CANADA

Physical Geography of Canada

Think, Pair, Share

• With the person sitting next to you, make a list of things you think of when you think of Canada.

All About Canada!

• Canada is on the continent of North America.• The country stretches from the Atlantic Ocean

to the Pacific Ocean.• The Arctic Ocean is north and the United

States is south.

#1

All About Canada!• The second largest country in the world (Russian Federation is the largest)• Ten provinces and three Territories – • Provinces : 1. Alberta (Edmonton)2. British Columbia (Victoria)3. Manitoba (Winnipeg) 4. New Brunswick (Fredericton)5. Newfoundland and Labrador(St. John's) 6. Nova Scotia (Halifax) 7. Ontario (Toronto) 8. Prince Edward Island (Charlottetown) 9. Quebec (Quebec City) 10. Saskatchewan (Regina)• Territories : 1. Yukon (Whitehorse)2. Nunavut (Iqaluit) 3. Northwest Territories (Yellowknife)

# 2

All About Canada• Population 33,212,696 (July 2008 est.)• Capital city of Canada – Ottawa, Ontario• Leader of Canada - Prime Minister • Emblem - maple leaf• Flag - red and white with a red maple leaf• Canada's birthday is on the first of July.• Animal - the beaver• Motto - "From sea to sea“• National anthem - "O Canada“• RCMP (Royal Canadian Mounted Police) the national police force• There are six time zones

# 3

The People of Canada• Most of the people live in the southern part of

Canada.• About 77 percent of Canadians live in cities and

towns.• The largest cities are Toronto, Montreal and

Vancouver.• Toronto - 5.5 million • Montreal - 3.6 million • Vancouver - 2.1 million• Canada's two official languages are English and

French.• More than 9 million Canadians speak French.• Ethnic groups include- • British Isles origin 28% • French origin 23% • other European 15%• North American Indian 2%• Other mostly Asian, African, Arab 6%, mixed

background 26%

• Canada is the home of over a million Aboriginal people.

• Three Aboriginal groups : First Nations, Métis and Inuit.

Land and Water

• -Canada has the world's longest coastline.• There are oceans on three sides - Pacific ( west), Atlantic ( east), Arctic (north).• Nearly one-fourth of all the fresh water in the world is in Canada.• Glaciers shaped the land and created many lakes (about 2 million lakes).• The Mackenzie River ( in the N.W.T. ) is the longest river in Canada.• Ships sail inland on the St. Lawrence River (from the Atlantic Ocean to the

Great Lakes).• Forests cover almost half of Canada.• Canada has one-tenth of the world's forests. • Mount Logan in the Yukon Territory is Canada's tallest peak at 5,959 metre’s.

GEOGRAPHYCanada has six main geographical regions:

Appalachian Highland, Canadian Shield, Arctic, Lowlands, Interior Plains, Cordillera

HISTORY in Brief

-The first people were the Aboriginal people.-Explorers and settlers from Western Europe arrived in the 1500s. -Canada was named by the French explorer Jacques Cartier (1535).-The name "Canada" comes from the Huron and Iroquois word "Kanata" meaning "village".-Canada became a country on July 1st, 1867.-The first provinces were Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Ontario and Quebec.-The first prime minister was Sir John A. Macdonald.

RESOURCES• -Forests, plants, animals and fish are some of

Canada's renewable resources.-Renewable resources can be replaced by nature. -Canada has 10% of the world's forests.-Minerals, metal, natural gas, and oil are some of Canada's nonrenewable resources.-They cannot be replaced by nature.-Hydroelectric power is sold to the United States.-Canada is one of the largest mining nations in the world.-Over 60 minerals and metals are produced in Canada.-Canada is the third largest diamond producing nation in the world.-Canada is the world's leader in the production of potash and uranium.

• -There are many different types of farms in Canada: grain farms, vegetable farms, fruit orchards, livestock and dairy farms

• There are 42 national parks in Canada.

• Parks were created to protect the forests, plants and wildlife. Canada has laws to protect the wild animals and plants that are endangered.Hunting, mining and logging are not allowed in parks.

• The largest park in Canada is Wood Buffalo National Park, in Alberta and the Northwest Territories. It is home of the world's largest bison herd and the only nesting site of the endangered whooping crane.-The oldest National Park is Banff in Alberta. It was created in 1885 as Rocky Mountain Park.