A Regional Geography of A Regional Geography of CanadaCanada

Study Canada 2012

David RossiterDavid RossiterDepartment of Environmental Studies, WWUDepartment of Environmental Studies, WWU

F H Johnston: Fire Swept – Algoma, 1920

“If some countries have too much history, we have too much geography.”

– PM W.L. Mackenzie King,1936

Whistler, BC backcountry. Photo: D. Rossiter, 2012

Oh, to brag…Oh, to brag…

• Second largest country• Canada’s total area: 9,984,670 sq.km

– 9,093,507 sq.km land– 891,163 sq.km freshwater.

• Coastline: 243,042 km– Longest in world

• Resource rich• Sparse yet diverse population

Source: Statistics Canada

BCALTA

SASK MTBA

ONT QUE

NBNS

PEI

NFLD and LAB

YK

NWT NVT

Pop QuizPop Quiz

Victoria

Edmonton

ReginaWinnipeg

Toronto

Quebec

Fredericton

Halifax

Charlottetown

St. John’s

Whitehorse

Yellowknife

Iqaluit

Vancouver

Calgary

Saskatoon

Ottawa Montreal

St. John

How to make sense of it all?How to make sense of it all?

• Physical base• Human geography – current patterns• Historical geography and political economy• Oil Canada: regions, environment, and

economy

The Physical BaseThe Physical Base

• Geology• Topography• Soils• Vegetation• Climate

Fundamental to understanding Canada’s human geography and historical development

The Late Wisconsin Ice AgeThe Late Wisconsin Ice Age

• Maximum extent 18,000 years ago• Started to recede 15,000 years ago• Last remnants in Rockies 7,000 years ago

Glacial till and erratic – NS

Drumlin – Alberta Glacial valley - Alberta

Appalachian UplandsAppalachian Uplands

• N. Appalachian Mountains

• Rounded uplands; narrow river valleys

• Rocky, shallow soils• Mixed forest• Cool, maritime climate

– short summer, wet winter

NFLD Coast

Great Lakes – St. Lawrence Great Lakes – St. Lawrence LowlandsLowlands

• Sedimentary rock and glacial deposits

• Flat, rolling topography

• Good soil• Moderate climate,

good growing season– humid and hot

summer / cold winterOak Ridges Moraine – S. Ontario

Canadian ShieldCanadian Shield• Geol. core of N.A.• Precambrian rocks

– > 3 billion yrs old

• Widespread glaciation– shallow soils, exposed

granite

• Mixed and Boreal forest• Northern continental

climate– hot, short summer / cold,

long winter

North Shore, Quebec

Interior PlainsInterior Plains• Sedimentary rock• Shaped by glacial and

hydrological processes– river valleys

• Drain east to Hudson Bay• Decent soils in south• Oil and gas deposits• Continental climate

– moderate precip.– hot summer / cold winter

Wheat fields outside Winnipeg, MB

South Saskatchewan River

CordilleraCordillera• Formed 40-80 million years

ago– colliding NA and Pac. plates

• Glaciers in high alpine• Fertile river valleys and

deltas• Mostly coniferous forest• Micro-climates

– warmer, wetter on coast– colder, drier in interior

Alberta Rockies

The Barrier – Coast Mountains

Hudson Bay LowlandsHudson Bay Lowlands• Youngest phyiso. reg. in

Canada• Muskeg

– w/ low ridges of sand and gravel

• Poorly drained– low elev., level surface

• Northern climate– maritime influence– short summer / long winter

Muskeg

James Bay delta

Arctic LandsArctic Lands• ~25% of Canada’s territory• Coastal lowlands & plateaux and mtns. (Innutian)• Mainly sedimentary rock w/ permafrost• Glaciers still active• Areas of polar desert

Baffin Island - Nunavut

Where are all the people?Where are all the people?

Short answer:

• In cities, near the USA– ~80% of Canadians live in cities (100,000+)– ~80% of Canadians live within 100km of USA

Population density, 2006Population density, 2006Map source: Atlas of CanadaMap source: Atlas of Canada

Total population, 2011 - 33,476,690Total population, 2011 - 33,476,690Source: Statistics CanadaSource: Statistics Canada

LegendLegend

Density by Census Div. (persons /

sq.km)

< 0.10.1-0.91.0-3.5

3.6-19.920.0-49.9

50.0-150.0> 150.0

Major Cities and Major Cities and Productive Productive Agricultural Agricultural LandsLands

Where are all the people?Where are all the people?

Longer answer:

• All over– “Heartland” (cities) draws on resources of

“hinterland”– north dominated by resource towns and regional

service centres

Resource Reliant Resource Reliant Communities, 2001Communities, 2001 Map source: Atlas of CanadaMap source: Atlas of Canada LegendLegend

30-100% of income from:

AgricultureAgricultureEnergyEnergyFisheryFisheryForestryForestryMiningMining

Financial Specialization, 1996Financial Specialization, 1996 Map source: Atlas of CanadaMap source: Atlas of Canada

LegendLegend

Degree of specialization

LowLow

toto

High

An historical-geography of An historical-geography of Canada’s political economyCanada’s political economy

in 10 minutes…in 10 minutes…

Three Popular ExplanationsThree Popular Explanations

• Staples Development– Canada developed by resource extraction

• Heartland-hinterland patterns– International, national, regional scales

• Physical disunity (or, unity despite geography)– Human settlement in patches, difference from

USA

Storehouse of Raw Materials?Storehouse of Raw Materials?• “Hewers of wood and

drawers of water”• Early Euro interests more

commercial than colonial – fish, fur, timber

• Settlement through extraction and export– Trade with “mother

countries”

• Resources still major economic sector

Regional Run-downRegional Run-down• New France (later Quebec / Lower Canada)

– From 17th C: “habitant” agriculture, fur trade, forestry

• Maritimes (NFLD, Acadia; later NB, NS, PEI)– From 17th C: fisheries, lim. ag.; 19th C: forestry NB

• Upper Canada; later Ontario– From 18th C: freehold agriculture; 19th C:

manufacturing in south, mining & forestry in north

• West (“the NW”, the prairies, the cordillera)– From 18th C: fur trade; 19th C: mining & forestry in BC,

agriculture in prairies

Source: www.canadianheritage.org

Changing Changing Economic Economic

Geographies:Geographies:

From East to From East to West (and back West (and back

again) in the late-again) in the late-1919thth C… C…

……to North and South (and all over) in the to North and South (and all over) in the 2020thth C. C.

GM plant – Oshawa, ON

Oil CanadaOil Canada

Source: http://www.energy.gov.ab.ca

Map source: nicholas.duke.edu

Northern GatewayNorthern GatewayMap source: pacifcwild.org

References

• Many maps and images were obtained at:– www.canadainfolink.ca/geog.htm– http://atlas.nrcan.gc/site/english/index.html

• Other resources:– A good atlas of Canada– Historical Atlas of Canada, vols. 1-3, University of

Toronto Press– Heartland and Hinterland, McCann and Gunn– Regional Geography of Canada, Bone