During the classes

general characteristics

Canada is the second largest country in the world (9,970,610 sq km), surpassed in size only by Russia.

Canada is located in the north of the USA, between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. From west to east it reaches 7,700 km, and from north to south - 4,600 km. Nearly 90% of Canada's total population lives within 100 miles of the US border.

• Area - 9970.6 thousand km 2 (2nd place among the states of the world)
• Population - 31.3 million people. (34th)
• GDP (2000) - $729 billion (11th)
• GDP per capita: $23,300 (13th)
• Political system: federal parliamentary state within the Commonwealth

Capital of Canada, Ottawa

The main features of the EGP

• Located in the northern part of North America, has large area, in addition to the mainland, it includes numerous islands

• Washed by the waters of three oceans - Pacific, Atlantic and Arctic

• Borders on the USA (6 thousand km of unguarded border), polar sectors borders on Russia

• Most of the territory is located in cold zones - arctic and subarctic, south - in temperate

Natural resource potential

natural conditions

• Relief:

Ecological direction (numerous national parks)

Skiing and mountaineering direction (Cordillera)

Extreme direction (northern islands)

• Aquatic

Dense river network, the largest rivers are Mackenzie, Nelson, St. Lawrence, many lakes

• Land

Only 15% of the territory is suitable for agriculture; soils: gray forest, chernozem, chestnut

• Forest

Increasing coal (open pit) and oil production

3rd in the world in terms of natural gas production

HPP - 60%, TPP - 30%, NPP - 10%

• Metallurgy

Slowdown in the development of ferrous metallurgy

Export value of non-ferrous metallurgy, leading places for the production of cobalt, copper, zinc, nickel

Aluminum industry on cheap energy resources and imported bauxite

Smelting of rare earth metals

mechanical engineering

Transport (cars, planes, diesel locomotives, ships, snowmobiles) and agricultural, production of equipment for the forestry, paper, mining industries

Mining

Leading place in the world in the extraction and export of iron ore, copper, zinc, lead, nickel, molybdenum, cobalt, titanium, gold, silver, platinum, uranium, oil, gas, coal, asbestos, potassium salts and sulfur

Chemical

2nd place in the world in the production of potash fertilizers

Production of explosives, pharmaceuticals, synthetic and polymeric materials, organic chemicals

Paper

1st place in the world in the production of newsprint

2nd place in the world (after the USA) in terms of production volume

4th place in the world in the production of paper and cardboard

food

Light

• Agriculture

Canada See Appendix 1 is the second largest country in the world (10 million sq. km.), surpassed in size only by Russia. Canada occupies 1/12 of the earth's land and has the longest coastline, equal to 3 equators. Canada is located in North America. It borders the United States to the south and northwest, the US land border being considered the longest unguarded border in the world. The "border" with Russia is the shortest, as it is just a mathematical point - the North Pole, where the borders of the polar sectors of these countries converge. In the north, Canada is washed by the Arctic Ocean. In the northeast by Baffin Bay and Davis Strait, in the east - Atlantic Ocean, and in the west - Pacific.

Canada's climate varies from temperate in the south to arctic in the north.

Although most of the land is occupied by lakes and lowlands overgrown with forests, Canada also has mountain ranges, plains and even a small desert. The Great Plains, or prairies, cover Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and parts of Alberta. Now it is the main agricultural land of the country. Western Canada is known for its Rocky Mountains, while to the east are the country's most important cities, as well as Niagara Falls, the Canadian Shield, an ancient mountainous region formed over 2.5 billion years ago. years ago, covers most of the north of the country. In the arctic region, only tundra can be found, which further north breaks into islands covered with ice almost all year round.

The highest point in Canada is Mount Logan at 5,950 meters above sea level.

Physical and geographical position of Canada:

In physical and geographical terms, Canada is divided into five main parts: the Appalachian-Acadian region (southeast of the country), the Canadian Shield, the Interior Lowlands, the Great Plains (in the center) and the Cordillera (in the west). The territory of the country is a complex geological structure where there are breeds of various ages. Next to the oldest geological formation, which is the Canadian Shield, there are young mountains - the Cordillera.

