Transcript Regions of North America: Canada

World Geography Unit 04, Lesson 01
Regions of North America:
Canada
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Canada
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Made up of ten provinces and three
Territories.
 2nd largest country in land area.
 Largest block of population settled in the
southeast near the valley of the St.
Lawrence Seaway.
 Shares more than 5,000 miles (8,050 km)
of border with the US, which is generally
open and allows easy cultural and
economic connections between the
populations on both sides of the
boundary.
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Canada
Satellite view of Canada, Alaska
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Regions of Canada
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Maritime Atlantic Provinces- Nova Scotia, New
Brunswick, Prince Edwards Island, and
Newfoundland.
Core – Quebec and Ontario (Includes French Canada
Prairie Provinces –
Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta
Western ProvinceBritish Columbia
Northern Frontier- Nunavut,
Northwest Territory, Yukon
Regions
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Physical
Geography
What physical features of
Canada are shared with the U.S.?
Physical Features:
•Canadian Shield
•Arctic Coastal Plain
• Central Lowlands
• Great Plains
• Rocky Mountains
• Intermontane Basins
• Coastal Ranges
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Canadian
Shield
What is the Canadian Shield?
The Canadian Shield is the largest
region in Canada. The Canadian Shield
covers most of the Northwest Territories
This region is shaped like a saucer. The
area covers 1.8 million square miles.
The Canadian Shield has many natural
resources. Under most of this tree
covered land is the oldest rock in the
world which contains many minerals
such as copper, zinc, iron, gold, silver,
uranium, diamonds and lead.
Water is also one of the most important
natural resources in this area. Many
Canadian river systems flow through
this region emptying into the Arctic
Ocean or into the Hudson's Bay. The
main rivers on the Canadian Shield are
the Mackenzie and Nelson.
World Geography, Unit 3, Lesson 2
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Climate Descriptions
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Humid Continental (short summers) along the
southern border of Canada warm to hot (and often
humid) summers and cold (sometimes severely cold)
winters.
Steppe climate in the Prairie Provinces intermediates
between desert climates (BW) and humid climates
Highland climate in the Rockies (cold, average temps
of about 50*, also known as Alpine climate
Marine West Coast (along British Columbia) warm,
but not hot summers and cool, but not cold winters
Subarctic (interior north of Canada) (cold and mild)
Tundra- Northern fringes (permafrost- permanently
frozen soil, very cold)
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Population Geography of Canada
About ninety percent of Canada’s
population lives within 100 miles (161
km) of the US-Canadian border.
 One-third of Canada’s population lives
in Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver.
 Chief trading partner of the US
(source of US energy imports)
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Population Density
About 90% of Canada’s population lives within 100min of the USCanadian border. 1/3 of Canada’s population lives in Toronto,
Montreal and Vancouver.
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Maritime or Atlantic Provinces
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Atlantic Canada - consists of the provinces of
Newfoundland, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and
Prince Edward Island
Cod fishing - mainstay of its economy ever since
earliest settlement
The Grand Banks - east of this region, have long
been a rich source of fish harvest because of the
mixing of warm waters from the south and cold
from the north.
Recently, the Banks have become so over-fished
that they have lost their capacity to support the
region's fishing population.
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Core Provinces
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Ontario and Quebec - the two provinces which
make up the core of Canadian settlement and
political influence.
Two-thirds of Canada's population lives in this
region.
The margins of the St. Lawrence River and the
Great Lakes make up the areas of primary
settlement and industrial activity.
Ontario- strongly British, and Quebec is powerfully
French in its cultural flavor, with 80% of the Quebec
population of French origin.
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Prairie Provinces
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Prairie region - made up of Manitoba,
Saskatchewan, and Alberta.
– Wheat, petroleum, and coal - major economic
resources
 Major urban centers include Edmonton, Calgary,
and Winnipeg. These centers provide linkage east
and west with other major Canadian regions and also
to the North.
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Western Province
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Western Frontier - centered in Vancouver, British
Columbia, at the mouth of the Fraser River.
 More than one-half of the province's population
lives in the Vancouver area, which is the region's
main industrial, administrative, financial, and
cultural center.
 Vancouver is home to the second largest
Chinatown in North America.
 Shares many of the same characteristics at the
Pacific Northwest of the U.S.
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Northern Frontier: Territories
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Canadian North – sparsely
populated
– Nickel, copper, and uranium are the
major resource metals mined and
exported from the area.
– Forestry, pulp manufacture, and
hydroelectricity - additional economic
resources
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Nunavut is the newest political unit.
(1999) a unit of territory defined by
boundaries set by political authority and usu.
having a separate political organization
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