Introducing
Your new presentation assistant.
Refine, enhance, and tailor your content, source relevant images, and edit visuals quicker than ever before.
Trending searches
39
CANADA
PHYSICAL FEATURES
Canada is the second-largest country in the world, comes in the middle between Russia and U.S.A, as Russia the first-largest country and U.S.A is the third-largest country.
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY
Canada shares some physical features with the United States. Just by looking to the map, you'll notice that mountains along the Pacific Coast and the Rocky Mountains extend North into Western Canada from the Western United States. In the East, the two countries share a natural border formed by the St. Lawrence River, which is also an important international waterway that links the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean. The United States and Canada share the Niagara Falls. The falls are located on the Niagara River between Ontario and New York.
Canada has a region of rocky uplands, lakes, and swamps called the Canadian Shield. This feature curves around Hudson Bay, which covers about half of the country. Farther North, Canada stretches all the way up to the Arctic Ocean. The land here is covered with ice year-round. Very few people live there, however the wildlife adapted over the years with such harsh environment.
CLIMATE
Canada's location greatly influences the country's climate. Canada is located far from the equator on high latitudes, giving it a cool to freezing temperatures year-round.
CLIMATE
The farther North you go in Canada, the colder it gets. The coldest areas of Canada are located close to the Arctic Circle. Much of central and Northern Canada has a subarctic climates. The far North has tundra and ice cap climate. About half of Canada lies in these extremely cold climates.
The Central and Eastern parts of Southern Canada have much different climate. It is humid and mild. However, the mildest area of Canada is along the coast of British Columbia. This location on the Pacific coast brings rainy winters and mild temperature. Areas of Southern Canada are colder and drier.
Banff
National
Park
NATURAL RESOURCES
Canada is rich in natural resources such as fish, minerals, and forests.
RESOURCES
Canada's Atlantic and Pacific coastal waters are among the world's richest fishing areas. Off the Atlantic coast lies a large fishing ground called Grand Banks.
Vast areas of forests stretch across most of Canada. These trees provide lumber and pulp. Pulp is a softened wood fibers, used to make paper. The United Sates, the United Kingdom, and Japan get much of their newsprint from Canada. Newsprint is cheap paper used mainly for newspaper.
Minerals are also valuable resources in Canada. The Canadian Shield contains many mineral deposits. Canada is a main source of the world's nickel, zinc, and uranium. Lead, copper, gold and silver are also important resources. Saskatchewan has large deposits of potash, a mineral used to make fertilizers. Alberta produces most of Canada's oil and natural gas.
HISTORY
CANADIAN HISTORY
Indians and the Inuit people were the first Canadians. Over the years, some of these native peoples divided into groups that became known as the First Nations.
One group living on Canada's vast interior plains, the Cree, were skilled bison hunters. In the far North the Inuit adapted to the region's extreme cold, where farming was impossible.
By hunting seals, whales, walruses, and other animals, the Inuit could feed, clothe, and house themselves. Today about 400,000 Indians and Inuit live in Canada.
Native Canadians
Other people migrated to Canada from Europe. The first Europeans in Canada were the Vikings, or Norse. They settled for a while but later abandoned their settlements. In the late 1400s, other Europeans arrived and explored Canada. Soon more explorers and fishermen from Western Europe began crossing the Atlantic.
Trade quickly developed between the Europeans and Native Canadians. Europeans valued the furs that Native Canadians supplied. The Canadians wanted European metal goods like axes and guns. Through trading, they began to also exchange foods, clothing and methods of travel.
France was the first European country to successfully settle parts of what would be Canada today. Quebec City was established by the French in 1608. They called their territory as New France, which included much of Eastern Canada and the Central United States.
New France was important as it was part of the French Empire, provided money and goods to French Settlers, and also served as a base to spread French Culture.
France had to compete with Britain, to control Canada. For French to defend their interest, they built trade and diplomatic relationships with Native Canadians. They exported furs, fish, and other parts of their empire. In addition, the French sent manufactured goods from France to New France. French missionaries also went to New France to convert people to Christianity.