More than half of the country's territory is occupied by the Laurentian Plateau, which is part of the Canadian Shield. This is the oldest part of Canadian land, covered by a glacier in the recent past and still bearing traces of glaciation: smoothed rocks, moraines, chains of lakes. The plateau is a gently undulating plain. This is the most severe and uninhabited part of the country, but with huge reserves of minerals.

From the north and south, the plateau is surrounded by large lowlands - the Interior Plains, the Laurentian Lowland and the lowlands of the Hudson Strait, which represent a characteristic picture of the Canadian landscape and brought Canada the glory of a country of boundless expanses with favorable natural conditions.

In spring, the boundless expanse of the steppes is covered with a green carpet, in summer - golden, and in winter - a white blanket. Such steppes are mainly located in the southern parts of the provinces of Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, which is why these provinces are called steppe. The Laurentian lowland is in the most favorable climatic conditions- temperate climate and fertile soils. That's why the chief is here economic region countries.

In the southeast of the country lie the Appalachian Mountains, an ancient mountain system rich in minerals like our Urals. Their average height does not exceed 600 m. The Appalachians are covered with dense forests. To the northwest of the Appalachians is the Canadian Shield, which consists of granites and gneisses. There are many swamps, lakes, rapids rivers. From the west and south, the shield is bordered by a chain of lakes - from the Great Bear Lake to the Great Lakes. The Canadian Shield Region is a harsh and sparsely populated part of the country.

West of the Canadian Shield are the Great Plains. Their southern part - the Interior Lowlands - is the breadbasket of Canada (75% of the country's cultivated land). In the western part of Canada on the Pacific coast is one of the greatest and most beautiful mountain systems in the world - the Cordillera, stretching for 2.5 thousand km from north to south and 750 km from west to east. Within Canada, they are subdivided into the Rocky Mountains (in the east), the Coast Range (in the west), and the plateau that lies between them. The height of the mountains is 2000-3000 m above sea level. These relatively young mountains are also rich in minerals, most of which are exploited.

Economic and geographical position of Canada:

Canada occupies most of the North North America. 75% of the territory is the zone of the north. Canada has a common land border with the United States in the south and northwest (between Alaska and Yukon) and stretches from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and the Arctic Ocean in the north. It also shares maritime borders with France (Saint Pierre and Miquelon) and Denmark (Greenland). Since 1925 Canada has owned part of the Arctic between 60? h.d. and 141? z.d., however, these possessions are not generally recognized.

The USA is a developed state. It ranks fourth in the world in terms of territory. The United States borders in the south with Mexico, and also has a maritime border with Russia. The US has the largest economy in the world. A lot of natural resources including energy and raw materials. High-tech production. developed Scientific research. The service sector is well developed and the industry is competitive.

The country's transport system includes more than 1.1 million kilometers highways, ten major international and about three hundred regional and local airports, 72,093 kilometers of railway lines and more than 300 commercial seaports providing access to the waters of the Pacific, Atlantic, Arctic oceans, the waters of the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence River. In 2005, the country's transport sector revenue accounted for 4.2% of Canada's GDP, up 0.5% from oil and natural gas revenues.

Canada can be divided into 7 physiographic regions. Arctic mountains. Most of Ellesmere Island and the northeast coast of Baffin Island is occupied by a series of high mountains and steep slopes. This region is high latitude and extremely cold. The surface is bound by permafrost, in most of the territory - ice sheets.

Laurentian (Canadian) shield. The territory of this region is characterized by outcrops of ancient crystalline bedrocks. Local landforms are a legacy of the Ice Age. As the massive ice sheets retreated northward, they cleared and smoothed the surface. There are thousands of lakes within this area, with Hudson Bay in the center. The entire region, which has the shape of a circle, covers almost half of Canada (4.6 million km). The area is extremely rich in mineral resources; deposits of almost all elements of the periodic table have been found here.

