Download Unit ONE Canada Geography, and You

Unit ONE Canada Geography, and You
 In geography, landscape refers to the natural features [e.g.,
mountains, rivers, wildlife] and human features [e.g., farmer’s fields,
buildings that you can see in an area.
 Place is any spot or area on the surface of the earth
 Canada is the second largest country in the world, second only to
Russia
Two ways to give the location of a place:
1. Relative location: shows the way that places are connected to other
places
2. Absolute location: the exact location of a place measured by its
latitude and longitude
Canada is divided into different regions [areas with similar characteristics]
found on page 11 of textbook
Three types of rock:
1. Igneous Rock - formed when magma cools and solidifies
- contain minerals such as iron, copper, zinc and gold
2. Sedimentary Rock- formed when grains of sand and soil and rock
particles are carried away, usually by water and wind, and laid down
in layers
- Contain deposits of fossil fuels such as coal, oil, and natural gas
3. Metamorphic rocks- when igneous rocks and sedimentary rocks
change into new rock types through heat and pressure
- example limestone turns into marble
How does nature shape the landscape?
Two different kinds of forces are at work, WEATHERING and
EROSION. Weathering is the breaking up of rocks into smaller pieces by
wind, rain, water, ice, plant roots and chemical reaction. Erosion is the
movement of broken up particles to other places.
How are mountains formed?
Mountains are formed by a push-and-pull process known as plate
tectonics. For example, the Appalachian Mountains in eastern Canada were
formed when the North American Plate collided with Europe and northern
Africa more than 300 million years ago.
The power of ice
Glaciers are key agents of erosion and deposition [laying down of earth
materials]. Glaciers moves across the land, it bulldozes everything in its
path, picking up soil, gravel, trees, huge chunks of rock. This is later
deposited in other places. The Great Lakes and Fiords of BC were created
by glaciers.
INTERACTIONS
-interactions are influences that people or things have on each other
- nothing on Earth exists without interactions
Three main types of interactions:
1. Nature has an impact on people
By studying how natural events affect people, we can prepare for
these events so that there are fewer lives lost and less damage.
2. People have an impact on their environment
Studying how people affect their environment can help us manage
our natural resources so they are sustainable[able to last into future]
3. People’s actions may affect other people
Studying how people’s actions may affect other people can help us
improve the quality of life for more people.
How does Nature affect People?
- Affects where people live and the activities they engage in
- Provide a setting for recreation and tourism
- Provide us with a wealth of resources and lure people to work
in resource based towns
- Natural hazards like hurricanes, earthquakes, tornados and
tsunamis [gigantic, fast moving wave caused by an undersea
earthquake] cause death and destruction
How do people affect the natural environment?
- Human activities, such as growing crops, cutting forests,
building dams, and cities, and creating waste have changed the
surface of Canada.
- Some activities have helped the natural setting, such as
recycling and good farming practices
- Some activities have harmed the natural setting like producing
waste that pollutes streams and farming practices that erode the
soil
Sustainable Development
- Means improving our quality of life while using natural
resources wisely so that they last and are available for future
generations.
- Four R’s are reduce, reuse, recycle and respect the Earth
Bioregion
- Is a small local region with distinct natural features [climate,
soil, plants, animals, landforms]
- Your bioregion is often based on the watershed you live in. A
watershed is the area of land that drains into a particular river
system or body of water.
UNIT 2 We live in a world of systems
System
Is a set of parts that together form an interconnected whole
Natural systems
Include the circulation of water in the ocean, weather and climate systems,
water drainage systems, and energy cycles. They form the ecosystems
[community of plants and animals and non living things that interact with
one another to make up our environment]
Human systems
Include human settlements, transportation systems such as highways
railway, and airline routes; communication systems such as telephones and
information systems such as the internet.
