government taxed imports so Canada would only trade within their own country Provinces: rule themselves much like states in the USA Territories: divisions of Canada that’s don’t have same self-governing systems as provinces Standard of Living: find by dividing GDP by total population