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REGIONAL GEOGRAPHY OF CANADASocial Studies 9/10Chapter Notes

CANADA: A REGIONAL GEOGRAPHYWhat regions are evident?

Five Themes of Canadas GeographyLocation: relative and absolutePlace: human and physicalHuman and Environment Interactions: adaptation, modification, dependenceMovement: migration and transportationRegions: consistent, focused, aligned, linkedCanada: territorial template over satellite photo composite

Divisions and PlacesPlacing the Canadian map

Political divisions: provinces and territories

Fundamentals of physical geographyGeology-process, structure, timeTopography-relief, slopeSoils-texture, pH, organic matterVegetation-water, arboreal, ecotoneClimate-air mass, current, precipitation, temperature, system

Underlying geology

Pink: precambrian granitesGreen: younger sedimentsYellow: faulted and meta-morphized sedimentsBlue: older sediments

Glacial legacy

Wisconsin-last ice age, maximum 18,000 yrs. BPSouthern limits-Wisconsin and Ohio ValleyRecedes-15,000-7,000 yrs. BPCovers virtually all of Canada and northern USIce free corridor from Alaska through Yukon into northern BCRemnant glacial landscapes

Ice marginEnd moraine Glacial lakesSpillways Kettle lakesEskersDrumlinsTill plainErratic Glacial till and erratic

esker

Drumlin and drumlin field

Glacial lake Louise and Paternoster Lakes

St. Lawrence Lowlands

Less than 2% of landmass; smallest regionWindsor to Quebec CitySedimentary geology with glacial depositsModerate climateFertile soilsLong growing seasonClose to the USCanadian HEARTLANDFrench Canadian long lot farms and Niagara Falls

The Great Lakes and Ottawa

Toronto climate

Canadian Shield

50% of Canadas landmass; largest regionAlmost entirely contained in CanadaGeological core underlies North AmericaPrecambrian rocks more than 3 billion yrs.Exposed granite and shallow soilsGlaciation evidentMixed Boreal forestNorthern continental climate

Canadian shield vistas

Ste. Agathe climate

Appalachian Uplands

Over 2% of landmassNorthern part of AppalachiansRounded uplands and plateauxNumerous islands along drowned shorelineNarrow river valleysRocky, shallow soilsMixed forestsCool maritime climate Short summer wet, winter Interior farms and forests, coastal settlements

Fredericton, NB

Hudson Bay Lowlands

Over 3.5% landmassMuskeg or wet peat landsMany lakesLow ridges of sand and gravelPoorly drainedLevelNorthern climateMaritime influenceShort, warm summerLong, cold winterMoosonee climate graph and Hudson Bay Lowland vista

Interior Plains

About 20% land massGeologic base of sedimentary rockShaped by glaciation and re-directed drainageIncised river valleysSlopes up from east to west with rich soilsHudsons Bay watershedOil and gas depositsContinental climateModerate to low precipitation

Plains agriculture and Regina climate graph

Cordillera

Region of intra-regional differencesAbout 16% of land massFormed 40-80 million years ago from collision of North American and Pacific PlatesRockies up thrust sedimentsCoastal mountains volcanic: ring of fireGlaciers remain in Alpine areasFertile valleys and deltasConiferous Multiple micro-climates

Mountains and valleys

Banff and Victoria climate graphs

Arctic lowlands

About 13% land massCoastal plains and lowlandsIslands and drowned shorelinesSedimentaryPermafrost Frost action is the main geomorphic processPolar desert with very low precipitationExtreme arctic climate conditions

Iqaluit climate graph and Arctic Lowlands vista

Innuitian Mountains

About 12% land massPlateaux and mountainsExtreme glaciation and extensive weathering of sedimentary rockExtensive coastal drowning and fjiordsIslands Uplifting and isostatic reboundExtreme coldPack ice and ice flowsGlacier calvingArctic mountain scenery and resolute climate graph

Drainage: Well drained south; poorly drained north

Climate

Continental and maritime influencesPrevailing windsJet streamMountain effectsAir massesFreezing pointSeasonal variabilityPrecipitationCloud coverEvaporationWhere are the people? Population distribution

In cities near the USA80% in cities over 100,00080% within 100km of the US bordermain street Canada: Windsor to Quebec CityAgricultural western interiorCoastal and river valley settlement in Atlantic regionResource points in the Shield and the NorthWestern cordillera valleys and the BC coast