Earth is made up of four spheres that are interconnected:
1. Atmosphere – is a thin layer of gases that surrounds the Earth
- Protects us from the sun’s intense energy and distributes heat
around the planet
2. Lithosphere- the earth’s crust and the uppermost part of the
underlying mantle consisting of rocks, minerals and soil
- Two kilometres thick[ mid oceanic ridge under the Atlantic
ocean] to 250 kilometres thick in parts of continents
- Broken into crustal plates that move slowly around on the
underlying mantle in the process of plate tectonics
3. Hydrosphere- all the water on the Earth’s crust- salty, fresh or frozen
- Includes lakes, rivers, glaciers, swamps, and water vapour
- Includes water stored in the organs of plants and animals
- Cryosphere- is the frozen parts of the hydrosphere
4. Biosphere- the layer of the earth which life evolves
- Since living things are found everywhere, the whole planet and
all its spheres together are often referred to as the biosphere
Energy, the fuel of life
- Energy comes from the sun
- PHOTONS are little pockets of energy in sunlight that are
captured by plants during the process of PHOTOSYNTHESIS
[process by which plants use solar energy to convert carbon
dioxide and water into carbohydrates]
Characteristics of Natural Systems
 Support all living things, including humans
 Are driven by the energy from the sun
 Display synergy [the whole system is greater than the sum of its parts]
 Operate in all four of Earth’s spheres
 Operate on very long timelines; from hundreds to millions of years
 Are not well understood by humans
 Can be affected by natural events and human influences
 Decompose and recycle all wastes
 Are connected to one another in a complex network of relationships
Three important natural cycles are:
1. Water cycle: The natural system that involves the
circulation of water through the atmosphere and the
oceans through evaporation, runoff, and precipitation.
- Much of Canada’s water is located in uninhabited area or is
stored underground in rocks and aquifers [a layer of porous
rock under the Earth’s surface that can store large quantities of
water that can be tapped by drilling a well
2. Carbon-oxygen cycle : the movement of carbon and oxygen through
the Earth’s systems
-Carbon is stored in oceans, forests, soil, rocks and underground
deposits of fossil fuels. Plants remove carbon dioxide from the air
or water and through photosynthesis release oxygen into the
environment. When we breathe we convert the oxygen back into
carbon and the cycle continues.
3. Decay cycle: The process of decomposition and regeneration in
nature.
- There is no waste in a natural system. When an animal or plant
dies Decomposers [an organism, such as fungi and bacteria that
breakdown and recycle organic material], the remaining
nutrients enrich the soil and help more plants to grow.
Human Systems
- Is a system that is created by humans
Two examples of human systems are:
- Transportation systems: are the interconnecting networks of
roads and the bus, train, airline, and cycling routes that link you
with other people and places.
- Economic systems: are integrated activities that produce and
deliver all the goods and services that we enjoy every day
Characteristics of Human Systems
- Depend on natural systems
- Can be affected by outside events and influences
- Are not well understood by humans
- Operate on shorter timelines than natural systems
- May recycle wastes but usually end up with some, and more
often with a lot of harmful waste
- Display synergy
- Are interconnected in a complicated network of relationships
Infrastructure- the structures or networks of basis services needed for the
functioning of a community or economy
Meteorologists
-people who study and forecast weather
CANADA’S CLIMATE REGIONS
1. Arctic – very cold winter, short cold summer, very dry
2. Subarctic- cold winter, cool summer, moderate precipitation
3. Pacific- mild winter, warm summer, heavy precipitation
4. Mountain- temperatures and precipitation vary greatly
5. Prairie- cold winter, hot summer, dry
6. Lower Lakes- cool winter, hot summer, moderate precipitation
7. Atlantic- cold winter, warm summer, moderate precipitation
ECOZONES
Ecozone - a region based on a combination of natural and human
characteristics that are similar throughout
Canada has 20 ecozones, most of which are unique in the world.
There are 15 terrestrial [land] regions and 5 marine [ocean] regions that are
found in Canada. [pg 101 in text]
Characteristics of ecozones
Geology
Landforms
climate
Wildlife
natural vegetation
Humans
soils
water
Biodiversity
- The diversity of species of life on Earth. Every ecozone has
different species living in them
Ecology
- Is the study of the interactions of living [biotic] things with one
another and with the non-living [abiotic] parts of the natural
environment.
How do people affect Ecozones?
- Smoggy air through industries and burning of fossil fuels
- Polluting water through industrial waste
- Disappearing forests and animals through building of cities,
mining and farming
- Collapse of fisheries through overfishing and global warming
CANADA”S POPULATION
Population- is the measure of the number of people who live in a specific
place at a specific time
Canada’s population is approximately 33.5 million
Advantages of a small population
- Limits the human effects on nature
- Reduces crowding and traffic
- Many resources for few people
Disadvantages of a small population
- Finding enough skilled labour
- Taxes could be higher to pay for services
Population Density
- A measure of crowdedness
- Calculated by dividing the population by the total land area
- Canada’s population density is approximately 3 people per
square kilometre
Why is it important for geographers to study population density?
