Canada's Regions Flashcards
Discover Canada
Canada is the ____ largest country on earth.
____ million square kilometres.
Canada is the second largest country on earth.
10 million square kilometres.
Canada includes many different geographical areas and five distinct regions.
Name them.
- The Atlantic Provinces
- Central Canada
- The Prairie Provinces
- The West Coast
- The Northern Territories
The National Capital ____, located on the ____ River, was chosen as the capital in 1857 by ____, the great-great-grandmother of Queen Elizabeth II.
The National Capital Ottawa, located on the Ottawa River, was chosen as the capital in 1857 by Queen Victoria, the great-great-grandmother of Queen Elizabeth II.
Canada has ten provinces and three territories.
Each province and territory has its own capital city.
Name them all.
Provinces:
Alberta: Edmonton
British Columbia: Victoria
Manitoba: Winnipeg
New Brunswick: Fredericton
Newfoundland & Labrador: St John’s
Nova Scotia: Halifax
Ontario: Toronto
Prince Edward Island: Charlottetown
Quebec: Quebec City
Saskatchewan: Regina
Territories:
Nunavut: Iqaluit
NWT: Yellowknife
Yukon: Whitehorse
What is Canada’s population?
Canada has a population of about 34 million people.
While the majority live in cities, Canadians also live in small towns, rural areas and everywhere in between.
Name the oceans and surrounding land of Canada.
Three oceans line Canada’s frontiers:
- the Pacific Ocean in the west,
- the Atlantic Ocean in the east
- the Arctic Ocean to the north.
Along the southern edge of Canada lies the Canada-United States boundary.
Today, ____ is Canada’s fourth largest metropolitan area.
The National Capital Region, 4,700 square kilometres surrounding ____, preserves and enhances the area’s built heritage and natural environment.
Today, Ottawa is Canada’s fourth largest metropolitan area.
The National Capital Region, 4,700 square kilometres surrounding Ottawa, preserves and enhances the area’s built heritage and natural
environment.
Name the 4 provinces that make up the Atlantic Provinces.
- Newfoundland & Labrador
- Prince Edward Island
- Nova Scotia
- New Brunswick
Name the 2 provinces that make up Central Canada.
- Ontario
- Quebec
Name the 3 provinces that make up the Prairie Provinces.
- Alberta
- Manitoba
- Saskatchewan
Which province makes up the West Coast Region?
British Columbia
Name the 3 terriroties that make up the Northern / Northwestern Region.
- Nunavut
- Northwest Territories
- Yukon Territory
What is the capital of Canada?
Ottawa
Name 3 cool things about Newfoundland & Labrador.
- It’s the most easterly point in North America and has its own time zone.
- It’s the oldest colony of the British Empire.
- It’s known for its fisheries, coastal fishing villages, and distinct culture.
- Off-shore oil + gas extraction contributes a substantial part of the economy.
- Labrador has immense hydro-electric resources.
Name 3 cool things about Prince Edward Island.
- It’s the smallest province.
- Known for its beaches, red soil and agriculture, especially potatoes.
- P.E.I is the birthplace of Confederation, being connected to the mainland by the Confederation Bridge.
- Anne of Green Gables was set in P.E.I.
Name 3 cool things about Nova Scotia.
- The most populous Atlantic province.
- A rich history as the gateway to Canada.
- Known for the world’s highest tides in the Bay of Fundy.
- Its identity is linked to shipbuilding, fisheries, and shipping.
- Canada’s largest east-coast port is in Halifax.
- Home to Canada’s largest naval base.
- History of coal mining, forestry and agriculture.
- Off-shore oil + gas exploration.
What do the Atlantic Provinces have going for them?
- Atlantic Canada’s coasts and natural resources, including fishing, farming, forestry and mining, have made these provinces an important part of Canada’s history and development.
- The Atlantic Ocean brings cool winters and cool humid summers.
What do the Central Canada provinces have going for them?
More than half the people in Canada live in cities and towns near the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence River in southern Quebec and Ontario, known as Central Canada and the industrial and manufacturing heartland.
Southern Ontario and Quebec have cold winters and warm humid summers.
Together, Ontario and Quebec produce more than three-quarters of all Canadian manufactured goods.
Name 3 cool things about Quebec.
- Nearly 8 million people live in Quebec.
- More than 3/4 speak French as their first language.
- Also called ‘Canadian Shield’.
- Developed important industries like forestry, energy, mining.
- Main producer of pulp and paper.
- Largest producer of hydro-electricity.
- Leaders in pharmaceuticals and aeronautics.
- Montreal is Canada’s second largest city (with the largest French-speaking population outside Paris).
Name 3 cool things about Ontario.