Appalachian mountains. The Maritime Provinces and the insular Newfoundland represent the northernmost edge of the Appalachian system, which runs through the eastern United States into Canada. This is a mountainous region of ancient rocks.

Interior Plains. Bordering the Canadian Shield to the west, this region of plains and gently undulating terrain extends from the United States into the Steppe Provinces and continues northwest to the Pacific coast. The Canadian Shield and the Interior Plains are an area of ​​low relief that covers approximately 60% of Canada and the United States.

The Rocky Mountains rise sharply along the western edge of the Interior Plains. In contrast to the gently undulating plains, the Rocky Mountains have peaks often exceeding 3,000 meters.

Intermountain regions. To the west is a relatively narrow corridor of plateaus and valleys that separates the Rocky Mountains from the mountain ranges along the Pacific coast. This area, extremely complex in geological terms, is a labyrinth of plateaus, low ridges and valleys.

Pacific mountain system. The western edge of the continent is a mountainous country stretching from Alaska through the Yukon Territory and British Columbia to the Sierra Nevada in Southern California.

The climatic regions of Canada and Russia are very similar. In the North, the tundra region extends from the Canadian archipelago through the Ungava Peninsula east of Hudson Bay and ends on the Atlantic coast of Newfoundland. South of the tundra is a vast subarctic climate region running from the Yukon and the Northwest Territories east across the country to Hudson Bay and continuing into the Gulf of St. Lawrence. In the south, this zone reaches the northern shore of Lake Superior. To the south of the subarctic belt there is an area of ​​humid continental climate, spreading through the southern part of the Steppe provinces and through the Great Lakes region to the Maritime provinces. However, all natural zones in Canada are shifted to the south compared to Russia (especially its European part). The fact is that instead of the warm Gulf Stream, its eastern shores are washed by the cold Labrador Current, and the North Pole, according to scientists, in the distant past was located on the territory of present-day Canada, where the north magnetic pole Earth. Here in much more southern latitudes than ours - sometimes even in Montreal! - you can see the northern lights. The climate in Montreal is about the same as in Moscow, although Montreal, like the capital, Ottawa, is located at the latitude of Simferopol. And at the latitude of Moscow in eastern Canada - already the tundra. As in Russia, approximately 70% of Canada's territory is usually attributed to the region of the North.

Political and geographical position of Canada:

Canada is a federal state that occupies most of the mainland of North America and the adjacent numerous islands. Today Canada is a constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary system, a bilingual and multicultural country where English and French are recognized as official languages ​​at the federal level.

It is washed by the Atlantic, Pacific and Arctic oceans, borders on the USA in the south and northwest, with Denmark (Greenland) and France (Saint Pierre and Miquelon) in the northeast. Canada's border with the United States is the longest common border in the world. Capital of Canada Ottawa.

Over the past 60 years, Canada has become an advocate for diversity, working with other countries to resolve international conflicts.

As a founding member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), Canada has a non-nuclear defensive military. There are currently 62,000 permanent military personnel in service and 26,000 personnel in reserve. Canadian armed forces composed of infantry troops, navy and the air force. Most of the armament includes 1,500 infantry fighting vehicles, 34 warships and 861 aircraft.

Canada participated in the First and Second World Wars on the side of the Allies. She also participated in the Korean War on the side of the United States. Canada has been active in international missions under UN and NATO command since 1950, including peacekeeping operations, various missions in the former Yugoslavia, and supported Coalition forces in the 1st Gulf War. Since 2001, Canada has had a contingent in Afghanistan in partnership with the US Stabilization Force and the NATO International Force, supported by the UN. Help team for emergency situations participated in three important rescue operations after the December 2004 tsunami in Southeast Asia, after Hurricane Katrina in September 2005 on the American coast and after the earthquake in Kashmir in October 2005.

Canada consists of ten provinces and three territories See Appendix 2. The newest administrative unit of Canada is the Nunavut Territory (created in 1999).