All these efforts protected French interests in New France for 150 years, until the British finally defeated the French. Although it did not last, New France shaped Canada's cultural structure. The descendants of French settlers form one of Canada's major ethnic groups today.
New France
European Settlement
For several decades these new colonies developed separately from each other. The settlers viewed themselves different from the British Empire. Therefore, the British Parliament created the Dominion of Canada in 1867. A dominion is a territory or area of influence. For Canadians, the creation of the Dominion was a step toward independence from Britain. The motto of the new Dominion was "from sea to sea".
The Canadians wanted to create a connection through the entire nation "from sea to sea" with railroads. British Columbia, on the Pacific coast was not yet connected unlike Ontario and Quebec during the Dominion's establishment. To connect British Columbia with the provinces in the east, the Canadians built a transcontinental railroads. This was completed in 1885, the Canadian Pacific Railway was Canada's first transcontinental railroad.
As the ice sheets of the ice ages melted, people moved into all areas of what is now Canada. As they did elsewhere in the Americas, these ancient settlers adapted to the physical environment.
In the mid-1700s, the rivalry between France and England turned to war; French and Indian War. The war resulted in the British taking control of New France away from the French. A small number of French went back to France. However, the great majority stayed. For most of them, few changes occurred in their daily activities. They farmed the same land, prayed in the same churches, and continued to speak French. Few English-speaking settlers to what is called Quebec.
The British divided Quebec into two colonies. Lower Canada was mostly French-speaking, and Upper Canada was English-speaking. The boundary between Upper and lower Canada forms part of the border between the provinces of Quebec and Ontario today. Provinces are administrative divisions of a country. To the east, the colony of Nova Scotia was also divided. A new colony called New Brunswick was created where many of the British settlers lived.
British Conquest
Creation of Canada
CULTURE
Canada's people reflect a history of British and French colonial rule. In addition that the country experienced waves of immigration. The country is home to a great variety of people who belong to different ethnic groups and cultures. Although individual groups still keep their own cultural ways, although many Canadians have tried to create a single national identity.
Immigration
During the late 1800s and early 1900s, many immigrants came to Canada from Europe. Most were from Britain, Russia, and Germany. Some people also came from the United States. While most of these immigrants farmed, others worked in mines, forests and factories. Some even came to discover gold in the Northern Territories in 1879.
Immigrants also came to Canada from Asian countries, especially China, Japan, and India. British Colombia became the first Canadian province to have a large Asian minority. Many Chinese immigrants worked on the railroads and built most of the Canadian Pacific Railway.
All of these immigrants played an important part in Canada's economic boom, which was experienced in the early 1900s. During these prosperous times, Canada enjoyed the production of wheat, pulp, and paper, as well as the supplies of minerals and hydroelectricity. As a result, one of the highest standards of living in the world was enjoyed in Canada by 1940s.
Movement to Cities
After World War II, another wave of immigrants from Europe arrived in Canada. Many settled in Canada's large cities. For example, Toronto has become one of the most culturally diverse cities in the world. As Europeans joined, Africans, Caribbeans, Latin Americans, and Asians joined too.
Asian businesspeople have brought a great deal of wealth to Canada's economy. Also many Canadians moved from farms to cities to find jobs. For example, people moved to cities like Ontario, and British Columbia, Vancouver for its good job opportunities, mild climate, and location near plentiful resources. Resources such as oil, gas, potash, and uranium which have provided wealth to many cities in the Western Provinces. However, the political and economic center of power remains in the cities of Ottawa, Toronto, and Montreal.
CANADA TODAY
CANADA
TODAY
Canada's Government
"Peace, order, and good government" is a statement from Canada's constitution that Canadians greatly value. Canadians are proud of their democratic government, which is led by a prime minister. Similar to a president, a prime minister is head of country's government.
Canada's prime minister oversees or runs the country's parliament, Canada's governing body. Parliament consists of House of Commons who are elected by people and the Senate which is chosen by the prime minister. Canada's Central Government is like Federal Government.
Canada's Regions
The Western Provinces
West of Ontario are the Prairie Provinces of Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta. On the Pacific coast is the province of British Columbia. Together, these four provinces make up Canada's Western Provinces.
