Introduction to Canada

Essential Question:•What are the main physical characteristics of Canada?

Target

• CRCT Pg. 39• Answer questions 73-78

• Describe each of the six physical features in a complete sentence.

• You may use CRCT pg. 39 to assist you.

Canada’s Physical Features Travel Brochure

• On computer paper. Fold in 3 sections

• Six physical features of Canada. • For each feature, you need a

picture and a detailed description in complete sentences (at least 3 complete sentences that describe everything about that feature).

Discovery Streaming Movie

• http://app.discoveryeducation.com/search?Ntt=geography+of+canada&N=18342

Physical Features of Canada

The Canadian Shield

What a wonderful place! Full of natural resources like timber, minerals such as iron ore, gold, copper, and uranium. This region of vast wilderness has thousands of beautiful lakes and covers half of Canada. It is a horseshoe shaped region that has rocky hills.

The Atlantic Ocean

Physical Characteristics of

Canada

yennadon.sd42.ca/canada/physicalfeatures.html

Great Lakes• five large freshwater lakes in central

North America– created from melting glaciers– HOMES (Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie,

Superior)

• serve as the “industrial heartland” of the continent

• one of the world’s busiest shipping areas– Most of Canada’s population live in this

region.

St. Lawrence River

• major source of overseas and US/Canada shipping & trade– outlet for the Great Lakes to

connect to the St. Lawrence Seaway in order to reach the Atlantic Ocean

• huge producer of hydroelectricity

St. Lawrence Seaway

• a canal system completed in 1959 at the eastern end of the Great Lakes– connects the Great Lakes with the St. Lawrence

River (which flows to the Atlantic Ocean)

• major source of overseas and US/Canada shipping & trade– closed from November to April (frozen)– seaway has made cities in Eastern Canada

home to many successful manufacturing companies

Copyright Harpor House Publishers, Inc., Boyne City, Mich.

Hudson Bay• large inland sea in east central

Canada• “an arm” of the Atlantic Ocean

– Grain from Alberta & Saskatchewan is shipped from Hudson Bay out to the Atlantic and on to other countries

– only navigable from July to October

Atlantic Ocean• 2nd largest of the earth’s 5 oceans• most heavily traveled ocean• forms the eastern border of

Canada– major shipping route to Europe &

Africa

Pacific Ocean• largest & deepest of the world’s 5

oceans• covers 1/3 of the Earth’s surface• western border of Canada

– major shipping route to Asia

Canadian Shield• Stretches from Great Lakes to Arctic

Ocean; covers half of Canada!• Region of mostly thin soil lying on top of

bedrock, with many bare outcrops of rock & thousands of lakes

• Major natural resources: timber, minerals, & water

• Region is sparsely populated

Rocky Mountains

• located in Western Canada– includes western Alberta and eastern British

Columbia

• stretches a distance of 2,000 miles• mining is the biggest industry in the

region, followed closely by logging– major minerals include: iron ore, copper,

coal, gold

• sparsely populated & contain few cities

HowStuffWorks.com