Geography of Canada

The Géographie of the Canada vast and is diversified. Occupying most of the Scandinavian portion of the Unintermitting North-American (precisely 41%), Canada is the second larger country in the world in terms of total surface area, after the Russia.

Canada covers an immense territory between the Pacific Ocean, with the west, and the Atlantic Ocean, in the east (from where the currency of the country “From one ocean to another”), with the the United States in the south and the North-West (Alaska), and the Arctic Ocean in north; the Greenland is in the North-East. With broad of the southern part of Newfoundland is Saint-Pierre-and-Miquelon, a French Collectivité of overseas . Since 1925, Canada asserts the area of the Arctique between the Longitude S 60°O and 141°O until the North pole; however, these claims are not universally recognized.

Covering a territory of 9.984.670 km (ground: 9.093.507 km; water: 891.163 km), the surface of Canada are a little less three-fifths of that of Russia; Canada is less than 1,3 times larger than the Australia, though a little smaller than Europe and more than 40,9 times larger than the the United Kingdom. In total surface area, Canada is a little larger than the United States and the China; however, Canada is a little more small that these two countries in terms of terrestrial surface (China covers 9.596.960 km and the United States, 9.161.923 km), placing fourth.

The community inhabited more in north in Canada (and the world) is the station of the Canadian Forces Alert (just in the north of Alert, with the Nunavut) at the northern end of the Île of Ellesmere - Latitude 82,5°N - to only 834 kilometers of the north pole.

The Northern magnetic pole is inside the Canadian borders; however, of the recent observations indicate that it moves towards the Siberia.

Relief

The physical Géographie of Canada is extremely diversified. Framed by the extreme points of Canada, it covers 9.984.670 km {{2}} and a panoply of various geoclimatic areas. Canada also includes/understands a vast maritime territory, having the longest coast of the world to 202.080 km.

The Appalachian Mountains

Lowlands of the St. Lawrence and the Big lakes

See also: Big lakes (North America), River the St. Lawrence

The Lowlands of the St. Lawrence and the Big lakes are an area of Canada extending along the St. Lawrence River and around the Big lakes. The ground is composed of sedimentary rocks and the ground is generally fertile there.

Canadian shield

Canadian interior plains

Cordillera of the West

Canadian north

Hydrography

The principal basins slopes of Canada are the following: Basins of the Atlantic, the Pacific, of the Arctic, of Hudson Bay and the Gulf of Mexico.

Oceans

The currency of Canada " has Husband Usque AD pond " is suitable. Three oceans encircle Canada. The Atlantic Ocean in the east, the Pacific Ocean in the west as well as the Arctic Ocean in north. The country thus has a very large maritime frontage. That allows the blooming of the trade that it is in the east or the west of the country. The Canadian port more stocked is besides that of Vancouver, located on the west coast of the country, followed by that of Montreal, the inner harbor most important in the world.

One envisages for very soon the estival cast iron of the ice-barrier of the Arctic Ocean. That would open a new always not exploitable shopping street: Passage of the North-West. Besides this subject causes conflicts on the sovereignty of Canada in the Arctic.

Rivers

Canada only has with him several important rivers which are, from the west towards the east:

the River Fraser as a Colombia-British.
the River Columbia as a Colombia-British.
the River Mackenzie in the Territory-of-North-West

Mackenzie is the longest Canadian river with a length of 4241km. Its flow is of 10.300m ³ /s, that is to say the equivalent of the flow of the St. Lawrence. It is thrown in the Sea of Beaufort, in the north of the Territory-of-North-West.

the River Nelson in Manitoba
the River the St. Lawrence: important inland waterway which allows a deep entry inside the continent of North America. It is Jacques Cartier which “discovered it”. It is in the south of Quebec and it allowed the settlement of the largest Canadian hearth in the south of Quebec and Ontario. The St. Lawrence was a named sea before Mer of Champlain, in the honor of a large French explorer and founder of the town of Quebec, Samuel de Champlain, although this one did not discover it. Montreal, Laval, Three-Rivers, Quebec, Lévis and Seven-Islands is Québécois cities being on its banks or islands.
the River Churchill in Newfoundland.
the River Midsummer's Day

The Midsummer's Day river is thrown in the Baie of Fundy, in New Brunswick.

