geography different areas Flashcards
1
Q
Canadian Shield Characteristics
A
- with an area close to 5 million kilometers squared
-the geologic foundation of Canada
-oldest rock formation, 1-4 billion years old - Covers 48 percent of Canada’s land surface (including freshwater lakes and Arctic islands). *
- abundant with Natural Resources . . . Forest, lakes, minerals (ring of fire) *
Defining Characteristics: rocks, lakes, water, minerals
-ring of fire is a mineral resource region.
2
Q
Western Cordillera characteristics
A
- The western Cordillera is about 800km wide and extends from Southern British Columbia north to the Yukon and the Beaufort Sea
- 1.6 million kilometers squared (16 percent of Canada)
- Plateaus, valleys, rugged mountains, glaciers, volcanoes
- Abundant with Forest, Minerals, Tourism
- There is the Western Mountains, the Eastern System, and the Interior system
3
Q
Arctic land characteristics
A
- Innuitia, the Arctic Lowlands and the Arctic Coastal Plain
- 2.1 million km2 (21 percent of countries land area)
- 130,000km2 of glaciers and icecaps
- Innutian Mountains “The Frozen watchmen of the North”
- The most extreme cold climate in Canada
- Rich in Natural Gas, Oil, Minerals, Eco Tourism
4
Q
Hudson Bay Lowland’s characteristics
A
- The Hudson Bay Lowlands encompass 320,00km2 or 3.2 percent of Canada’s land surface
- Vast levels plains of muskeg with thick peat accumulations an innumerable ponds
- Muskeg - A North American swamp or bog consisting of a mixture of water and partly dead vegetation
- Peat - a brown deposit resembling soil, formed by the partial decomposition of vegetable matter
- Rich in copper, zinc, gold and nickel
- (they act as natural filters for rivers flowing into the hudson bay)
5
Q
Great lakes/St. Lawrence Lowlands characteristics
A
- 180,000km2 or 1.8 percent of Canada’s land surface
- Major cities in this region include Windsor, Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal and Quebec City
- Sixty percent of Canada’s population (what are the pull factors)
- Natural resource = most productive, prime agricultural land (best climate and weather for *crops), access to the Great Lakes
- Close proximity to the border
6
Q
Appalachian mountains characteristics
A
- 360,000km2 or about 3.6 percent of Canada’s land mass
- Terrain is a mosaic of uplands and lowlands, smooth topped uplands and highlands
-formed between 480 and 280 million years ago - Weaker rocks eroding has developed plains and lowlands
- In Newfoundland and Nova Scotia, there are extensive glacially smoothed bedrock plains with lots of lakes
- There is lots of glacial erosion
-Soil is mostly sandy and infertile - A coastal fringe exists which provides sandy, arable land
- Lots of asbestos, zinc and lead. New Brunswick and Nova Scotia have potash and gypsum, while salt deposits are scattered around the region
7
Q
Interior plains characteristics
A
- 1.8 million km2, 18% of Canada’s land mass
- the Plains are vast expanses of sedimentary bedrock consisting of shales, siltstones and sandstones.
- There are three prairie steps, the Saskatchewan plain, the Manitoba Plain
- The southern Interior Plains are mostly grassland vegetation under semiarid climatic conditions. Islands of mixed-wood forest prevail at high elevations on uplands in western Alberta.
-There are parts of the Boreal forest in the central and parts of the north interior plains - In the north Interior Plains the forest becomes tundra and polar deserts
-The interior plains has bitumen, natural gas, coal, forests and farmland
8
Q
Interior plains size
A
1.8 million km2
9
Q
Appalachian mountains size
A
360,000 km2
10
Q
Great lakes lowlands size
A
180,000km2
11
Q
Hudson Bay lowland size
A
320,000km2
12
Q
Arctic lands size
A
2.1 million km2
13
Q
Western Cordillera size
A
1.6million km2
14
Q
Canadian shield size
A
4.8 million km2
