British Columbia Flashcards
Mostly located in which physiographic region?
Cordillera
What are is BC main exports?
lumber, pulp + paper, natural gas, coal
How is the pop in BC
fast growing, many immigrants to Vancouver from Asia that fuel economic growth
What is the Pacific Rim Trade?
Canadian export to Pacific Rim (East Asia) make up 25% of products passing through BC ports
Trade accelerated w/ China as economy develops
Is BC a Core or Periphery
not considered a core, due to small manufacturing base
- economic advancement in knowledge-based economy resulted in BC becoming upward transitional periphery region
What acts like a physical divide to BC and Canada?
Rocky Mountains
How is BC geologically active?
in a area where one tectonic plate subducting beneath another causing Earthquakes on seafloor producing tsunamis
Why is precipitation highly variable by location?
Due to orographic effects
What is the Pineapple Express?
a flow of warm air in winter originating in Hawaii that results in mild temperatures but high precipitation
What does Vancouver Island/Coast have?
- Coast Mountain
- Fjords common along coast
- mildest winters due to moderation from Pacific Ocean
- Major industries include forestry, fishing, govt services
What does the Lower Mainland/ Southwest provide?
Contain alluvial soil high nutrient content
- major agricultural area
- Most population in BC in this region, as it is home to Vancouver
What does Thompson / Okanagan provide?
land is composed of mix of open range grasses, cattle ranches, forest and some crops
- tourism is an important industry in area around Lake Okanagan
- Major transportation corridors pass
What is found in Kootenay region?
Rocky Mountain
- Continental Divide forms border btwn this region and Alberta
economy based on tourism + mining
What is found in Cariboo - Prince George
Prince george is a regional service center
pulp and paper mills are important industries in this region
What is found in Skeena / North Coast
economy based on fishing, aluminum smelters, hydroelectric power, tourism from Alaska cruises
What is found in Northeast
only part of province located in Interior Plains physiographic region
The only highway connecting Yukon and Alaska to Southern Canada passes through here
What is the only rainforest in Canada BC called?
Great Bear Rainforest
What has environmentalist do to help preserve forest from logging?
Great Bear Rainforest been designated as biosphere reserve where logging is only permitted in small areas
Who were the early explorers of BC
Spanish, Russians, + British explorers
Where was the US- British boundary line drawn on?
1946 drawn along 49N latitude
- then became US- Canada border
What was Vancouver a trans-shipment point for?
lumber and coal from BC and grain grown in Prairies
What are the most valuable species of fish harvested along BC coast?
salmon, herring, shellfish
Overexploitation of what fish plagued BC fishing industry
salmon
Why was salmon hard to regulate
salmon like to migrate long distances, may spawn in Canadian waters but then migrate to US waters
What are the issues for federal govt for managing salmon
- salmon spawn in rivers but migrate to oceans then return to givers on 5 year cycle
- forestry + hydroelectric industries negatively impacted salmon spawning grounds
-Indigenous Peoples are permitted to catch salmon for subsistence - salmon spawned in BC have been harvested by other countries in international waters
Why is there a downward trend in the size of salmon catch?
- pollution of fish habitat
- warming ocean temperatures
-overfishing + high fish quotas - Indigenous fishery
Why is exporting minerals from BC mines a challenge?
most mines located far from ocean ports
How much power in BC generated by hydroelectricity?
over 80%
What are the ideal conditions for hydroelectric plants in Cordillera?
high elevation, steep-sided canyons + fast flowing rivers
What was widened due to growing tourism demand
Sea-to-sky highway
Half of —- that is exported form Canada originates from BC
softwood lumber
BC forests are divided in 2 major regions.
Coast forest
interior forest
Describe the BC coast forest
mild temps + abundant rainfall
low risk of forest fires from lack of lightning result in massive trees living over 200 years
what are the most common species of tree in Coast forest
fir
cedar
hemlock
Describe the BC interior forest
precipitation less abundant
prone to drought and forest fires esp in late summer
trees are smaller and have shorter life span
what are the most common species of tree in interior forest
lodgepole pine
ponderosa pine
mountain pine
What invasive species is in interior forest
Mountain Pine Beetle
- decimated vast areas of forest
- warmer winters from climate change allow beetles spread at rapid rate
- bore into bark of trees + lay eggs
What was the softwood lumber dispute w/ US
US lumber compaines were complaining abt losing market share to Canadian companies selling at lower prices
-lobbyist working for US lumber industry encouraged US govt to impost duties on Canadian lumber even with NAFTA duties still permitted
- US claimed lower prices form of unfair trade
What was the softwood lumber trade agreement?
agreement btwn US and Canada signed to put endto dispute
- US return $4 B duty that was charged on Canadian lumber companies
- US cannot launch anymore trade actions against Canadian lumber companies
- If lumber prices were below a certain value, Canada had to impose tax on its own lumber exports