The southern grasslands of the Prairie Provinces are part of wheat belt. Farms here produce far more wheat than the Canadians need, meaning the extra is exported. Oil and natural gas production is very important economic activity in Alberta. The beauty of Canadian Rockies attracts many visitors to national parks in Western Alberta and Eastern British Columbia.
British Columbia is Canada's westernmost mountainous province. It is rich with natural resources, including forests, salmon, and valuable minerals. Nearly half of British Columbia's population lives in and around the coastal city of Vancouver. The city's location on Pacific coast helps it to trade with countries in Asia.
The Eastern Provinces
The Eastern Provinces region lies on the Atlantic Coast of Canada. The provinces of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island are also called Maritime Provinces, meaning Provinces near the sea. However, the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador are not considered one of the Maritime Provinces.
Farming seasons are limited in the Eastern Provinces. However, farmers in Prince Edward Island grow Potatoes. Most of the economy in Canada's Eastern Provinces is related to the Forestry and Fishing Industries. Many cities have industrial plants and serve as fishing and shipping ports. Along the Atlantic Coast lies Halifax, Nova Scotia, the region's largest city.
Regionalism
Canada's physical geography separates the country into different regions, as well as culture also defines region. For example, British Columbia are isolated from Canadians living in Eastern Provinces on Atlantic Coast like Quebec.
In addition, cultural differences between English-speaking and French-speaking have led to problems. English is the main language in most of Canada. In Quebec, however, French is the main language. When Canadians from different regions discuss important issues, they often influenced by regionalism. Regionalism refers to the strong connection that people feels toward the region in which they live. In some places, the connection is stronger than people's connection to their country is a whole.
The Canadian North
Northern Canada is extremely cold due to its location close to the Arctic Circle. The region called the Canadian North, includes the Yukon Territory, the Northwest Territories, and Nunavut. These three territories cover more than a third of Canada but are home to only about 100,000 people.
Nunavut is a new territory created for the native Inuit people who live there. Nunavut means "Our Land" in the Inuit language. Even though Nunavut is part of Canada, the people there have their own distinct culture and government. About 30,000 people live in Nunavut.
The physical geography of the Canadian North includes forests and tundra. The frozen waters of the Arctic Ocean separate isolated towns and villages. During some parts of the winter, sunlight is limited to only a few hours.
The Heartland
Inland from the Eastern Provinces Quebec and Ontario, which are referred as the Heartland. More than half of all Canadians live in these two provinces, which are the country's most urbanized region. The provincial capital of Quebec is also called Quebec, the older section of this city has narrow streets, stone walls and French Architectural style.
Montreal is Canada's second-largest and one of the largest French-speaking cities in the world. It is also the financial and industrial center of the province. Winters in Montreal are very cold, people use underground passages and overhead tunnels to move between buildings in the city's downtown.
The province of Ontario is Canada's leading manufacturing province. Hamilton, Ontario, is the center of Canada's steel industry, which exports much of it to the United States.
Ontario's capital is Toronto, a major center for industry, finance, education, and culture. Toronto's residents come from many different parts of the world, including China, Europe, and India.
Canada's national capital, Ottawa, is also in Ontario. In Ottawa many people speak both English and French. The city is known for its grand government buildings, parks, and several universities.
Canada's Economy
Trade
Canada's economy depends on trade. Many of Canada's natural resources are exported to countries around world. Canada's leading trading partner is the United States. As the world's largest trading relationship, Canada and the United States rely on each other. about 60% of Canada's imported goods are from the United States. About 85% of Canada's exports, such as lumber, goes to the United States.
Canada has many valuable natural resources. Canada's economy is based on these resources. In addition, Canada's economy also benefits from trade.
Industries
Canada is one of the world's leading mineral producers. Canadians mine valuable titanium, zinc, iron ore, gold, and coal. Canada's iron and steel industry uses iron ore to manufacture products like planes, automobiles and household appliances.
However, most Canadians work in service industry. For example, tourism is Canada's fastest-growing services industry. Canada's economy also benefits from the millions of dollars visitors spend in country each year.