2010 pt 2: Territorial North Lec 11 Flashcards
Territorial North
Yukon, Northwest Territories, and Nunavut represent Canada’s last frontier.
What about this region?
It is a region rich in natural resources (NON RENEWABLE) but slow to develop.
Of the 6 regions in Canada, it is the largest in area but the smallest in population.
It is one of the most sparsely populated areas on Earth.
Aboriginals?
Aborignal peoples make up the majority of the popualtion
Economy of the Territorial North
The economic performance of the region is limited to non-renewable resources.
This makes the region vulnerable to sharp fluctuations in global demand (all entirely based on gthe world’s demands!!) for its exports.
Historically, the economy has been subject to boom-and-bust cycles (fluctuations: good and bad times)
Aboriginals Demographics?
The Aboriginal peoples currently have a high birth rate but a low death rate, accounting for high population growth by natural increase.
Immigration to the north?
MINIMAL
When the economy is bad?
When the economy in the region stalls, the non-Aboriginal residents are more likely to move to the provinces for job opportunities
What is the difference between a province and a territory?
All about how the area is governed!
Provinces receive their powers as outlined in the Constitution Act of 1867: provinces have a lot of power! Territories exercise delegated powers under the watch of the federal government
Territories do not have control over their natural resources and instead depend on Ottawa for transfer payments.
What are the two visions for the north?
- A Northern Frontier (the vision of large corporation seeking to reap profits by the extractin of resources)
- A Homeland (the vision of the Aboriginal peoples who have a strong sense of place and appreciation for natural features)
Four Physiographic Regions?
- Canadian Shield (NWT and Nunavut)
- Interior Plains (Primarily NWT)
- Cordillera (Yukon)
- Arctic Archipelago (Northern Nunavut)
Vegetation
Vegetation mostly consists of tundra, mosses, grasses, and some shrubs.
Arctic Archipelago?
Most of the land is bare!
Water?
The region contains many major rivers and thousands of small lakes.
What is the climate?
MOST CONSIDERED DESERT! Much of the area is officially classified as a desert because precipitation is less than 250 mm per year.
Summers are short and snowfall is possible at any time of the year.
IN the Southern more populated parts of the region, daytime high temperatures often exceed 20 degrees Celsius in July and August
Line of Latitude?
Much of the region is located north of the Arctic Circle (the 66.5 degree north line of latitude)
What is the significance of this line?
Any location north of it will experience at least one day in a year when the sun does not rise and at least one day when the sun does not set.
What is seen at night?
The aurora borealis are commonly seen at night (Northern Lights)
Temperatures
Temperatures are expected to warm more in polar regions than any other regions on Earth.
This is due to increased solar warming of the land that will occur with the loss of ice and snow.
Implications of this solar warming?
- A predicted ice-free Arctic Ocean and Hudson Bay by 2050
- A reduced population of polar bears and caribou (polar bears may go extinct!)
What happens when ice melts?
90% of sunlight is reflected off a landscape; instead of that energy being reflected off the ice: the land/water ABSORBS the suns energy
2 groups of aboriginal people that live in the North?
Inuit’s and Indians (also known as Dene)
Inuit
Inuit settlements are often located along coasts. They have historically hunted seals, whales, walrus, and fish.
Dene
Dene historically hunted caribou and bows and arrows in the boreal forest
European Exploration
In 1576, Frobisher reached Baffin Island while searching for a route to Asia.
A battle ensued between his crew and the Inuit.
Many of the Inuit there soon succumbed to disease
Name Change?
The community of Frobisher Bay was renamed Iqaluit in 1987
Northwest Passage
From the time of Frobisher’s expedition, many explorers continued searching for a passage to Asia through the region. (GETS YOU FROM ATLANTIC TO PACIFIC)
Whaling
In the early 1800s, European whalers set sail for Davis Strait and Baffin Bay.
As the explorers pushed further west, it became necessary to spend the winter on the nearby land
Here, they met Inuit and trade developed between the two groups.
Inuit would hunt game for the whalers in return for knives and rifles.
Fur Trade
Demand for the Arctic fox pelt rose in Europe in the early 1900s and this led to the establishment of trading posts in the region.
Inuit’s were heavily involved in the fur trade and by the 1950s it dominated the economy
The arrival of Europeans brought measles, smallpox and other communicable diseases.
Inuit had no immunity to these and hundreds died after early contact
Relocation to Settlements
In the 1960s the federal government oversaw the relocation of Aboriginal peoples in the area to small settlements.
Why did people relocate to settlements?
- It was seen as necessary to protect them from the hardships of living on the land
- Concentrating people in settlements allowed Ottawa to provide services efficiently
Positive Impacts of Relocating to Settlements
- Food security
- Access to medical services
- Public Education
Negative Impacts of Relocating to Settlements
- Loss of the traditional culture
- Reduction of country food in the diet
- Social issues related to poverty and unemployment
Life in Settlements?
The main source of income is from government assistance.
Aboriginal settlements in the North have the highest rates of suicide and alcoholism in Canada
Since few Aboriginal families have abandoned settlement life in favour of living off the land, the positive impacts are seen as outweighing the negative impacts.
