Physical geography of Canada and its culture, population, and economics

INTRODUCTION  I will look at each of the regions to see how the physical features affect the people and how they live there. For example, I will look at how they live and what cultures they have. I will also look at how their economy is affected by the physical features of the area.

The Canadian shield region  Physical features  Largest region in Canada  It covers half of Canada  It has  Thousands of lakes  Rocks  Forest Rocks on side of roads in Shield

ECONOMIC ACTIVITY  Mining  Rocks are rich in minerals  lead, gold, copper, zinc and uranium  Logging  The trees are very important  Logging is the Shield’s major industry  Pulp and paper  Shipped to markets overseas  Hydro-electricity  They harness the water from their lakes and rivers to produce electricity  Hydro-electricity has a major impact on the environment  Tourism  People who love the outdoors come to hunt, fish, and explore.

Population  Thinly populated  Average  one person per square kilometer  Most of the people live in towns or cities in the southern part of the shield which has most of the major transportation routes.

culture  Main industries are lumber and mining so many mining towns are in the Shield.  The type of people we expect from these industries are  Lumberjacks  Miners  I would not expect the people who live in the Shield to drive fancy cars because they don’t have as much money as other areas. Many of the roads go through the rocks and are narrow.

Great lakes-St. Lawrence Lowlands regions  Physical features  Largely the result of glaciations  Has two lowland areas that are separated by the shield.  Border the Great Lakes  St. Lawrence River runs into it  Rich soils Great Lakes

ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES  Manufacturing  the lowland region has most of Canada’s manufacturing industries  Variety of products  Iron and steel  Automobiles  Clothing  Well-developed transportation routes take products to other markets both in Canada and overseas  Agriculture  Good soils are naturally suited to agriculture  Long growing season for fruits and vegetables  Dairy products and meat are also produced  Most products are used to supply food to the huge local population

population  Very densely populated  Half of Canada’s population live there  Industries have lots of workers from the local population  Make use of the well- developed transportations systems The canals in St. Lawrence Seaway

culture  Manufacturing brings in more money so people have more money to spend  The people would drive more fancy cars  The people would likely shop more  They would go to theatres and movies  They would spend more on entertainment.

Cordillera region  Physical features  Includes most of BC, the Yukon and parts of Alberta  Mountains  Includes:  Coastal Mountains, Columbia Mountains and Canadian Rockies  Forested

ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES  Mining  Rich in metallic minerals  Copper  Gold  Silver  Lead  Zinc  Non-metallic minerals  Asbestos  Sand  Gravel  Agriculture  Orchards  Wineries  Lumbering  Large trees, good quality  Made into plywood rather than pulp and paper  Fishing  Salmon  They get a good price in markets in United States, western Europe and Japan  Tourism  Ski resorts and coastal attractions bring in thousands of tourists each year

Population  Most of the people live along the south end of the Cordillera Region  About half of the total population of the Cordillera Region lives in Vancouver and Victoria. Many of the rest live in the Okanagan Valley and the Fraser Plateau

culture  People living in the cities have more money  The people would drive bigger and more fancy cars  The people would likely shop more  They would go to theatres and movies  They would go out to eat more  They would spend more on entertainment  They people who don’t live in the cities would likely not have as much money and not likely live as fancy

Atlantic region  Physical features  Mostly highlands and very hilly  Mountains  Mountain Range is Appalachians  Mostly part of the mountains  Worn down and made smaller by erosion  Jagged coastlines Peggy’s Cove, NS

ECONOMIC ACTIVITY  Most people work in manufacturing and service industries  Agriculture  In low lying areas  Valleys have very rich, fertile soil  Crops include:  Potatoes  Apple orchards  Mining  Lead, zinc and coal  Fishing  Off Grand Banks  Cod  Lobster  Forestry  Pulp and paper  Tourism  Anne of Green Gables PEI

population  10% of the total population of Canada  Highest population density of all the provinces in Canada  Majority of the people live in cities. Potato fields, PEI

culture  The region has miners, fishermen, local farmers and lumberjacks so they are not very rich  They do not spend as much on entertainment as other areas  They do not own as many or drive as big of cars  Their tourism is based on local people’s heritage so old traditions are kept such as dance, music and games  Charlottetown, PEI

The Plains region  Physical features  Includes Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, part of BC and into Northwest Territories  Known for its “endless fields”  Rolling hills with deep wide river valleys  Excellent soil  Three levels  Manitoba is lowest and flattest with excellent soil for crops  Western Manitoba, Saskatchewan and northern Alberta is higher than Manitoba and is more rolling better for ranching  Western Saskatchewan and Alberta is highest and includes flat plains, plateaus, and gentle hills. Canola and elevator, Manitoba

Industry  Ranching  Beef production is very important  Alberta has about 40% of Canada’s beef herd  Farming  Wheat is the main crop  Barley, canola, oats, corn and sunflower  Mining  Alberta has about 50% of mineral production  Coal  Potash  Oil

Population  Very sparse but the population map in Pearson School Atlas shows it is spread out quite evenly distributed across the region  The population is spread out because the main industry is farming and ranching so people don’t live in cities as much like other regions. The textbook says two-thirds of the population lives in towns and cities. Population shown across Canada

culture  The Plains is known for its farmers and ranchers and cowboys.  Lots of country songs are written about the cowboys and pick-up trucks  People on the Prairies drive pick-up trucks  Cowboys are known for wearing cowboy hats  People on the Prairies are known for their homestyle meals  They are more family people

The North region  Physical features  Includes lowlands and highlands  Border the Arctic and Hudson Bay  Located above the line of permafrost  Lowlands are around Hudson Bay  Flat and swampy  Arctic Lowlands  Rolling The North landscape

ECONOMIC ACTIVITY  Trapping and hunting  Trading  Art work  Fishing  Arctic char  Snow Fox

population  Very thinly populated  Most settlements are very small  Less than 1000 people  Include Inuit and non- Native people  Non-Native people don’t stay

Culture  Inuit people are very proud of their cultures  Artwork shows their culture  Beading  tapestries  Carvings show dog sleds, fishermen, Inuit children  Pictures show local legends or stories  They are also known for their hunting and trapping  They are very family oriented  They are known for their story telling  Because there are few transportation routes they don’t travel a lot like other regions  They don’t own cars and snowmobiles are just starting to become popular but many still travel by dogsled Inuit art

CONCLUSION  After doing the research for this project, I found out that the physical features affected the people a lot. The physical features of the regions affected the kinds of jobs the people do to make a living. I found out that the population is heaviest in the lower part of Canada and that is where the cities are as well as the transportation routes. I also learned that the people of the regions are known for the kinds of jobs that the regions have which is what their cultures are made up of.