GEOGRAPHY o The geography of Canada is vast and diverse. Occupying most of the northern portion of North America (41% of the continent), o Canada is the world's second largest country . o Canada spans an immense territory between the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Atlantic Ocean to the east and the Arctic Ocean to the north, with the United States to the south.
o 9,984,670 km square surface
Canada also encompasses vast maritime terrain, with the world's longest coastline
Boreal forests prevail throughout the country, ice is prominent in northerly Arctic regions and through the Rocky Mountains, and the relatively flat Canadian Prairies in the southwest facilitate productive agriculture
The Canadian Shield mostly consists of eroded hilly terrain and contains many lakes and important rivers used for hydroelectric production
Great Lakes Saint Lawrence River
Niagara Falls
The Canadian Prairies are part of a vast sedimentary plain covering much of Alberta, southern Saskatchewan. Contain large areas of forest and the plains generally describes the expanses of (largely flat) arable agricultural land which sustain extensive grain farming operations in the southern part of the provinces.
Alberta is the largest producer of conventional crude oil, synthetic crude, natural gas and gas products in the country
HYDROGRAPHY Canada holds vast reserves of water: its rivers discharge nearly 9% of the world's renewable water supply, it contains a quarter of the world's wetlands, and it has the third largest amount of glaciers.
Canada's abundance of natural resources is reflected in their continued importance in the economy of Canada The fisheries industry has historically been one of Canada's strongest.
Forest products contribute one fifth of the nation's exports
Five per cent of Canada's land area is arable, none of which is for permanent crops
Major resource-based industries are fisheries, forestry, agriculture, petroleum products and mining.
What’s available? – Iron ore, nickel, zinc, copper, gold, lead, molybdenum(Molybdenum is a mineral that serves as a part of several key enzymes that help the body use carbohydrates, fats and
.), potash, diamonds, silver, fish, timber, wildlife, coal, petroleum, natural gas, hydroelectric power proteins
What percentage of the land is arable (capable of being farmed)? – 5% (only in Southern Canada; Northern Canada’s terrain is permafrost!)
What are the major agricultural products? – Wheat, barley, oilseed, tobacco, fruits, vegetables, dairy products, forest products, fish
LINKS Natural resources Canada http://www.nrcan.gc.ca/com/index-eng.php
Canadian Geographic http://www.canadiangeographic.ca/