Canada

Chapter 1 - Geography

Location

This report is about the country of Canada. It is in the Western Hemisphere, on the continent of North America.

Highlights

Most people go to Canada to see physical features such as wilderness areas, and natural wonders. Canada is most known for maple trees, fishing, and Niagara Falls.

A Picture Tour

Bilingual stop sign

Map

Population: 31,006,347 (July 1999)

Size: 3,851,809 sq. mi. (9,976,140 sq. km.)

Points of Geographic Interest

Mountains

The two major mountains of Canada are the Rocky and Coastal Mountains. These mountain ranges run north to south. The highest peaks of Canada are in the St. Elias Mountains.

Rivers/Lakes

Canada also features some of the Great Lakes. These Great Lakes are Lake Erie, Lake Ontario, Lake Superior, and Lake Huron.

Forests

More than half of Canada’s forest is commercial forest. Canada has a large amount of forest exports. In 1993, Canada’s forest exports had a value of $26.7 billon dollars.

Deserts

Canada does not have any deserts.

Other Points of Interest

The Canadian Shield is wrapped around Hudson Bay. The Canadian Shield is a rocky region and is Canada’s largest geographical feature.

Capital City

Name of City: Ottawa

Province: Ontario

Ottawa is the capital of Canada. It is the fourth largest metropolitan area in Canada. It has the finest art, history, and culture in the country. Ottawa is the home of Mitel, Newbridge, Corel, and other technological companies.

Ottawa is the home of Parliament. It is where all the national government decisions are made. Ottawa is a center for technology and hi-tech research.

Other Important Cities

Vancouver: Vancouver is in the province of British Columbia. It is the largest city in British Columbia. Vancouver is surrounded on three sides by water. I have visited Vancouver, and it has a very nice park called Stanley Park.

Calgary: Calgary is in the province of Alberta. It is the largest city in the province. Calgary is the center of Canadian gas and oil industries. Calgary has an altitude of 1,049 meters (3,340 ft.). I have also visited Calgary.

Toronto: Toronto is in the province of Ontario. It is the business center of Canada. Toronto has a network of recreation facilities and parks. It is the home of more than 80 ethnic communities. Toronto is a large city, and has lots of traffic. I have also visited Toronto.

Edmonton: Edmonton is in Alberta, and is the capital of Alberta. The oil wells that Calgary uses are in areas near Edmonton. Most of the buildings in Edmonton have been preserved and are historical.

Winnipeg: Winnipeg is in the province of Manitoba. The workers in Winnipeg are known for their high skills. Winnipeg is a major distribution center for Canada.

Regina: Regina is in the province of Saskatchewan. Regina has over 200 parks. The city is the commercial and financial center of Saskatchewan.

Montreal: Montreal is in the province of Quebec. The city mainly uses the French language.

Climate

The climate of Canada varies from place to place. In most of Canada winter lasts longer than summer. Canadian winters are cold. Central Canada gets more snow than the Artic. The Pacific Coast is fairly dry and cool in the summer and mild and wet in the winter. British Columbia is cooler and much drier in the winter. Areas by the Rocky Mountains and the Great Lakes have long and cold winters and short and warm summers. Ontario and Quebec have a humid climate and have cold winters and hot summers. The Atlantic Provinces have precipitation all year.

Average summer temperature:	59 to 68°F
Average winter temperature:	-22 to -4°F
Average yearly rainfall:	10 to 30 inches

Natural Resources

Canada has many natural resources. Many of these natural resources are in mining. Most of the mining products are mineral fuels, metallic minerals, nonmetallic minerals, or structural materials. Most of Canada’s mining production is in petroleum and natural gas. In Alberta, thick oil is found in the earth. This is where some of Canada’s oil comes from. The metallic minerals in Canada are high in the economy. Metallic minerals such as gold, copper, zinc, nickel, iron ore, uranium, and silver are found in Canada.

The fishing industry is another natural resource. Some people in Canada are fishermen. Nova Scotia is known for fishing. This industry provides food to Canada.

Resources and Industries

Wildlife

There are many different kinds of wildlife in Canada.

Wildlife

Plant Life

Canada has a lot of forest areas. Many of the trees in these forests are evergreen trees. Some of these forests are used for paper and other forest products.
Chapter 2 - Symbols

National Flag:

Motto

From sea to sea

Coat of Arms

Other Symbols

Maple Leaf and Beaver

National Anthem

Title: O Canada!

Author: Sir Adolphe-Basile Routhier

Canada’s national anthem:

O Canada!

Our home and native land!

