Topic - Canada (0)

Tallinna Inglise Kolledž
Canada .
The land of diversity .
Tallinn 2006
Canada.
If you had to use two words to describe Canada, they might be large and diverse . Canada is the second largest country in the world with a territory of about 10 million square kilometers and it is bordered by three oceans: the Arctic , the Pacific and the Atlantic Oceans.
The population of Canada is about 31 million people. About 77% of the people live in cities which lie in a band about 100 miles wide above the border of the United States . The capital of Canada is Ottawa . Other large cities are Montreal , Toronto, Vancouver , Winnipeg and Quebec . Canada has two official languages – English and French . It’s interesting to know that about 61% of Canadians name English and 24% French their mother tongue. There are also many other languages spoken in Canada such as: Italian, Chinese , German , Polish, Ukrainian, Greek and Dutch . There are also many native languages such as Algonquian.
The British and the French as the main settlers from Europe fought for hundreds of years before they managed to build up a country which was based on recognizing the cultural diversity of different nations in Canada. All the communities living in the country are encouraged to remember their origins and hold their own ethnic events and national festivals. Cultural diversity makes Canada even more interesting. In spite of this, in recent years there is a strong movement in French-speaking Quebec to become an independent country.
There are many different native people throughout Canada like the Crees, Mohawks, Troquois and Sioux. In the north of the country, the Inuit (Eskimos) now have a self- governing homeland called Nunavut , meaning our land. It is over two million square kilometers and it is inhabited by 17,500 Inuits.
The national symbol of Canada is the maple leaf. The national tree is the maple.
Canada is also the most tolerant societies in the world because only 13% of Canadians say that they would object their children marrying somebody of a different race , compared with 32% in the USA.
Canada’s political structure is independent constitutional monarchy and head of state is Elizabeth ll. The prime minister is Stephen Harpen.
The important historical dates are:
In 1608 Frenchman Chaplain established New France in Quebec.
In 1759 Canada became part of the British Empire.
In 1867 the Confederation of Canada was set up.
In 1931 Canada became independent from Britain .
Canada has a very high standard of living. It is also ranked number one on the UN ´Human Development Index´. The country is particularly advanced in areas of health, education, social protection and human rights .
There are also many things that make Canada attractive for tourists. Many visitors to the country come for activity holidays. Outdoor sports like skiing, hiking , riding, swimming , boating, rafting, tennis, golf and fishing are encouraged across Canada. A half - or full -day fishing trip with a guide, which end up with cooking a meal from the catch , has recently become popular .
In one word Canada is a vast country with many diversities and tourist attractions. With its spectacular nature Canada is wonderful.
Location .
Canada is a huge country in the continent of North America. It is bordered with the Atlantic Ocean in the east , the Pacific Ocean in the west , the United States of America in the south and the Arctic Ocean in the north. Canada is a vast country, with a territory of 3.8 million square miles of land and fresh water it is the second biggest country in the world after Russia . Canada covers most of the northern part of North America.
Canada has over 151,480 miles of coastline. Most of Canada’s human population lives along its southern border.
Geographical facts.
Canada’s geography is very diverse. It has huge lakes , evergreen forests , prairies , meadows and beautiful mountains . There are thousands of miles of coastline with beaches , fjords and wild rivers flowing to the oceans.
Canada is a country of wide open spaces and beautiful landscape where traveling visitors can unexpectedly bump into wild animals like bears or be struck by unusual sight like the scarecrows on the Cabot Trail.
Canada is rich in natural wonders, one of them , the Niagara Falls between lakes Erie and Ontario , which is the second biggest waterfall in the world is one of the greatest attractions in the world. About twelve million tourists come to see the beauty of the falling waters on the border between the United States of America and Canada.
The Horseshoe Falls, which lie in the territory of Canada, are much bigger and have more strength than the American Falls. People can enjoy the sight and the noise of the waters from boats which take them right next to the falls. And to stay dry people receive waterproof clothing.
