Canada: A Regional GeographySTUDY CANADA Summer Institute 2016

David Rossiter, WWU

A Northern Silver Mine, 1930 – F. Carmichael

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

– PM Mackenzie King, 1936

Garibaldi Provincial Park, BC. Photo: D. Rossiter, 2012

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 Quiz

Victoria

Edmonton

ReginaWinnipeg

Toronto

Quebec

Fredericton

Halifax

Charlottetown

St. John’s

Whitehorse

Yellowknife

Iqaluit

Vancouver

Calgary

Saskatoon

Ottawa Montreal

St. John

The Physical Base

• Geology• Topography• Soils• Vegetation• Climate

Fundamental to understanding Canada’s human geography and historical development

The 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 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 Lowlands

• 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 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 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

Cordillera• 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 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 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?

Short answers: • Great Lks-St. Law. Lowlands: ~25% of pop.

– Windsor-Quebec City (“Laurentian” Canada)• Big Cities: ~1/3 of pop.

– Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver• In cities, near the USA

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

Population density, 2006Map source: Atlas of Canada

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

Legend

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 Productive Agricultural Lands

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 Communities, 2001 Map source: Atlas of Canada Legend

30-100% of income from:

AgricultureEnergyFisheryForestryMining

Financial Specialization, 1996 Map source: Atlas of Canada

Legend

Degree of specialization

Low

to

High

Lawren Harris, 1922 – Houses, St. Patrick’s St.

Wilderness or Urban Nation?

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