Geography of Canada
Canada occupies most of the upper half of the continent of North America, spanning a vast expanse of territory between the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans and between the United States to the south and northwest, and the Arctic Ocean and Beaufort Sea to the North. Since 1925, Canada has claimed the portion of the Arctic between 60 degrees west longitude and 141 degress west latitude, including the North Pole. This vast area, that covers 9,976,140 km² (Land: 9,220,970 km²; Water: 755,170 km²) is second only to Russia in the world, and encompasses a panoply of geoclimatic zones and a diverse human geography. Comparatively, Canada is slightly less than 1.3 times larger than Australia, slightly more than 40.9 times larger than the United Kingdom and slightly larger than the United States.
Physical Geography
The Physical Geography of Canada is widely varied. Encompassed by the extreme points of Canada, it includes 9,976,140 km² which can be divided into regions based loosely on similar terrain and climate. Canada also encompasses vast maritime territories with the world's longest coastline of 202,080 km.
Also see: Extreme points of Canada, List of highest points of Canadian provinces and territories
The Atlantic Provinces and the Gaspé peninsula
Dominated by the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of St. Lawrence, the Appalachian Mountains traverse New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Quebec's Gaspe Peninsula, and the island of Newfoundland creating rolling hills indented by river valleys. Prince Edward Island, in contrast to its neighbouring provinces, is comprised entirely of sedimentary sandstone.
The southern sections of Ontario and Quebec in the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence basin are home to rich agricultural land hosting produce and dairy farming operations, as well as being the most populated part of the country.
The Canadian Shield
The northern parts of Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, and Quebec, as well as most of Labrador, the mainland portion of the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, are located on a vast rock base known as the Canadian Shield. The Shield cannot support intensive agriculture, although there is subsistance agriculture and small dairy farms in many of the river valleys and around the abundant lakes, particularly in the southern regions. Boreal forest covers much the shield, with a mix of conifers that provide valuable timber resources. The region is known for its extensive mineral reserves.
The Prairies
The Canadian Prairies are a vast sedimentary plain that makes up the southern portion of the provinces of Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba. This area is known as the "breadbasket of Canada", due to the expanses of (largely flat) arable agricultural land which sustain extensive grain farming operations.
The Prairies are part of an expanse of grasslands in the centre of the North American continent that extend from central Texas to southern Canada. The grasslands biome is is characterized by low annual rainfall (10-20 inches), uneven seasonal rainfall and soil conditions that favour grasses and herbaceous plants over the growth of trees and other types of vegetation. Overgrazing by livestock and extensive grain cultivation have modified most of the tallgrass prairie once native to much of the less-dry margins of the Prairies.
West of the Rocky Mountains
The Canadian Rockies form the Continental Divide in Canada. West of them is a large plateu containing the Cariboo region in the south and the Peace River Valley in the North. Between the coast and the plateau is a second mountain range, the Coast Mountains. Offshore lies Vancouver Island to the south and the Queen Charlotte Islands to the north. Other than in the plateau regions of the interior and the river valleys, most of BC is coniferous forest.
The Arctic
Human Geography
Canada is divided into thirteen provinces and territories. However, nearly 90% of the population is concentrated within 160 km of the Canada-US border. Moreover, over 60% of the population lies along the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River between Windsor, Ontario and Quebec City. This leaves the vast majority of Canada's territory as sparsely populated wilderness. Canada's population density is 3 people/km². Despite this, Canada's main cities are highly urbanized and this is a growing trend as the population shifts from rural towns to denser cities.
Canada's geographical proximity to the United States has historically bound the two countries together in the political world. Canada also shares the world's longest undefended border with the US at 8,893 km (2,477 km with Alaska). As well, Canada's position between the USSR (now Russia) and the US was strategically important during the Cold War as the route over the north pole and Canada was the fastest route by air between the two countries. Since the end of the Cold War, there has been growing speculation that Canada's arctic maritime claims may become increasingly important if Global Warming melts the ice enough to open the Northwest Passage.