Parts of Canada are very mountainous and the tallest mountain in Canada is the Yukon ’s Mount Logan , which is 6050 meters tall . Canada has many mountain ranges . In the east there are the Appalachians, Torngats and Laurentias. In the western region there are the Rocky , Coastal and Mackenzie ranges and Mount St. Elias and the Pelly Mountains in the northern regions .
Canada has about two million lakes and they cover about 7.6% of Canada’s land. The biggest lakes in order by their surface are Lake Huron, Lake Great Bear , Lake Superior , Lake Great Slave (which is also the deepest), Lake Winnipeg, Lake Erie and Lake Ontario.
There are also a lot of rivers in Canada. The longest river is the Mackenzie River which is 4241 kilometers long. It runs through the Northwest Territories. Other large and important rivers are the St. Lawrence River, the Yukon River, the Columbia River, the Nelson River, the Churchill River and the Fraser River.
Nature.
Canada’s land ranges from fertile agricultural plains in the south to freezing tundra in the north. The southwest of Canada has a mild climate. Cold winters characterize most of the rest of Canada. The magnetic North Pole is within Nunavut.
There are five biomes in Canada: the Arctic Biome, the Tundra, the Taiga Biome, the Prairies and the Deciduous Forests.
The Arctic biome is cold, windy and the land is permafrost. There are long periods of darkness and light . The growing season is very short. Some typical animals are Arctic foxes, ermines, polar bears, Arctic terns, walruses and seals.
The Tundra is located near the Arctic region. It is cold and windy as well. The land is permafrost and desert -like. The growing season is 50-60 days and that’s why there are plants like mosses and lichens. Typical animals are musk oxen, elks , moose, lemmings, wolves and foxes.
The Taiga biome, also known as coniferous forests is located south of the Tundra region. Taigas are the largest biomes on Earth and they are a major source of oxygen . The climate is cold and harsh with low precipitation and a short growing season. The soil is acidic and only deciduous trees can grow there like hemlocks, pines, larches, spruces and firs. Some typical animals are brown bears, foxes, geese, lynxes and moose.
Prairies are temperate grasslands which consist of grass plains that are hot in summer and cold in winter . Prairies are made by fires. The soil is rich and precipitation is medium and because of that prairies are used for agriculture . Common agriculture plants are oats, rye, barley and wheat . The area has very few trees or shrubs so it’s very windy. Some typical animals that live there are: bobcats, antelopes, snakes , rodents, rabbits, badgers and bisons. Prairies are also called the “ Bread -basket of Canada”.
The Deciduous Forests are cool and rainy areas. There are four distinct seasons. Annual precipitation is 0.5-1.5 meters. The summer average is 24-30’C. There are such plants as: white oak, white birch, pecan, lady fern, common lime and carpet moss. Typical animals are: eagles, black bears, coyotes, deers and chipmunks.
Land.
Across the country Canadians experience many different landscapes from rolling plains and mountains to the cold tundra of the north.
Geographically, Canada can be divided into five major regions: the Pacific Region, the Prairie Provinces, Central Canada, the Atlantic Provinces and the North.
The Pacific Region includes Canada’s westernmost province British Columbia. The region is known for its mild coastal climate, its forests and its spectacular mountains, including the famous Rockies which are also the youngest and highest mountains in Canada. British Columbia is in the landform region called the Western Cordillera (system of mountain ranges). Between the mountain ranges are areas of high plateaus and deep trenches. Since the landscape is very rugged, most people live in the south and near the coast. Vancouver and Victoria are the largest cities in British Columbia.
Alberta , Saskatchewan, and Manitoba are Canada’s Prairie Provinces. They are known for their rolling plains and extreme climate with long, cold winters and hot, dry summers . Much of the area is covered with farms producing large quantities of wheat and other grains . The region is also rich in oil and natural gas. The Prairie Provinces are not only characterized by their rolling plains but also the great Canadian Shield – a rocky landscape with lakes, rivers and forests that stretches over almost half of Canada covers Northern Saskatchewan and Manitoba. Southwestern Alberta has the Rocky Mountains and some of the most spectacular scenery in the country.
