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Physical Geography of Canada. Landforms Canada’s mountainous eastern and western edges create a central region of fertile plains. Collisions of tectonic plates thrust up a series of sharp-peaked mountains, like the Pacific Ranges and Rockies.
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Physical Geography of Canada Landforms • Canada’s mountainous eastern and western edges create a central region of fertile plains. • Collisions of tectonic plates thrust up a series of sharp-peaked mountains, like the Pacific Ranges and Rockies. • A wide range of climates, from frozen tundra to humid continental, support a variety of wildlife. • Abundant water and energy resources make up Canada’s great natural resource wealth.
Physical Geography of Canada Water Systems • Canada's plentiful freshwater lakes and rivers support the needs of people and industries in both cities and rural areas. • The St. Lawrence River is one of Canada's most important rivers and forms part of the border between the United States and Canada. • The Niagara Falls, also on the border, is a key source of hydroelectric power.
Human Geography of Canada • Trace – to follow or study in detail or step by step. • Indigenous groups – native groups • Inuit – a member of the Arctic native people of North America • Formerly knows as Eskimos • Metis – people who have both indigenous and French Canadian ancestry • First Nations – people who are neither Inuit nor Metis. • 700,000 of the 1,250,000 indigenous Canadians • Dominion – a partially self-governing country with close ties to another country. • Canada was created as a Dominion to Great Britain. • Gained full independence in 1931 • 1982 - Constitutional Monarchy
Human Geography of Canada • Federal Government • Governor-general • Appointed by British Monarch (actual Head of State) • Prime Minister • Actual Head of the Government • Cabinet • Legislature • Senate & House of Commons • Supreme Court • 9 judges • Quebecois (key-beh-KWAH) – Quebec’s French-speaking inhabitants.
Human Geography of Canada • NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement) • Canada, United States, Mexico – eliminated tariffs • Separatism – the breaking away of one part of a country to create a separate, independent country. • Quebec • French-speaking • Loyalists – an American colonist who remained loyal to the British government. • Population • 34 million • 90% of the population lives within 100 mile of the U.S./Canadian border • Population density = 9/sq. mile • 81% live in urban areas • Toronto – largest city (2.6 million)
Human Geography of Canada • Multicultural society due to immigration. • Emigrate – leave your home country to settle in another. • Two official languages – English & French • Christians make up the largest religious group. • Government help • Education • 99% literate • Healthcare • Economics • Leader in production of uranium, iron ore, coal, petroleum, copper, and silver. • World’s third-largest producer of hydroelectricity
People and their environment • Managing Resources • Canada’s many natural resources have suffered due to the activities of fishing, logging, and mineral and oil and gas extraction. • Calls for federal protection and greater conservation efforts have increased to protect existing resources and to develop renewable ones. • Without conservation, rare ecosystems such as the boreal forest could be destroyed.
A variety of human activities affect the natural environment in Canada. In addition to diminishing resources through logging and overfishing, the burning of fossil fuels releases chemicals into the air creating acid rain, which pollute lakes, streams, and rivers. This negatively impacts the wildlife population by polluting their natural habitat.
People and their environment • Human Impact • Acid rain contaminates lakes, streams, and rivers. • Pollution in the United States can also negatively affect the environment in Canada. • Industrial pollution in waterways can harm water supplies and all who depend on them. • The Canadian and United States governments continue to work together to improve water quality and to encourage the resurgence of some fish populations.
Given Canada's location, much of the pollution from the United States reaches this country, and combined with its own emissions, timber and water resources are being threatened. The governments of the individual Canadian provinces are working hard to address environmental issues, including investigating renewable energy, efficient energy, and energy conservation projects.
Petajoule is a unit of energy equal to 1.0E+15 joules, symbol "PJ". This unit comes from a combination of metric-prefix "peta" and SI derived unit of energy "joule". Plural name is petajoules.
People and their environment • Addressing the Issues • The provinces individually take action to address climate change through the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. • Ontario’s Green Energy and Green Economy Act promotes green energy through conservation and financial incentives. • The Canadian government is exploring alternative energy sources such as wind and solar power. • Initial reports are positive, but time is needed to see which methods of alternative energy will be successful.
