VI. The economic regions of canada

Canada is a very large country with a small population. Nevertheless, it is a major world industrial power. It has both rich farmland and many other natural resources.

Population in Canada is strongly clustered into a small number of places. Two provinces – Ontario and Quebec – form the heart of the country. They also represent the two different cultures that live side by side in Canada.

Canada’s provinces can be grouped into five large economic geographic regions. Each differ from others in natural resources and economic activities.

The Atlantic Provinces

Along the Atlantic coast are the Atlantic provinces. They are Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, and Newfoundland.

Fishing has been the most important economic activity of this area since the 1700’s. The Great Banks, off the coast of Newfoundland, has long been one of the best fishing areas in the world. Cod, haddock, flounder, herring, and sole are among the fish caught in these waters. Elsewhere in the Atlantic provinces, lobster and oysters are important products of the sea.

The Atlantic provinces have started to diversify their economies. Newfoundland, the largest of the Atlantic provinces, has been developing its pulp and paper industry, as well as hydroelectric power. New Brunswick is also an important source of wood for use in making pulp and paper. Prince Edward Island, the smallest Canadian province in area and population, is trying to expand its tourist industry.

Since the 1980’s, the Atlantic provinces have done more to develop their rich mineral deposits. Iron ore deposits are found in Labrador and New Brunswick. There are also deposits of zinc, lead, and copper in New Brunswick. Cape Breton Island – part of Nova Scotia – is important for coal mining.

The Great Lakes – St. Lawrence Provinces

Together, Ontario and Quebec form an economic region of Canada. These two provinces are the political and economic heart of Canada. They account for about 80 per cent of the country’s industrial production and about 60 per cent of the population.

It is here in Ontario, near the border with Quebec, that the national capital, Ottawa, is located. The city has no major industrial development which could harm the environment. It is a city of civil servants and clerks employed in the numerous governmental institutions and agencies, Ottawa is an Indian name which means barter, exchange. It was founded in 1826 as a settlement of lumberjacks, initially called Bytown, and received its present name in 1854, becoming capital of United Provinces in 1858. Ottawa became the national capital in 1867 when the Canadian Confederation was formed. Its population is about one million. Two-thirds are English-speaking, one-third French.

The manufacturing area of these two provinces is concentrated around the Great Lakes

and along the St. Lawrence River. These two water bodies serve as a water highway for

the shipment of goods. The only breaks in the water highway are at Sault Sainte Marie

and Niagara Falls. Both in these places have been bypassed by wide canals.

The Great Lakes – St. Lawrence system serves not only as a water highway. It also

provides a source of electrical power for Ontario and Quebec. Important places for electrical

power are at Niagara Falls and Cornwall, both in southern Ontario.

In addition to abundant electrical energy and good water transportation, Ontario and Quebec have good supplies of natural resources. Both provinces have deposits of iron ore. Both have important sources of wood in their huge northern forests. Quebec has important deposits of copper, gold, zinc. It also produces 80 per cent of Canada’s asbestos. Ontario also has one of the world’s major supplies of copper and nickel.

The factories of the region produce a great range of both consumer goods and products for heavy industry. The city of Hamilton, Ontario, is an important centre for making iron and steel. Windsor and Toronto, Ontario, are centres of the Canadian auto industry. Plants in Toronto also make electrical products and farm machinery. Montreal, Quebec, is important for manufacturing clothing, smelting and refining of metals, and petroleum refining. Quebec City has petroleum and chemical plants.

Manufacturing is the basis of the economy and urban development of Ontario and Quebec. However, there is a well-developed agricultural base as well. The region’s land is good for farming. Much of the Canada’s fruit comes from the southern part of Ontario. The south-western part of the province can be considered the corn belt of Canada. The area also produces much of the country’s vegetables.

Quebec province has more of a mixed farming economy. Dairy cattle and other livestock are very important. On many of the long, narrow farms of Quebec, maple syrup and maple sugar are produced from the trees.

Both Toronto and Montreal are important centres of food processing.