This region, which includes Ontario and Quebec, is not really the geographic centre of Canada. The region gets its name because, historically, it has been the centre of political and economic power in the country. Canada’s capital city is Ottawa, Ontario. Central Canada is also the most heavily populated and industrialized area of Canada, particularly in the south around the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River. The Great Lakes are the largest body of fresh water in the world. In order of size they include Lake Superior, Lake Michigan, Lake Huron, Lake Erie and Lake Ontario. Some of the first settlements were built along the St. Lawrence River and the Great Lakes. Today , these waterways are still an important transportation route to Canada’s interior . Though heavily populated, the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Lowlands in the south is only a small geographic region in Central Canada. The largest part is covered by the rocky Canadian Shield. In the far north we may find the Hudson Bay Lowlands that are swampy, cold and flat and with very few towns or cities.
This easternmost region includes New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island , Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador . Fishing, shipping and farming are important activities in this area. The region has many small coastal communities, although there are also major industrial centers such as Halifax and Sydney in Nova Scotia. There are the Appalachian Mountains in this region but they are not at all like the grand , rugged mountains of the Pacific Region. The Appalachians are old, rounded mountains. Valleys in the region, such as the Annapolis Valley are important farming areas producing fruit, vegetables and dairy products . The Atlantic Provinces are also called the “Orchard” of Canada.
Canada’s North includes the Yukon Territory and the Northwest Territories, along with all Canada’s Arctic Islands . This region is quite remote since most of Canada’s population lives in the south. However , the North is home to over 85 000 people, many of them indigenous people and to a great variety of wildlife including caribou and polar bears. The North covers a large area and has a varied landscape which includes mountains of the Western Cordillera, the Innuitian Mountains, the Arctic Lowlands and parts of the Interior Plains and Canadian Shield. This varied landscape has one feature in common – extremely cold winters and a lot of snow . It is so cold that the earth is frozen most of the year and almost never thaws. The permafrost has made constitution in the North a real challenge to architects and builders. Much of the North is treeless tundra but in the spring and summer the tundra plays host to a variety of beautiful wildflowers and shrubs. In the summer months, there is no darkness, the sun never sets . The summer season may be short but it is all the more appreciated for its contrast with the long darkness of the winter.
And altogether there are 10 provinces and 3 territories in Canada.
Economy .
Canada is a very large country blessed with many natural resources. From trees in the forests across the country we make pulp and paper . From mines we extract coal , gold , silver , iron , uranium and many other minerals. On the prairies we grow grain, raise cattle and extract oil and gas from beneath of the ground . From the oceans on our east and west coast we take fish and other seafood.
In Japanese restaurants customers may buy Alberta beef and British Columbia salmon . In Russia people sometimes eat bread from Canadian wheat. In the United States many of the newspapers are made from Canadian pulp and people use Canadian oil and gas in their cars.
Because Canada has a relatively small population and abundant natural resources much of our international trade is in exporting those resources and buying manufactured goods .
Our most important customer for exports is the United States of America. Other export customers are also Japan, the United Kingdom and Germany .
Canada exports a lot of products: what and other grains, beef and other meat , oil, dairy products, sugar beets and maple sugar products to name a few. Copper , cold, iron ore, nickel and zinc are the minerals most often sent to other countries. Natural gas and oil are other important exports along with forestry products.
Though largely dependent on natural resources Canada has also a strong manufacturing industry. Transportation equipment such as automobiles and automobile parts are our most important manu7factured goods, followed by food, paper products and chemicals .
Canada is also a world leader in the telecommunications industry. The Canadarm, a remote-controlled arm used by NASA astronauts in the American space program , is a major Canadian achievement. Canadians have also developed and built powerful communication satellites, which are used by countries around the world.