1. Physical Geography
The Big Idea
Canada is a huge country with a northerly location, cold climates, and rich resources.

2. Physical Geography
Main Ideas
A huge country, Canada has a wide variety of physical features, including rugged mountains, plains, and swamps.

3. Physical Geography
Main Ideas
Because of its northerly location, Canada is dominated by cold climates.

4. Physical Geography
Main Ideas
Canada is rich in natural resources like fish, minerals, fertile soil, and forests.

5. Canada and the U.S. share many physical features.
Main Idea 1: A huge country, Canada has a wide variety of physical features, including rugged mountains, plains, and swamps.
Canada and the U.S. share many physical features.
The mountains along the Pacific coast and the Rocky Mountains extend north into western Canada.

6. Canada and the U.S. share many physical features.
Main Idea 1: A huge country, Canada has a wide variety of physical features, including rugged mountains, plains, and swamps.
Canada and the U.S. share many physical features.
Broad plains stretch across the interiors of both countries.

7. Canada and the U.S. share many physical features.
Main Idea 1: A huge country, Canada has a wide variety of physical features, including rugged mountains, plains, and swamps.
Canada and the U.S. share many physical features.
Both countries border the St. Lawrence River, which links the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean.

8. Canada and the U.S. share many physical features.
Main Idea 1: A huge country, Canada has a wide variety of physical features, including rugged mountains, plains, and swamps.
Canada and the U.S. share many physical features.
The Niagara Falls, located between Ontario and New York State, plunge an average of 162 feet between Lake Erie and Lake Ontario.

9. Canada’s Physical Features
Canada is the second-largest country in the world.
Canada has a region of rocky uplands, lakes, and swamps called the Canadian Shield, which covers about half the country.
Canadian land bordering the Arctic Ocean is covered with ice year-round. Very few people live here, but some wildlife have adapted to the harsh environment.

10. Canada’s location greatly influences the country’s climate.
Main Idea 2: Because of its northerly location, Canada is dominated by cold climates.
Canada’s location greatly influences the country’s climate.
Located far from the equator
Cool to freezing temperatures year-round
The farther north, the colder the climate.

11. Much of central and northern Canada has a sub-arctic climate.
Main Idea 2: Because of its northerly location, Canada is dominated by cold climates.
Much of central and northern Canada has a sub-arctic climate.
The far north has tundra and ice cap climates.
About half of Canada lies in these extremely cold climates.

12. Central and eastern-southern Canada is humid and relatively mild.
Main Idea 2: Because of its northerly location, Canada is dominated by cold climates.
Central and eastern-southern Canada is humid and relatively mild.
The coast of British Columbia is the mildest. The Pacific coast brings rainy winters and mild temperatures.
Inland southern Canada is colder and drier.

13. Main Idea 3: Canada is rich in natural resources like fish, minerals, fertile soil, and forests.
Fishing
Canada’s Atlantic and Pacific coastal waters are among the world’s richest fishing areas.
Grand Banks
Off the Atlantic coast
Cold waters from the Labrador Sea meet the warm waters of the Gulf Stream.
Ideal for the growth of tiny organisms, or plankton
Large schools of fish gather to eat the plankton.
Recent over-fishing

14. The Canadian Shield has many mineral deposits.
Canadian Resources
Minerals
The Canadian Shield has many mineral deposits.
World’s main source of nickel, zinc, and uranium
Other resources: lead, copper, gold, and silver
Saskatchewan: potash, a mineral used to make fertilizer
Alberta: oil and natural gas

15. Pulp—softened wood fibers—is used to make paper.
Canadian Resources
Vast areas of forests from Labrador to the Pacific coast provide lumber and pulp.
Pulp—softened wood fibers—is used to make paper.
The United States, the United Kingdom, and Japan get much of their newsprint from Canada.
Newsprint is cheap paper used mainly for newspapers.
Forest

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