- Helps in planning infrastructure such as transportation and
communication systems
- Helps develop land use strategies [parks, recreation, houses,
stores etc]
How do natural systems affect where people live in Canada?
- Climate is warmer in the south so most people live there
- Great Lakes and St Lawrence River provide good transportation
routes
- Coastal regions in Atlantic Canada are close to ocean resources
- Settlements follow the valleys in the western Cordillera
Where do people come from in Canada?
- Canada is represented by about 200 countries
- Most people have an European background
- Recent years a lot of people come from Asian Countries
- Aboriginal groups are found throughout Canada
Canada has an official policy of Multiculturalism [ a policy that encourages
cultural diversity and respect for cultural diversity within a country].
However some countries prefer Assimilation [ making differences the same].
Challenges of Multiculturalism
- Cultural discrimination is hard to control
- Hard to create a national identity
- People feel that there are a lot of mini- versions of home
countries in Canada
While Multiculturalism is challenging, most people in Canada agree that it
does offer an incredible way to learn, live, and love cultural diversity.
Culture - beliefs, traditions, and ways of life of a group of people.
- Includes food, clothing, language, music, architecture, family
traditions, spiritual beliefs and recreational activities
Demographic Patterns and Trends
Demography- the numerical study of the characteristics, trends, and
issues of a population
Key goal of studying population is to be able to determine the needs
of Canadian society today and to plan for the future.
Components of population change
1. Birth Rate- number of children born in an area for every 1000
people. [Canada’s birth rate is 11.3]
2. Death Rate- number of people who die in an area for every 1000
people [Canada’s death rate is 7.3]
3. Immigration- moving from another country to live in Canada
4. Emigration- leaving Canada to take up residence in another
country
Population pyramids
- Is a graph which shows the age and sex of a population
- If the graph is thicker at the bottom than the population will be
increasing
- If the graph is thicker towards the top, this generally indicates
an aging population
- Emigration and Immigration
Push factors- those conditions that cause a person to leave their home
country.
- Famine
- War
- Persecution based on religion, race etc
- Lack of employment
Pull factors- conditions or situations that attract immigrants to settle in one
country or another
- Prospects for employment
- High quality of life
- Excellent education opportunity for children
- More democratic society
In Canada most immigrants come from Philippines, India, China, United
Kingdom and the United States
Out migration- when people leave a province or territory and move to
another province or territory
In- migration- when people come to live permanently in a province or
territory
Most people that move are people with a post secondary education and are
young, between the ages of 15 and 44.
Where do Canadians live?

Canada’s population is distributed across approximately 10 million
kilometres square
Urban
 An area where a lot of people live at a high density
 Over 80% of the people in Canada live in an urban area
Urbanization- refers to the growing trend of increasing numbers of people
choosing to live in cities
Census metropolitan areas [CMAs]- a community with a population greater
than 100 000 people, consisting of one or more adjacent municipalities
centred on a large urban core
Population centre- an urban area with a population of at least1000 and a
density of 400 or more people per square kilometre
Top 5 cities in Canada in terms of growth rate are:
1. Calgary, Alberta
2. Edmonton, Alberta
3. Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
4. Kelowna, British Columbia
5. Moncton, New Brunswick
- St John’s is in 9th place in terms of growth rate
Issues affecting Urban Areas
 Service Availability [infrastructure, linkages, human resources]
 Population Concerns [poverty, crowding, employment]
 Environmental concerns [pollution, loss of arable land]
 Quality of life [green spaces, crime, quality of life]
Rural
 An area where people are spread out at a low density
 Most are resource based communities [ mining, fishing, farming,
forestry]
Issues affecting Rural Areas
 Service availability [maintaining infrastructure, providing medical
services, schools]
 Population [declining tax base]
 Employment [impact of resource activities]
 Quality of life [pace of life]
URBAN LAND USE
Land use- is a term that geographers and planners use to identify the
different areas where people live, shop, work, play, and go to school
Six main designations for Urban Land use:
1. Residential- land allocated to living space[single-family houses,
town houses and apartment buildings
2. Transportation- roads, highways, subways, streetcars, trains and
airplanes
3. Commercial land- assigned to businesses [shopping malls, box
stores]
4. Industrial- land allocated for factories, warehouses and
secondary industries. Usually found along major transportation
routes
5. Institutional- schools, hospitals, places of worship and
government houses
6. Open Space and Recreational- forest, wetlands, playgrounds,
parks, golf courses, and sport fields