Canada CMAs and Population Change, 1996-2001

Canadas Urban and Agricultural settlement Archipelago

Pattern set over 100 years agoIslands of population and settlement amid a vast, inhospitable and often empty landContrast between heartland and hinterlandRegional centersHugging the borderThe empty northThe People, Place, Region RelationshipCanada has always had urban centers where most people lived and workedUrban centers were surrounded by a rural sphere to constitute the heartlandBeyond the rural lands, towns and villages, a sparsely populated resource extraction periphery or hinterland extended to the farthest reaches of the country With transportation advances people moved to the commuting suburbs of cities Three Popular Canadian Explanations and One Not So Popular Bilateral ExplanationCanada as a storehouse of raw materials: old and new explanationsFisheries, then and now: Historic Grand Banks; Pacific Salmon catch and prospects

Fur trade legacy

Renewable forestry

Agricultural potential

Agricultural production

Minerals and Mining

Mining potential

Oil

Metropolitan Heartland

main street CanadaRed area is continuous urban ribbonGreen area is adjacent commuter shed and integrated use regionToronto and Montreal metropolitan cores linked to other growth centers along the spineBC lower mainland and calgary-edmonton corridor

Financial services

CN and CP railway systems

Airports and airport authorities

Ethnic diversity

Ethnic minorities in citiesToronto: Canadas cosmopolitan leaderAllophones in MontrealAsian populations expand in most citiesBlack populations in most Canadian cities but predominate in eastAboriginal populations growing in all urban centers

Canadas regional character: socio-economic regions shaped byShape affected by:Heartland/Hinterlands relationsConfluence of political, cultural and social dynamics=regional identityProximity of the US

Meshing physiography and human geography to comprehend Canadas Regions

Canadas regions mapNorth and south distinguishedSettlement and urbanization acknowledgedCultures recognizedPolitical divisions sustainedTraditional aggregates

Placing Canada into temporal and geographical context

1000s of years of indigenous human presenceEuropean contact over centuries: late 15th to 19th European re-settlement by force, treaty, depopulation (disease)Historical geography matters socially, politically and ecologicallyMap shows Canada at ConfederationCanada in global context (globalization index)

Current Geographical IssuesNative land claims: British Columbia, the North, creation of NunavutEnvironmental crises: energy, climate change, forest degradationBorders: US, ArcticFederal/Provincial: the national/regional power balancing act, fiscal controlCity growth and expansion: newcomers, transportation, crime, planning

Key words and conceptsGeography BasicsAdaptationHuman and environment interactionLocationPlaceProvinceRegion Territorial template Territory

Physical GeographyAir massAlpine Appalachian ArchipelagoArctic LowlandsBorealCanadian ShieldContinental climateCordilleranDrainage systemDrumlinDrowned shorelineEnd moraine

Physical Geography (cont.)ErraticEskerFjiordGlacial lakeGlaciationGlacier calvingHudson Bay LowlandsIce free corridorIncised valleyInnuitian Interior PlainsIsostatic rebound

JetstreamKettle lakeMaritime climateMicro-climateMuskegPack icePaternoster lakesPeatlandsPermafrostPhysiographic regionPlant hardiness zonePolar desertPrecambrian

Physical Geography (cont.)ReliefRing of FireSedimentarySpillwaySt. Lawrence LowlandsTopographyTill plainWisconsin glaciationHuman GeographyAboriginalAgri-foodAirport authorityAllophone

Borderland relationshipBorders CMACN and CPCommuter shedClimate changeCorridorConfederationCultural identityEuropean contactEnergy crisisEthnic diversityEthnic minorityFederal/Provincial issues

Human Geography (cont.)Forest heritageFur tradeGlobal linkagesGlobal relationshipsGlobalization IndexGrand BanksHeartland/HinterlandIndigenousMain Street CanadaMetropolitan coreMineral leaseNative land claimsOil pipelinePhysical disunityPopulation densityResource extraction peripheryResource pointsRural sphereStaples developmentSuburban areaUrban centerReferences Adams, Michael, Fire and Ice: The United States, Canada, and the Myth of Converging Values. Toronto: penguin, 2003.Bone, Robert M. The Regional Geography of Canada. Don Mills: Oxford, 2005.Lemon, James T. Liberal Dreams and Natures Limit: Great Cities of North America Since 1600. Toronto: Oxford, 1996.Lipset, Seymour M. Continental Divide: The Values and Institutions of the United States and Canada. New York: Routledge, 1990.McCann, L. D., ed., A Geography of Canada: Heartland and Hinterland. Scarborough: Prentice-Hall, 1982 (several later editions).Warkentin, John, Canada: A Regional Geography. Scarborough: Prentice-Hall, 1997.

Many maps and images may be obtained at the following websites as well as through search engines:www.canadainfolink.ca/geog.htmhttp://atlas.nrcan.gc/site/english/index.html Any comprehensive atlas of Canada is an assetSee also, Historical Atlas of Canada. 3 volumes. Toronto: University of Toronto Press.