Canada’s Physical, Government, and Economy Chapter 9

Physical Features Canada is world’s 2 nd largest landmass 1. Great Lakes – St. Lawrence River 2. Hudson Bay Lowlands 3. Canadian Shield 4. Rocky Mountains 5. Pacific Ocean 6. Atlantic Ocean

1. Great Lakes with St. Lawrence River Created by glacial movement Great Lakes & St. Lawrence River form one of world’s most important shipping routes HOMES – (Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie, & Superior) St. Lawrence- connects Great Lakes with Atlantic Ocean

2. Hudson Bay Lowlands 3 rd largest wetland in world Flat, low area covered by swampy forests Difficult for agriculture because it’s frozen most of year

Hudson Bay Lowlands

3. Canadian Shield Foundation of Canada’s landmass The Shield is an extremely old region, formed during the Precambrian era Region of mostly thin soil lying on top of bedrock – many bare rocks & thousands of lakes Natural Resources – timber, minerals, & water Sparsely populated

4. Rocky Mountains Located in Western Canada & US Stretch a distance of 2,000 miles Mining is #1 industry, followed by logging Minerals: iron ore, copper, coal, gold Sparsely populated with few cities

5 & 6: Pacific & Atlantic Ocean Important links to other countries for trade & travel Provides fishing opportunities

Canada’s Government Recognize British monarchy Federal government -3 branches of govt.

Canada’s Government continued 1. Governor General – Crown’s representative in Canada – Ceremonial office 2. Parliament – Legislative Branch House of Commons (elected) Senate (appointed) – Makes laws – Bills must pass BOTH houses 3. Prime Minister – chosen from House of Commons majority party – Head of Executive Branch – Highest office in Canada

11 Class activity: Using a Venn diagram compare the US government and the Canadian government. Class activity: Using a Venn diagram compare the US government and the Canadian government. United States Canada Three branches of federal government in Canada & the US and their function within the government.

Economics – Market Economy Focus mainly on manufacturing & service industries After looking at image to the left, what country is Canada’s most important trading partner? The United States – Both have Good transportation Similar business practices

Canada’s Regions- #1- Atlantic Provinces Although fishing used to be a major industry, overfishing has weakened the job market Today many people have jobs in manufacturing, mining, & tourism Although fishing used to be a major industry, overfishing has weakened the job market Today many people have jobs in manufacturing, mining, & tourism

Canada Region #2- Central & Eastern Ontario (Central): – Largest population – Greatest wealth in Canada – Center for business – manufacturing – Canada’s heartland Quebec (Eastern): – Paper Industry – Montreal – industrial & financial center – Hydroelectric power – Many French-speaking people in Quebec want to secede from Canada & become their own country

Canada Region #3- The West Farming & ranching- produces large amounts of wheat Contains some of world’s largest reserves of oil & natural gas British Columbia province has deep, rich forests World’s largest producer of newsprint ( type of paper)

Canada Region #4- The North Canada’s north covers about 1/3 of the country Area includes Yukon Territory, Northwest Territory, & Nunavut Many people who live here are indigenous The main resources are minerals like gold & diamonds World’s largest exporter of minerals!