Canada

RegionsQuest for National Identity

Canada• Vast land that covers most of the northern half

of North America

• Shares many physical characteristics with USA

Examples: Appalachian Mountains, Rocky Mountains, Great Lakes, St. Lawrence River, Atlantic and Pacific Oceans,

• Unique cultural characteristics (in Quebec they speak French and some want to break away from Canada), opportunities, and challenges

10 Provinces/Territories

• The provinces/territories are political divisions

• 4 regions

1. Atlantic Provinces (sometimes called

the maritime provinces)

2. Core Provinces

3. Prairie Provinces

4. Pacific Provinces and Territories

Map of Canada

The Atlantic Provinces

• Newfoundland, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick.

• These border the Atlantic Ocean• Part of the Appalachian Mountains.• Rolling hills; thousands of lakes and ponds;

humid continental and subarctic; mixed deciduous forest and coniferous forest.

• Glaciers moved across the area, leaving soil, strewn rocks and boulders.

PicturePicture

Links to the Sea

• Hundreds of bays and inlets – excellent harbors for fishing fleets.

• Most residents live along the coast.

• Smallest of Canada's regions – 5% of Canada's land – 8% of its population

Economic Activities

• Was once the worlds richest fishing area

• Overfishing has led to limits on the number of fish that can be caught.

• Forestry and farming also important.

• Today – tourism is increasing, and newly found off-shore oil.

Core Provinces

• Province of Quebec and Ontario = the heartland of Canada

• Distinguished by three distinct landscapes

1. Canadian shield – poor soil, cold climate, but rich in mineral deposits. It covers most of Quebec and Ontario.

2. Hudson Bay Lowlands – flat, sparsely populated, swampy region between the Canadian Shield and Hudson Bay.

3. The St. Lawrence Lowlands – rich soil, mild climate. 60% of Canada's population lives in this region.

Characteristics Of Ontario• Most important feature – system of waterways.• St. Lawrence Seaway – connects the St. Lawrence

River with the Great Lakes. (“Canada's highway to the sea”)

• Great Lakes differ in elevation.

Lake Superior – 600 feet above sea level

Lake Ontario – 245 feet above sea level.• The system has a series of locks

LOCK – enclosed area on a canal that raises or lowers ships from one water level to another.

LOCK’S

Ontario continued…

• Ontario has rich soil, and abundant mineral resources.

• Southeastern part – farming, most people live here, manufacturing area (cars, food products, clothing, building materials)

• Toronto

capital of Ontario

largest metropolitan area in Canada.• Ottawa – national capital of Canada

Ottawa

Quebec

• Largest province in Canada in terms of area – population not evenly distributed.

• Most live around the St Lawrence river valley – few on the Canadian Shield.

• Canadian Shield –

covers 4/5’s of the province.

bedrock – solid rock that is usually covered with soil, gravel, sand.

forest, rivers, lakes, streams; treeless tundra in the very north

• Southeastern border – Appalachian Mountains

• Center for mining and forestry

• Montreal – largest city on the Quebec province

• Quebec – oldest city in Canada

• Founded in 1608 – Samuel de Champlain.

Quebec

The Prairie Provinces

• Alberta, Manitoba, and Saskatchewan

• Southwestern Canada – between the Rocky Mountains and the Canadian Shield.

• Associated with rolling fields of wheat, clear cool lakes, rivers, and mysterious badlands filled with strange, eroded sand and rock formations.

Patterns of Settlement

• 50% + live in cities.• Largest cities are located at strategic points

along the railroads that were built in the late 1800’s.

• Winnipeg – established at an important river crossing as railroad tracks were laid from the east through the Canadian Shield.

• Edmonton, Alberta – established at points where each rail line headed into mountains.

Canadian Railroad

Economic Activities

• Prairie Provinces – provide most of Canada's grain and cattle.

• Wheat – transported by rail to ports on the Pacific Ocean, the Great Lakes, and the Hudson Bay.

• Tourism – national parks.

• In Alberta, oil was discovered = new source of wealth for the region.

Pacific Provinces and Pacific Provinces and TerritoriesTerritories

• British Columbia is Canada’s western most province.

• Mountain ranges cover nearly all of British Columbia.

• 80% of the population live in Vancouver.• Plentiful natural resources – salmon, forest,

and minerals• One of Canada's wealthiest regions.• Victoria, the capital – southeastern tip of

Vancouver Island.

Vancouver

Vancouver Continued…

• The province largest city

• Excellent harbor – mild/wet marine west coast climate.

• Canada’s major port on the Pacific Ocean.

• Trade with Asia has increased – immigration from Asia also.

The Territories

• Yukon Territory, Northwest Territory, and Nunavut.

• Nunavut – established in 1999. It was a part of the Northwest Territory – claimed settlement with the Native Americans.

• Cold treeless lands, sparsely settledfewer than 1% of Canada’s

population.

Pictures/Maps

• Majority of the population – Inuit = “the people”.

• Inuit – live north of the forest• Contact with Europeans – seal hunting still

an important economic activity, modern hunters use snow mobiles instead of dog sleds.

• Modern technology – student’s attending classes transmitted via satellite/TV/radio.

• Rich deposits of minerals – gold, silver, copper, zinc, lead, iron ore, uranium, oil, and natural gas

• Mid 1980’s – an oil pipeline was built to deliver oil to southern markets.

• Many deposits have not been developed because of the harsh environment.

The Inuit’s