Western Canada

Question 1

The region of western Canada consists of what 3 Prairie provinces?

Answer 1

Alberta
Saskatchewan
Manitoba

Question 2

• primarily found in Saskatchewan and Manitoba

- characterized by low relief

Answer 2

Interior Plains

Question 3

are geologically stable, underlain by millions of years of sedimentary marine rocks, remnants of paleoenvironments that held a high level of biotic diversity.

Answer 3

The Interior Plains

Question 4

Oil, gas, coal and potash are the four leading mineral resources in what region?

Answer 4

The Interior Plains

Question 5

___ is Canada’s oldest national park, having been established in 1885.

Answer 5

Banff National Park (on the Alberta side of the Rocky Mountains)

Question 6

The west lies at the conjunction of what 2 physiographic regions?

Answer 6

• The Canadian Shield

- The Interior Plains

Question 7

what type of climate does Western Canada have?

Answer 7

continental climate, with hot summers and cold winters

Question 8

is described as a “continental interior climate”, featuring somewhat humid summers with cold winters

Answer 8

in the east, conditions in southern Manitoba in the vicinity of Winnipeg

Question 9

• is semi-arid, with frequent water deficiencies.

- vegetation is sparse, with mainly short prairie grasses

Answer 9

western part of the region around Medicine Hat, Alberta (a part of Palliser’s Triangle)

Question 10

What are 3 environmental challenges plaguing the western provinces?

Answer 10

• drought
• pollution
• water usage

Question 11

What was the purpose of the Palliser Expedition in 1857?

Answer 11

to assess the settlement of western Canada

Question 12

Captain John Palliser identified 2 natural habitation zones:

Answer 12

the semiarid short grass zone (not suited for agriculture), and the sub-humid area of tall grasses (suitable for agriculture).

Question 13

The settlement of the west was heavily influenced by

Answer 13

large corporate entities

Question 14

• recruited immigrants from central and eastern Europe

- able to free up land that was previously set aside for the Canadian Pacific Railway

Answer 14

Clifford Sifton (Minister of the Interior)

Question 15

are large deposits of unrefined bitumen, lying under roughly 100,000 square kilometers in northern Alberta.

Answer 15

The Athabasca Oil Sands

Question 16

1/3 of Alberta’s revenue comes directly from

Answer 16

fossil fuel extraction

Question 17

conveys a cleaner image, and is used by the petroleum industry for this reason.

Answer 17

oil sands

Question 18

conjures up much images of a “sticky, smelly, dirty” resource

Answer 18

tar sands

Question 19

this is often collected in open pit situations, allowing the wastewater to evaporate while leaving precipitate out in the open.

Answer 19

waste from tailings ponds

Question 20

not only does the tar sands recover millions of barrels a day, the process also uses a great amount of energy to transport fuel and necessary machinery, among other things.

Answer 20

greenhouse gas emissions

Question 21

experience rapid growth and decline known as the boom and bust syndrome.

Answer 21

resource towns

Question 22

What are positive impacts of mega projects?

Answer 22

increased industrial capacity, stimulation of regional economy, enhance regional infrastructure (specifically transportation), as well as generating demand for goods and services.

Question 23

What are negative impacts of mega projects?

Answer 23

• social problems
• lack of adequate housing/services
• the profits accrue to other regions and are not usually realized in the region where the project is developed
• expertise is generally brought from the outside, when local labour forces are the ones who would benefit the most from job training
• frequently public funds are used to fund and encourage projects
• environmental problems and impacts

Question 24

It was first settled by Europeans in the late 19th century

Answer 24

BC

Question 25

what are the environmental challenges associated with the clear cutting of forests?

Answer 25

• erosion
• stream sedimentation
• damage to salmon spawning grounds

Question 26

it functions as it owns little heartland/hinterland microcosm

Answer 26

BC

Question 27

the ___ helped to bring settlers to the region (BC) in the 19th century

Answer 27

fur trade

Question 28

When did BC join Canada?

Answer 28

in 1871, 4 years after Confederation

Question 29

BC covers roughly __% of Canada’s area

Answer 29

9.5%

Question 30

has been the only province to make substantial population gains in each decade since Confederation.

Answer 30

BC

Question 31

Vancouver is the __ largest immigrant destination.

Answer 31

3rd

Question 32

• The region features both mild climate conditions (in coastal areas) and mountain climate conditions (in the interior).
• little arable land
• associated with mountains, forests and the ocean

Answer 32

BC

Question 33

It contains at least 10 mountain ranges stretching north-south all the way to the Yukon.

Answer 33

the Cordillera

Question 34

advocate a strong central government, with national policies that dominate provinces to support a strong national economy

Answer 34

centralists

Question 35

advocate strengthening provincial powers; the devolution of powers to provincial governments, as well as the expansion and diversification of regional economies

Answer 35

Decentralists

Question 36

there is a ___ - ___ orientation to North America’s physical geography

Answer 36

north-south

Question 37

Canada’s Prairies are a northern extension of…

Answer 37

the American Great Plains

Question 38

is the name of a proposed region, consisting of a few northern American states (Washington, Oregon, and parts of Alaska, Idaho, and Montana), as well as the Canadian province of BC

Answer 38

Cascadia