Transcript REGIONS OF CANADA

8-1
• A. Canada is a vast land that covers most of
the northern half of North America
• B. Divided into 10 provinces (political divisions)
• A. 4 Atlantic Provinces:
• 1.
• 2.
• 3.
• 4.
Newfoundland and Labrador
Prince Edward Island
Nova Scotia
New Brunswick
• B. Links to the Sea
• 1. since they have close ties to the sea, they are often called
the Maritimes (bordering on or related to the sea)
• 2. the coastlines are marked by hundreds of bays, inlets, and
harbors
• 3. smallest of Canada’s regions (5% land and 8%
population)
• C. Economic Activities
• 1. Fishing
• a. The Grand Banks off the coast of Newfoundland and
Nova Scotia were at one time the world’s richest fishing
areas
• b. Years of overfishing depleted the supply so much that
Canada suspended cod fishing there in 1992…leading
to many people becoming unemployed
• c. Now many people began catching shrimp and crab
instead
• 2. Forestry and Farming
• a. fruit, vegetable, and dairy farming take place where
climates permit (specifically in Prince Edward Island)
• 3. Tourism
• A. 2 Great Lake Provinces
• 1. Quebec
• 2. Ontario
• B. Core of Canada’s population (60%) and
economic activity
• C. Characteristics of Ontario
• 1. most important feature is its system of waterways
• 2. St. Lawrence Seaway (connects the Great Lakes to the St.
Lawrence River) is known as “Canada’s Highway to the Sea”
because of the volume of goods that travel this way
• 3. Ontario has rich soil and abundant mineral resources
• 4. much of the land is used for farming and many goods are
manufactured and distributed here
• 5. Toronto (Ontario’s capital) is the largest metropolitan area
in Canada
• 6. Ottawa (the national capital of Canada) is located in
Ontario
• D. Characteristics of Quebec
• 1. largest province in size
• 2. most of Quebec’s population is located around the St.
Lawrence River Valley
• 3. the northern 4/5 of the province is called the Canadian
Shield, which is an area of exposed bedrock (solid rock that is
covered by soil, gravel, and sand)
• 4. Appalachian Mountains are located on the southeastern
border
• 5. mining, forestry, farming, and manufacturing are among the
important economic activities in Quebec
• 6. Montreal is Quebec’s largest city
• 7. Quebec’s capital is also called Quebec (oldest city in
Canada) and was founded in 1608 by Samuel de Champlain
• A. 3 Prairie Provinces:
• 1. Alberta
• 2. Manitoba
• 3. Saskatchewan
• B. Southwestern Canada between the Rocky
Mountains and the Canadian Shield
• C. Patterns of Settlement
• 1. half or more of the population in these provinces live in
cities
• 2. largest cities lie along the old railroad lines from the
1800s (Winnipeg, Edmonton, Calgary, Saskatoon, and
Regina)
• 3. described as a region where “grains and trains dominate
life”
• D. Economic Activities
• 1. provide most of Canada’s grain and cattle (wheat is the
major crop)
• 2. tourism is also very important
• 3. the discovery of oil and natural gas also provided good
economic backing
• A. Canada’s westernmost province
• B. Inside Passage – waterway between the long string
of islands and the Coast Mountains in BC
• C. Since most of BC is covered by mountain ranges,
more than 4/5 of the population live in or near
Vancouver
• D. Natural resources include salmon, forests, and
minerals (all have helped BC become one of Canada’s
wealthiest provinces
• E. Victoria (province’s capital)
• F. Vancouver (province’s largest city) has an excellent
harbor, which helps Canada increase its trade with
Asia
• G. Many people from Canada move to Vancouver
after retirement
• A. 3 Territories:
• 1. Yukon Territory
• 2. Northwest Territories
• 3. Nunavut
• B. Cold, largely treeless lands are sparsely settled
• C. The population in these 3 areas are less than 1%
of Canada’s total population
• D. A Changing Culture
• 1. many who live here are native people called Inuit (“the
people”)
• 2. the Inuit live north of the forests
• 3. contact with people of European ancestry has changed
the way they live (ex. Many use snowmobiles instead of dog
sleds to cross frozen lands, and many children take classes
transmitted over radio or television systems)
• E. A Difficult Environment
• 1. northern territories contain rich mineral deposits including
gold, silver, copper, zinc, lead, iron ore, and uranium
• 2. much of these minerals are still buried underground
because it is often times too difficult to reach them due to the
environment and climate