True patriot love in all thy sons command

With glowing hearts we see thee rise,

The True North strong and free!

From far and wide, O Canada,

We stand on guard for thee.

God keep our land glorious and free!

O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.

Other Songs

Other songs identified with this nation include:

Song	Author
God Save the Queen	Henry Carey
Maple Leaf Forever	Alexander Muir

Chapter 3 - Way of Life

People

In Canada, there are two official languages, French and English. Some of the people in Canada speak English, some speak French, and some speak both. Most Canadians are middle class. Most people have enough money to live comfortably and have plenty of food to eat.

Most people in Canada have more than one vehicle. In Canada, having a car a necessity. Most Canadians like to talk on the telephone also. Most people have more than one phone line in their home in Canada. Many people have cordless phones, answering machines, and fax machines.

People

Language

Canada’s official languages are English and French.

English	French
Hello	Bonjour
How are you?	Comment allez-vous
Very well, thank you	Tres bien, merci
Good-bye	Au revoir
What is it?	Qu’est-ce que c’est

Traditions

Canada has many traditions. Canadians traditionally like art, theater, and dance. Most of Canadian art is by native artists. These artists have carved totem poles and soapstone.

Canada also has paintings in its tradition. Most of these paintings are paintings done by pioneers. These paintings are of native people.

Canada has a big tradition in theater. Some actresses in Canada are Mary Pickford, Lorne Greene, and Sir Christopher.

Canadians like to dance. Canadians enjoy classical Indian dance. They also enjoy Architecture. Canadians like to build interesting buildings.

Traditions

Some traditional foods in Canada are

Maple syrup, lobsters, tortiere, maple syrup pie, flipper pie, and bannock.

Type of Government

Canada’s government is a federation with parliamentary democracy and a constitutional monarchy.

Canada’s legal system is based on its tradition. Canada has a constitution that sets out basic rights of individuals. The authority to make laws is mostly in Parliament.

Each province in Canada has its own court. Canada has two levels of courts, first level and second level. The first level is the provincial court. The second level is the provincial Superior Court.

In Canada, there is a house of commons. This is where the members of Parliament make the laws. There is a gallery where the public can sit and watch the laws being made. The prime minister of Canada is the most powerful political figure.

There is also the senate. The senators are not elected, but appointed by the governor general. There are 104 senate members. The members of the House of Commons are elected.

Leaders

Queen Elizabeth II is the queen of Canada. She is also the queen of the United Kingdom, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, Pakistan, and other countries. Queen Elizabeth was born in 1926 in London. She did not go to school. She was taught by Miss Crawford.

Pierre Trudeau was born in 1919. He is Canada’s 15^th prime minister. In 1965, he entered federal politics. He was appointed Minister of Justice in 1967. In 1968, he was elected leader of the Liberal party of Canada. He introduced the Canadian Constitution of 1982.

Money

Canadian currency is multicolored. Originally the $1 bill was green and the $2 bill was pink. Recently the Looney and Toney replaced these.

Money

Ten Dollars ($10)

Religion

The main religion in Canada is Roman Catholic.

This religion teaches the existence of Jesus. The religion uses the New Testament, the Old Testament, and Apocrypha. Roman Catholicism teaches that humans exist in a mode of sin and cannot have an adequate knowledge of God except in revelation.

Other religions in Canada include the United Church and the Anglican Church.

Education

Canada has 10 provincial and 2 territorial school systems. You must go to school if you are ages 6-16. About 5 million children attend public schools in Canada. In some of the provinces, children can enter kindergarten at the age of four. The elementary schools emphasize language, math, social studies, and science. Juniors and seniors get more subjects like computer science, technology, trades courses, music, art, and home economics. Canada’s Public Schools are paid by local taxes and government grants.

Missions

David George is one of the many missionaries to/from Canada. He came from Virginia and went to Nova Scotia, Canada. He preached at a Baptist church.

James Evans started churches to teach Indians in Ontario. He then went west to Lake Winnipeg and made a system of symbols for the Cree language. This made it possible for him to work with the Cree Indians.

Sports

In Canada hockey, baseball, Canadian football, and Lacrosse are played.

In Canada hockey is ice hockey (not field hockey). Ice hockey is a Canadian invention. Canadians like to play ice hockey. Even young kids like to play ice hockey.

Canadians also like baseball. People like to watch baseball being played.

Another Canadian sport is Canadian Football. It is a Canadian invention. Canadian football has different rules than American football. In Canadian football there are more players.

Lacrosse is the oldest Canadian game. It is based on an Indian game called baggataway.