The Prairie Provinces

West of Ontario lie the Prairie Provinces of Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta. The one physical feature tying these three provinces together is the vast stretches of grassland. These provinces were once economically depressed. Today, this has largely changed due to the world demand for wheat. Also, large deposits of oil and natural gas have been found, mostly in Alberta. These deposits are now being developed. The Prairie provinces hold nearly all of Canada’s fossil fuels – those formed from organic matter. These include coal, oil, and natural gas.

The first big oil fields were discovered near Edmonton, Alberta, in 1947 and 1948. Today, Alberta produces over 85 per cent of the country’s coal as well as oil. In addition, the Prairie provinces are rich in copper, lead, zinc, and potash, a mineral used in making fertilizer.

Agriculture is still a major activity in the Prairie provinces. They have 80 per cent of Canada’s farmland. Wheat is the major crop, but barley, oats, and rye are also important crops.

In south-western Saskatchewan and south-eastern Alberta, cattle ranching is a key economic activity. Ranches are large because of the amount of grazing land needed to feed one animal. Some cattle ranches are over 4,047 hectares in size. There are also some sheep ranches. Despite the development of the resources, the Prairie provinces are lightly populated. The northern parts are almost without people. Most farming areas average only 13 to 21 persons per square kilometers.

The largest of the cities are Winnipeg (with a population around 700,000) in Manitoba, Edmonton and Calgary in Alberta, and Regina and Saskatoon in Saskatchewan.

The Cordillera of British Columbia

British Columbia is both a province and a geographical region. It is a land of rugged mountains, intermontane plateaus, and fertile river valleys. The mountains somewhat isolate British Columbia from the rest of Canada.

Despite the isolation, the province is a rich one. The forest industry is the most important. The mild, wet climate of the Pacific coast is ideal for tree growth. Exporting lumber is a valuable source of income. Paper and pulp are also important.

British Columbia’s economy also involves mining, fishing, and agriculture. At Kimberly, in southern-eastern British Columbia, is one of the world’s largest mines for lead, zinc, and silver.

Fishing is another major economic activity in British Columbia. Salmon is the major fish caught. Many of the small coastal towns exist because of fishing. Most of the canneries, however, are found near the mouth of the Fraser River.

Agriculture is confined to the narrow valleys of the Cordillera. Dairy farming is important in the Fraser Valley. In the valley of the Okanagan River, apples and other fruits are grown. There are also many poultry farms and truck farms, or market gardens, which raise vegetables for the city people.

British Columbia has been one of the areas of Canada with high population growth. Many of the people live in the south-western corner of the province. There is the area of mild climate and good land.

Vancouver, which is located in the south-western corner, is the major city of British Columbia. It is the third largest city in Canada with a metropolitan population of about 1,8 million. It is the major Canadian port on the west coast as well as the busiest port on the entire west coast of North America.

Through this port, coal and lumber are shipped to Japan and wheat to China and Russia. In addition, the city is the major manufacturing centre of British Columbia, with wood products being most important.

The Canadian Territories

Besides the provinces, there are three territories of Canada that form a geographic region. These three are Nunavut, the Northwest Territories and the Yukon Territory. These territories are huge, covering 40 per cent of the land surface of Canada, but only about 90,000 people live there.

There are no large cities in either of the territories.

The native people of these areas are the Eskimos, or Inuits, and the Indians. Today they make up two-thirds of the population of the region. The Eskimos generally live north of the tree line, marking the boundary between arctic and subarctic climates. The Indians generally live south of the line.

Some population growth is taking place in the territories due to the discovery of valuable natural resources. Deposits of copper, lead, and gold have been found. Natural gas and oil have also been discovered. Roads and rail lines are being pushed farther north to reach these resources. Lumber is also very important in the southern part of the territories. Churchill in Manitoba is a key shipping and supply centre for mining and lumber activities of the far north.

AUSTRALIA

Territory: 7,686,850 square kilometers

Population: 18,3 million people

Capital: Canberra

National colors: green and gold

National emblems: eucalyptus, kangaroo, emu, wattle

Australian Symbols:

THE NATIONAL ANTHEM

ADVANCE AUSTRALIA FAIF

Australians all let us rejoice,

For we are young and free;

We’ve golden soil and wealth for toil;

Our home is girt by sea;

Our land abounds in nature’s gifts

Of beauty rich and rare;