Canada is the second largest country in the world (after Russia) - its area is nearly 10
million sq. km. It is situated in the Northern Hemisphere and occupies the northern part
of the North American continent and many islands (e.g. Baffin Island, Newfoundland, Vancouver, Prince Edward Island etc.). Canada borders with the USA in the south (on the 49 parallel and
the Great Lakes Area), the Pacific Ocean and Alaska (USA) in the west, the Arctic Ocean in
the north and the Atlantic Ocean in the east. The border with the USA is the longest
undefended border in the world.
This huge country extends 4,627 km from the north to the south and
5,187 km from the east to the west. More lakes than land can be seen in some parts of the
country, e.g. along the frontier with the USA or in the northern parts of Manitoba and
Ontario. The biggest lakes are as follows - Lake
Superior (area 82,103 sq. km), Lake
Huron (59,570 sq. km), Lake
Erie (25,667 sq. km), Lake
Ontario (19,000 sq. km). These lakes are shared by the USA and
Canada and it is the largest area of fresh water in the world. There are famous Niagara Falls between Lake Erie and
Ontario. The Canadian fall is called the Horseshoe Fall and is 49 m high and almost 1 km
wide. Lakes which are entirely in Canada are Great
Bear Lake (31,328 sq. km), Great
Slave Lake (28,570 sq. km) and Lake
Winnipeg (24,390 sq. km).
The rivers can be divided
into three systems. The Atlantic system is represented by the St. Lawrence River which makes the longest waterway system
in the inner part of Canada. This river is 3,669 km long. Other rivers of the Atlantic
system are the Winnipeg River
and the Saskatchewan River. The Pacific system is
made up mainly by the Columbia, the Frazer and the
Yukon rivers. The Mackenzie
(4,241 km long) is the backbone of another - mainly summer - waterway system
which is 2,736 km long. It belongs to the Arctic system and flows from the Rocky Mountains
to the Arctic Ocean.
Canada is divided into seven regions, each with a very different
landscape and climate. The climate varies from Arctic cold in the North with winter
temperatures as low as minus 50°C, to moderate climate in the east and west. The north of
the country near the Arctic is a cold tundra with large and beautiful forests to the
south. The central plains form the prairies.
The Pacific Coast - influenced by the Pacific, it has the most moderate climate of Canada's regions. This area includes the coast of British Columbia and Vancouver Island.
The Cordillera - this region is made up of the Rocky Mountains, the Coast Mountains and other ranges running north to south. Canada's highest peaks, however, are not in the Rockies, but in the St. Elias Mountains, an extension of the Cordillera stretching north into the Yukon and Alaska. The highest point in Canada, Mount Logan (6,050 m high), is in the southwest corner of the Yukon. The British Columbia interior varies from alpine snowfields to deep valleys, where desert-like conditions prevail.
The Prairies - the plains of Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba are among the richest grain-producing regions in the world. Alberta is Canada's leading producer of petroleum. The sedimentary rocks underlying the Prairies have important deposits of oil, gas and potash.
The Canadian Shield includes a huge inland sea called Hudson Bay. The Shield is Canada's largest geographical feature, it stretches east to Labrador, south to Kingston on Lake Ontario and northwest as far as the Arctic Ocean. It is considered to be the nucleus of the North American continent and is made up of roofs of ancient mountains. The region is a storehouse of minerals, including gold, silver, zinc, copper and uranium.
The Great Lakes - St. Lawrence Lowlands. Southern Quebec and Ontario, the industrial heartland of Canada, contain Canada's two largest cities, Montreal and Toronto. In this small region, 50% of Canadians live and 70% of Canada's manufactured goods are produced. This region is the maple sugar country, producing also grapes, peaches, pears and other fruit.
The Atlantic Provinces - Appalachian Region. New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland are the smallest Canadian provinces, and were the first to be settled by Europeans. Evidence of contact as far back as AD 1000 has been found at a Norse settlement at l'Anse aux Meadows, in Newfoundland. Besides the "wheat fields" of Newfoundland the mixing of ocean currents has created one of the richest fishing areas in the world here. In the other provinces agriculture flourishes in the fertile valleys.
The Arctic is no
longer an inaccessible frontier. Many places can be reached by road, and every community
is served by air. Most have electricity, stores and health services. During the short
summer, when daylight is nearly continuous and flowers bloom on the tundra, the
temperature can reach 30°C. The winters are long, bitterly cold, dark and unforgiving.
There are
