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A Regional Geography of A Regional Geography of CanadaCanada
Study Canada 2012
David RossiterDavid RossiterDepartment of Environmental Studies, WWUDepartment of Environmental Studies, WWU
F H Johnston: Fire Swept – Algoma, 1920
“If some countries have too much history, we have too much geography.”
– PM W.L. Mackenzie King,1936
Whistler, BC backcountry. Photo: D. Rossiter, 2012
Oh, to brag…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 QuizPop Quiz
Victoria
Edmonton
ReginaWinnipeg
Toronto
Quebec
Fredericton
Halifax
Charlottetown
St. John’s
Whitehorse
Yellowknife
Iqaluit
Vancouver
Calgary
Saskatoon
Ottawa Montreal
St. John
How to make sense of it all?How to make sense of it all?
• Physical base• Human geography – current patterns• Historical geography and political economy• Oil Canada: regions, environment, and
economy
The Physical BaseThe Physical Base
• Geology• Topography• Soils• Vegetation• Climate
Fundamental to understanding Canada’s human geography and historical development
The Late Wisconsin Ice AgeThe 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 UplandsAppalachian 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 Great Lakes – St. Lawrence LowlandsLowlands
• 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 ShieldCanadian 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 PlainsInterior 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
CordilleraCordillera• 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 LowlandsHudson 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 LandsArctic 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?Where are all the people?
Short answer:
• In cities, near the USA– ~80% of Canadians live in cities (100,000+)– ~80% of Canadians live within 100km of USA
Population density, 2006Population density, 2006Map source: Atlas of CanadaMap source: Atlas of Canada
Total population, 2011 - 33,476,690Total population, 2011 - 33,476,690Source: Statistics CanadaSource: Statistics Canada
LegendLegend
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 Major Cities and Productive Productive Agricultural Agricultural LandsLands
Where are all the people?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 Resource Reliant Communities, 2001Communities, 2001 Map source: Atlas of CanadaMap source: Atlas of Canada LegendLegend
30-100% of income from:
AgricultureAgricultureEnergyEnergyFisheryFisheryForestryForestryMiningMining
Financial Specialization, 1996Financial Specialization, 1996 Map source: Atlas of CanadaMap source: Atlas of Canada
LegendLegend
Degree of specialization
LowLow
toto
High
An historical-geography of An historical-geography of Canada’s political economyCanada’s political economy
in 10 minutes…in 10 minutes…
Three Popular ExplanationsThree Popular Explanations
• Staples Development– Canada developed by resource extraction
• Heartland-hinterland patterns– International, national, regional scales
• Physical disunity (or, unity despite geography)– Human settlement in patches, difference from
USA
Storehouse of Raw Materials?Storehouse of Raw Materials?• “Hewers of wood and
drawers of water”• Early Euro interests more
commercial than colonial – fish, fur, timber
• Settlement through extraction and export– Trade with “mother
countries”
• Resources still major economic sector
Regional Run-downRegional Run-down• New France (later Quebec / Lower Canada)
– From 17th C: “habitant” agriculture, fur trade, forestry
• Maritimes (NFLD, Acadia; later NB, NS, PEI)– From 17th C: fisheries, lim. ag.; 19th C: forestry NB
• Upper Canada; later Ontario– From 18th C: freehold agriculture; 19th C:
manufacturing in south, mining & forestry in north
• West (“the NW”, the prairies, the cordillera)– From 18th C: fur trade; 19th C: mining & forestry in BC,
agriculture in prairies
Source: www.canadianheritage.org
Changing Changing Economic Economic
Geographies:Geographies:
From East to From East to West (and back West (and back
again) in the late-again) in the late-1919thth C… C…
……to North and South (and all over) in the to North and South (and all over) in the 2020thth C. C.
GM plant – Oshawa, ON
Source: http://www.energy.gov.ab.ca
Map source: nicholas.duke.edu
Northern GatewayNorthern GatewayMap source: pacifcwild.org
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
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