Depending upon how continental shelf claims proceed in the Arctic Ocean, Canada may end up sharing Maritime borders with several other polar nations.
Canada's closest neighbours after the US are France (islands of Saint-Pierre and Miquelon) and the Danish dependency of Greenland.
Similar to the more famous American Four Corners, Canada has a point common to four provinces, near Kasba Lake.
Also See: Extreme communities of Canada
Natural resources
Canada's many territories posess many natural resources and the Canadian economy's continued reliance on them reflects their importance and size. Major resource-based industries are Fisheries, Forestry, Agriculture, Fossil Fuels and Mining.
The Fisheries industry has historically been one of Canada's strongest. Globally unmatched cod stocks on the Grand Banks off Newfoundland launched this industry a long time ago. Today these stocks are nearly depleted and their conservation has become a large focus of the maritime provinces. On the West Coast, historical tuna stocks are also now restricted; the less depleted (but still greatly diminished) salmon population continues to drive a strong fisheries industry. Canada claims 12 nautical miles of territorial sea, a contiguous zone of 24 nautical miles an exclusive economic zone of 200 nautical miles and a continental shelf of 200 nautical miles or to the edge of the continental margin.
Forestry has long been a major industry in Canada. Primarily centred around the timber resources in British Columbia and Alberta, there are significant forestry interests in Ontario and Quebec as well. 54% of Canada's land area is covered in forest.
5% of Canada's land area is arable, none of which is for permanent crops. 3% of Canada's land area is covered by permanent pastures. Canada has 7,200 km² of irrigated land. (1993 est.) Agricultural regions in Canada are restricted to the Canadian prairies, the Lower Mainland of British Columbia, the St. Lawrence Basin and the Canadian Maritimes. Main crops in Canada include Flax, Oats, Wheat, Corn, Barley, Sugar Beats and Rye in the prairies; Flax & Corn in Western Ontario; Oats and Potatoes in the Maritimes. Fruits and vegetables are grown primarily in the Annapolis Valley of Nova Scotia, Southwestern Ontario, the Golden Horseshoe region of Ontario, along the south coast of Georgian Bay and in the Okanagan Valley of British Columbia. Cattle and sheep can be found in the valleys of BC, Cattle, sheep, Hogs are found on the prairies, Cattle and Hogs in Western Ontario, Sheep and Hogs in Quebec, and primarily sheep in the Maritimes. There are signifigant Dairy regions in Central Nova Scotia, Southern New Brunswick, the St. Lawrence Valley, Northeastern Ontario, Southwestern Ontario, the Red River valley of Manitoba and the valleys of eastern British Columbia, on Vancouver Island and the Lower mainland.
Fossil Fuels are a more recently developed resource in Canada. While Canada's crude oil deposits are fewer, technological developments in recent decades have opened up oil production in Alberta's Tar Sands to the point where Canada now has some of the largest reserves of oil in the world. In other forms, Canadian industry has long exploited large Coal and Natural Gas reserves.
Canada's mineral resources are as diverse as the are large. Across the country there are large iron, nickel, zinc, copper, gold, lead, molybdenum, and uranium reserves. As well, large diamond concentrations in the arctic have been recently developed, making Canada one of the world's largest producers.
Finally, Canada's large and numerous rivers have proven a boon for the development of hydroelectricity. Mostly focused in British Columbia, many dams have long provided a clean, dependable source of energy.
Natural hazards
Continuous permafrost in the north is a serious obstacle to development; cyclonic storms form east of the Rocky Mountains, a result of the mixing of air masses from the Arctic, Pacific, and North American interior, and produce most of the country's rain and snow
Current environmental issues
Air pollution and resulting acid rain severely affecting lakes and damaging forests; metal smelting, coal-burning utilities, and vehicle emissions impacting on agricultural and forest productivity; ocean waters becoming contaminated due to agricultural, industrial, mining, and forestry activities