The provinces are states that exist under the Canadian constitution and have supreme power within their jurisdiction, independent of the federal government.

The Canadian territories are administrative divisions administered by the Canadian federal Parliament, which by ordinary law grants certain powers to their local administrations.

The ten modern provinces are Alberta, British Columbia, Quebec, Manitoba, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, and Saskatchewan. Three territories: Nunavut, Northwest Territories and Yukon.

1.1 Geographical position Canada

Canada See Appendix 1 is the second largest country in the world (10 million sq. km.), surpassed in size only by Russia. Canada occupies 1/12 of the earth's land and has the longest coastline, equal to 3 equators. Canada is located in North America. It borders the United States to the south and northwest, the US land border being considered the longest unguarded border in the world. The "border" with Russia is the shortest, as it is just a mathematical point - the North Pole, where the borders of the polar sectors of these countries converge. In the north, Canada is washed by the Arctic Ocean. To the northeast by Baffin Bay and Davis Strait, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, and to the west by the Pacific Ocean.

Canada's climate varies from temperate in the south to arctic in the north.

Although most of the land is occupied by lakes and lowlands overgrown with forests, Canada also has mountain ranges, plains and even a small desert. The Great Plains, or prairies, cover Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and parts of Alberta. Now it is the main agricultural land of the country. Western Canada is known for its Rocky Mountains, while to the east are the country's most important cities, as well as Niagara Falls, the Canadian Shield, an ancient mountainous region formed over 2.5 billion years ago. years ago, covers most of the north of the country. In the arctic region, only tundra can be found, which further north breaks into islands covered with ice almost all year round.

The highest point in Canada is Mount Logan at 5,950 meters above sea level.

Physical and geographical position of Canada:

In physical and geographical terms, Canada is divided into five main parts: the Appalachian-Acadian region (southeast of the country), the Canadian Shield, the Interior Lowlands, the Great Plains (in the center) and the Cordillera (in the west). The territory of the country is a complex geological structure, where there are rocks of various ages. Next to the oldest geological formation, which is the Canadian Shield, there are young mountains - the Cordillera.

More than half of the country's territory is occupied by the Laurentian Plateau, which is part of the Canadian Shield. This is the oldest part of Canadian land, covered by a glacier in the recent past and still bearing traces of glaciation: smoothed rocks, moraines, chains of lakes. The plateau is a gently undulating plain. This is the most severe and uninhabited part of the country, but with huge reserves of minerals.

From the north and south, the plateau is surrounded by large lowlands - the Interior Plains, the Laurentian Lowland and the lowlands of the Hudson Strait, which represent a characteristic picture of the Canadian landscape and brought Canada the glory of a country of boundless expanses with favorable natural conditions.

In spring, the boundless expanse of the steppes is covered with a green carpet, in summer - golden, and in winter - a white blanket. Such steppes are mainly located in the southern parts of the provinces of Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, which is why these provinces are called steppe. The Laurentian lowland is located in the most favorable climatic conditions - a temperate climate and fertile soils. That is why the main economic region of the country is located here.

In the southeast of the country lie the Appalachian Mountains, an ancient mountain system rich in minerals like our Urals. Their average height does not exceed 600 m. The Appalachians are covered with dense forests. To the northwest of the Appalachians is the Canadian Shield, which consists of granites and gneisses. There are many swamps, lakes, rapids rivers. From the west and south, the shield is bordered by a chain of lakes - from the Great Bear Lake to the Great Lakes. The Canadian Shield Region is a harsh and sparsely populated part of the country.

West of the Canadian Shield are the Great Plains. Their southern part - the Interior Lowlands - is the breadbasket of Canada (75% of the country's cultivated land). In the western part of Canada on the Pacific coast is one of the greatest and most beautiful mountain systems in the world - the Cordillera, stretching for 2.5 thousand km from north to south and 750 km from west to east. Within Canada, they are subdivided into the Rocky Mountains (in the east), the Coast Range (in the west), and the plateau that lies between them. The height of the mountains is 2000-3000 m above sea level. These relatively young mountains are also rich in minerals, most of which are exploited.