Gulfs/Straits/Estuaries/Bays/Seas

Lakes and Rivers

Canada abounds in lakes and rivers. Among the most imposing lakes, one finds the Big lakes, which are, all the five, located at the south of the province of the Ontario.

In the Territories of the North-West, one finds the Big lake of the Bear as well as the Big lake of the Slaves.

Ship canals

A system of channels and sea routes make it possible the ships to circulate in Canada. the Sea route of the St. Lawrence is a river deep, long 3700 km, which makes it possible the ships coming from the Atlantic Ocean to reach the head of the Big lakes of North America to the Higher Lac. But according to the law, it extends only from Montreal to the Lac Érié, including the Canal Welland which makes it possible to cross the Chutes of the Niagara.

The Canal Curtain connects the Lake Ontario to the river of Outaouais. It crosses Ottawa, the national capital. The June 28th, 2007, it was devoted World heritage of UNESCO. The Rideau channel was supplemented in 1832 and continuous to be in activity today. It is the oldest system of channels always in activity in North America.

Fauna

Terrestrial fauna

Watery and semi-watery fauna

Flora

Forests of leafy trees

The Canadian forests of leafy trees are located primarily in the south of the country, where the climate allows the growth of such a biôme. The south of Ontario is more favourable to see appearing this type of vegetation. Its lenient climate and its abundant precipitations allow emergence of it.

Mixed forests

One can find them in the Appalachian Mountains. They are made up of conifers and leafy trees.

Northern forests (taïga)

The northern forest occupies 72% of the forest territory; approximately 15% of these forests are still virgin (no terrestrial access). In Canada, only 8% of the boreal belt are safe from any exploitation.

Tundra

There is much tundra in the north of Canada. It is located in the Arctic and the most Scandinavian areas of the cordilleras of the west.

Desert and semi-desert grounds

Watery flora

See List of the plants of Canada.

Human geography

Canada is composed of ten provinces (P) and of three territories (T) which are west in the east and north in the south: the Yukon (T), the Colombia-British (P), the Territories of the North-West (T), the Alberta (P), the Saskatchewan (P), the Nunavut (T), the Manitoba (P), the Ontario (P), the Quebec (P), Ground-New-and-Labrador (P), the New Brunswick (P), the Island-of-Prince-Edouard (P) and the Nova Scotia (P).

The territories are located at the north of the country and the provinces in the south, except for Ground-New-and-Labrador whose southern exremity is relatively Scandinavian.

Canada has a border of 6416 kilometers with the the United States in the south and 2477 kilometers with the American state of Alaska in the North-West (for a total of 8893 kilometers borders with the United States, which makes of it the longest border not militarized in the world).

The majority of the population is located in the southernmost part of the country, along the the United States. The most important hearths of population are the following: The Corridor Quebec-Windsor, the Edmonton-Calgary corridor and south of the Colombia-British.

The Canadian population is strongly urbanized and industrialized. The majority of the population live the cities. The Canadian economy rests more and more on the services, but the primary sectors and secondary remain nevertheless important.

Natural resources

Hydroelectricity

Canada has several rivers and rivers with great flow making possible the exploitation of hydroelectricity. Moreover, vast areas remain uninhabited. That facilitates the establishment of great projects including/understanding of large retaining tanks of water.

Between 2000 and 2002, Canada was the largest producer of hydroelectricity of the world with nearly 337 billion kilowatt-hours annually. Brazil followed to the second rank with 286 billion kilowatt-hours.

The principal producing provinces were Ontario, Manitoba, Quebec, the Colombia-British and Newfoundland and Labrador. The three last consumed as a majority of electricity coming from their own hydroelectric production.

Quebec was besides the largest producer of electricity, exceeding of almost triple the production of the Colombia-British (the second province in importance in question of production of hydroelectricity).

The Large-River, the Manicouagan river and the Churchill river are three Canadian rivers where one finds stoppings among producing with the country.

The other modes of production of electricity prevail however in the other provinces. The province of Ontario depends on nuclear energy or on fossile fuels such as coal for its electrical production.

Sawlog

Minerals

There exist nonmetal minerals like oil in Alberta and North.

Agriculture

See too

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