- At more than 12 million, people of Ontario make up more than 1/3 of Canadians.
- Toronto is the largest city in Canada and is the main financial center.
- People work in service/manufacturing industries.
- Niagara known for vineyards, wines, and fruit crops.
- Ontario farmers raise dairy and beef cattle, poultry, vegetable and grain crops.
Name 5 great lakes that are located between Ontario and the United States.
- Lake Ontario
- Lake Erie
- Lake Huron
- Lake Michigan (in the US)
- Lake Superior (largest freshwater lake in the world)
What do the Prairie provinces have going for them?
Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta are the Prairie Provinces, rich in energy resources and some of the most fertile farmland in the world.
The region is mostly dry, with cold winters and hot summers.
Share 3 cool things about Manitoba.
- Economy is based on agriculture, mining, hydro-electric power generation.
- Most populous city is Winnipeg, who has the most famous street intersection in Canada.
- St. Boniface has Western Canada’s largest Francophone community.
- Manitoba has the largest Ukrainian and Aboriginal populations in Canada.
Share 3 cool things about Saskatchewan.
- Once known as the ‘breakbasket of the world’ and the ‘wheat province’.
- Has 40% of the arable land in Canada and is the largest producer of grains and oilseeds.
- Boasts the world’s richest deposits of uranium and potash.
- Regina is home to the training academy of the RCMP.
- Saskatoon (largest city) is the headquarters of the mining industry.
Name 3 cool things about Alberta.
- Most populous Prairie province.
- Lake Louise and the Province was named after Princess Louise Caroline Alberta, 4th daugher of Queen Victoria.
- They have 5 national parks.
- The Badlands house some of the richest deposits of prehistoric fossils and dinosaur finds.
- Largest producer of oil + gas, sands in the north being developed as energy source.
- Renowned for agriculture, making it one of the world’s major beef producers.
What does the West Coast have going for it?
British Columbia is known for its majestic mountains and as Canada’s Pacific gateway.
The Port of Vancouver, Canada’s largest and busiest, handles billions of dollars in goods traded around the world.
Warm airstreams from the Pacific Ocean give the B.C. coast a temperate climate.
Name 3 cool things about British Columbia.
- Canada’s westernmost province.
- Population of 4 million.
- Port is the gateway to the Asia-Pacific.
- 1/2 of goods produced in BC are forestry products.
- Also known for mining, fishing, fruit orchards, wine industry.
- Most extensive park system in Canada, with ~600 provincial parks.
- Chinese and Punjabi are the most spoken languages after English.
- Victoria, the capital, is the headquarters of the navy’s Pacific fleet.
What do the Northern Territories have going for it?
It contains one-third of Canada’s land mass but have a population of only 100,000.
There are gold, lead, copper, diamond and zinc mines. Oil and gas deposits are being developed.
The North is often referred to as the “Land of the Midnight Sun” because at the height of summer, daylight can last up to 24 hours. In winter, the sun disappears and darkness sets in for three months.
The Northern territories have long cold winters and short cool summers.
Much of the North is made up of tundra, the vast rocky Arctic plain. Because of the cold Arctic climate, there are no trees on the tundra and the soil is permanently frozen. Some continue to earn a living by hunting, fishing and trapping. Inuit art is sold throughout Canada and around the world.
Name 3 cool things about the Yukon.
- Thousands of miners came to Yukon during the Gold Rush of 1890s.
- Mining is a significant part of the economy.
- White Pass and Yukon Railway links us to Alaska.
- Yukon holds the record for the coldest temps ever recorded in Canada (-63 degrees celsius)
- Mount Logan, named after a geologist, is the highest mountain in Canada.
Name 3 cool things about the Northwest Territories.
- Originally made up in 1870.
- Yellowknife (population of 20,000) is called the ‘diamond capital of North America’.
- More than half the population is Aboriginal (Dene, Inuit, Metis).
- The Mackenzie River (4,200km long) is the 2nd longest river system in North America after Mississippi.
Name 3 cool things about Nunavut.
- Nunavut means ‘our land’ in Inuktitut.
- Capital is Iqaluit, formerly Frobisher Bay, an English explorer who penetrated the uncharted Arctic for Queen Elizabeth l.
- The 19-member Legislative Assembly chooses a premier and ministers by consensus.
- Population is about 85% Inuit, Inuktitut is the first language in schools.
Who are the Canadian Rangers?
The Canadian Rangers, part of the Canadian Forces Reserves (militia), drawing on indigenous knowledge and experience, travel by snowmobile in the winter and all-terrain vehicles in the summer from Resolute to the Magnetic North Pole, and keep the flag flying in Canada’s Arctic.