Economic and geographical position of Canada:

Canada occupies most of the North of North America. 75% of the territory is the zone of the north. Canada has a common land border with the United States in the south and northwest (between Alaska and Yukon) and stretches from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and the Arctic Ocean in the north. It also shares maritime borders with France (Saint Pierre and Miquelon) and Denmark (Greenland). Since 1925 Canada has owned part of the Arctic between 60? h.d. and 141? z.d., however, these possessions are not generally recognized.

The USA is a developed state. It ranks fourth in the world in terms of territory. The United States borders in the south with Mexico, and also has a maritime border with Russia. The US has the largest economy in the world. Many natural resources, including energy and raw materials. High-tech production. Developed scientific research. The service sector is well developed and the industry is competitive.

The country's transport system includes more than 1.1 million kilometers of roads, ten major international and about three hundred regional and local airports, 72,093 kilometers of railways and more than 300 commercial seaports providing access to the waters of the Pacific, Atlantic, and Arctic Oceans , the waters of the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence River. In 2005, the country's transport sector revenue accounted for 4.2% of Canada's GDP, up 0.5% from oil and natural gas revenues.

Canada can be divided into 7 physiographic regions. Arctic mountains. Most of Ellesmere Island and the northeast coast of Baffin Island is occupied by a series of high mountains and steep slopes. This region is high latitude and extremely cold. The surface is bound by permafrost, in most of the territory - ice sheets.

Laurentian (Canadian) shield. The territory of this region is characterized by outcrops of ancient crystalline bedrocks. Local landforms are a legacy of the Ice Age. As the massive ice sheets retreated northward, they cleared and smoothed the surface. There are thousands of lakes within this area, with Hudson Bay in the center. The entire region, which has the shape of a circle, covers almost half of Canada (4.6 million km). The area is extremely rich in mineral resources; deposits of almost all elements of the periodic table have been found here.

Appalachian mountains. The Maritime Provinces and the insular Newfoundland represent the northernmost edge of the Appalachian system, which runs through the eastern United States into Canada. This is a mountainous region of ancient rocks.

Interior Plains. Bordering the Canadian Shield to the west, this region of plains and gently undulating terrain extends from the United States into the Steppe Provinces and continues northwest to the Pacific coast. The Canadian Shield and the Interior Plains are an area of ​​low relief that covers approximately 60% of Canada and the United States.

The Rocky Mountains rise sharply along the western edge of the Interior Plains. In contrast to the gently undulating plains, the Rocky Mountains have peaks often exceeding 3,000 meters.

Intermountain regions. To the west is a relatively narrow corridor of plateaus and valleys that separates the Rocky Mountains from the mountain ranges along the Pacific coast. This area, extremely complex in geological terms, is a labyrinth of plateaus, low ridges and valleys.

Pacific mountain system. The western edge of the continent is a mountainous country stretching from Alaska through the Yukon Territory and British Columbia to the Sierra Nevada in Southern California.

The climatic regions of Canada and Russia are very similar. In the North, the tundra region extends from the Canadian archipelago through the Ungava Peninsula east of Hudson Bay and ends on the Atlantic coast of Newfoundland. South of the tundra is a vast subarctic climate region running from the Yukon and the Northwest Territories east across the country to Hudson Bay and continuing into the Gulf of St. Lawrence. In the south, this zone reaches the northern shore of Lake Superior. To the south of the subarctic belt there is an area of ​​humid continental climate, spreading through the southern part of the Steppe provinces and through the Great Lakes region to the Maritime provinces. However, all natural zones in Canada are shifted to the south compared to Russia (especially its European part). The fact is that instead of the warm Gulf Stream, its eastern shores are washed by the cold Labrador Current, and the North Pole, according to scientists, in the distant past was located on the territory of present-day Canada, where the Earth's north magnetic pole still remains. Here in much more southern latitudes than ours - sometimes even in Montreal! - you can see the northern lights. The climate in Montreal is about the same as in Moscow, although Montreal, like the capital, Ottawa, is located at the latitude of Simferopol. And at the latitude of Moscow in eastern Canada - already the tundra. As in Russia, approximately 70% of Canada's territory is usually attributed to the region of the North.