Chapter 4 - History

Historical Happenings

Canada was first inhabited by native Indians. In 1497, first white man entered the country. This was when John Cabot reached either Newfoundland or Nova Scotia. France took Canada in 1534. In 1608, Quebec was founded. Then, there was a conflict between the French and the English. In 1713, Canada was lost to England. In 1849, Canada was self-governed. In April 1999, the Northwest Territories was dived in two, making Nunavut.

Time Line

Date	Event
1497	First white man in Canada
1534	France took Canada
1583	Humphrey Gilbert claims Newfoundland for Britain
1608	Quebec founded
1610	Henry Hudson discovers Hudson Bay
1642	Montreal is founded by French missionaries
1670	Hudson’s Bay Company is founded
1713	Canada lost to England
1763	Treaty of Paris ends decades of fighting between the French and British
1774	Quebec Act gives political rights and religious freedom to French Canadians
1807	David Thompson and Simon Fraser travel through British Columbia
1849	Canada becomes self-governed
1864	Colonial leaders discuss creating the nation of Canada
1870	North West Territories is established
1885	Last spike driven in Canada’s transcontinental railway
1896	Gold discovered near Klondike River starting the Klondike gold rush
1947	Oil discovered at Leduc, Alberta

Time Line

Date	Event
1962	Trans-Canada Highway completed
1965	National Health Plan introduced
April 1999	Northwest Territories divided making Nunavut

Historical Persons

Name: Louis Riel

He was born in 1844 and died in 1885. He founded the province of Manitoba. He formed an organization of Metis who fought for land, language, access to political power, and cultural rights in the 1860s. He if known as a heroic freedom fighter.

Name: Lucy Maud Montgomery

She was born in 1847, and died in 1942. She wrote 22 novels. She also wrote several volumes of short stories.

Name: Marshall McLuhan

He was born in 1911, and died in 1980. He was a professor at the University of Toronto. He studied the effects of media on thought and behavior. He wrote a book called The Medium Is the Message. The book describes his theory of how people receive information.
Historical Persons

Name: William Aberhardt

He founded the Social Credit party. He was born in 1878. He died in 1943. He began as a high school teacher and religious-radio-show host.

Name: Nellie McClung

She was born in 1873 and died in 1951. She was a teacher, author, and a suffragist during the 20^th century. She became a spokeswoman for woman’s right and urged woman-voting rights. She was a famous speaker and gave speeches all around the world. She also wrote books. Her first novel was Sowing Seeds in Danny.

Name: Rene Levesque

Rene Levesque founded Parti Quebecois. He started his career as a television and radio journalist. He won political office of the Quebec Liberal party in 1960. He was born in 1922, and died in 1987.

Why You Should Visit Canada

You should visit Canada because of its scenery, wildlife, physical features, culture, and people. Canada is very close (just north) to the United States.

Canada has a lot of scenery. There are plants, trees, bridges, cities, and lots of water. The country even has interesting buildings. This means that you should take your camera.

Canada also has lots of wildlife. Canada has bears, fish, bison, moose, polar bears, Artic foxes, hogs, cattle, and chickens.

There are many physical features in Canada. Some of these are Niagara Falls, the Canadian Shield, and lots of water. If you go to Niagara Falls, you might get wet.

In Canada there is a lot of culture. There is culture from the native people, Scottish, people from Greece, Ukraine, German, and many other places. People will dress up differently.

Summary

Key Facts

Nation	Canada
Hemisphere	Western
Continent	North America
Boundaries
North	Artic Ocean
South	United States
East	Atlantic Ocean
West	Pacific Ocean
Population	31,006,347 (July 1999)
Capital	Ottawa
National Anthem	O Canada!
Flag Colors	Red and White
Motto	From sea to sea
Other Symbols	Maple Leaf and Beaver
Type of government	Federation with parliamentary democracy and constitutional monarchy
National Leaders	Queen Elizabeth II, Pierre Trudeau
Climate	Varies from place to place
Wildlife	Bears, beavers, Canadian geese, Sockeye salmon, Artic Fox, Bison, Cow Moose, Polar Bear
Plant Life	Trillium, Tulips, Ferns
Natural Resources	Mining, fishing
Industries	Corn, potatoes, wheat, gold, potash, silver, zinc, coal, copper, iron, uranium
Cities	Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Regina, and Montreal
Languages	French and English
Religion	Roman Catholic (45%), United Church (12%), Anglican (8%), and other (35%)
Interesting Traditions	Art, theater, dance