Political and geographical position of Canada:

Canada is a federal state that occupies most of the mainland of North America and the adjacent numerous islands. Today Canada is a constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary system, a bilingual and multicultural country where English and French are recognized as official languages ​​at the federal level.

It is washed by the Atlantic, Pacific and Arctic oceans, borders on the USA in the south and northwest, with Denmark (Greenland) and France (Saint Pierre and Miquelon) in the northeast. Canada's border with the United States is the longest common border in the world. Capital of Canada Ottawa.

Over the past 60 years, Canada has become an advocate for diversity, working with other countries to resolve international conflicts.

As a founding member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), Canada has a non-nuclear defensive military. There are currently 62,000 permanent military personnel in service and 26,000 personnel in reserve. The Canadian armed forces are made up of infantry, navy and air force. Most of the armament includes 1,500 infantry fighting vehicles, 34 warships and 861 aircraft.

Canada participated in the First and Second World Wars on the side of the Allies. She also participated in the Korean War on the side of the United States. Canada has been active in international missions under UN and NATO command since 1950, including peacekeeping operations, various missions in the former Yugoslavia, and supported Coalition forces in the 1st Gulf War. Since 2001, Canada has had a contingent in Afghanistan in partnership with the US Stabilization Force and the NATO International Force, supported by the UN. The emergency response team participated in three important rescue operations following the December 2004 tsunami in Southeast Asia, after Hurricane Katrina in September 2005 on the American coast, and after the October 2005 Kashmir earthquake.

Canada consists of ten provinces and three territories See Appendix 2. The newest administrative unit of Canada is the Nunavut Territory (created in 1999).

The provinces are states that exist under the Canadian constitution and have supreme power within their jurisdiction, independent of the federal government.

The Canadian territories are administrative divisions administered by the Canadian federal Parliament, which by ordinary law grants certain powers to their local administrations.

The ten modern provinces are Alberta, British Columbia, Quebec, Manitoba, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, and Saskatchewan. Three territories: Nunavut, Northwest Territories and Yukon.

Exploration by Portuguese navigators of the coast of Africa

Africa is located in the northern and southern hemispheres, the equator line crosses the continent almost in the middle. The extreme northern point - Cape El Abyad is located at 37 ° 20 N. sh., extreme southern - Cape Agulhas - at 34 ° 52 S. sh.; distance between more than 72° (about 8 thousand...

Cambridge

Cambridge is a city in the UK. The county seat of Cambridgeshire. Cambridge is located 70 km north of London on the banks of the River Cam (a tributary of the River Ouse) (see map in the appendix). Its coordinates are: latitude 52o12...

Geographical location includes categories different in their inner essence: physical-geographical and economic-geographical position. The physical-geographical position is the spatial location of any area (country ...

Republic of Karelia

1.1 Mainland extent Republic of Karelia - subject Russian Federation, is part of the Northwestern federal district and the Northern Economic Region...

Silinsky park as an object of physical and geographical research

To fully appreciate the Silinsky Park as an object of physical and geographical research, it is necessary to analyze it from the point of view of geology, soil science, hydrology and climatology. Silinsky forest park zone ...

USA

The United States of America is a state located in the western hemisphere, mostly on the continent of North America. The USA consists of 48 states bordering each other in the "continental part" and 2 states ...

Socio-economic situation in Azerbaijan

The Republic of Azerbaijan is a state in the eastern part of Transcaucasia on the southwestern coast of the Caspian Sea. Azerbaijan lies on the border of Europe and Asia. It borders with Russia and Georgia in the north, Armenia in the west and Iran in the south...

Comparative characteristics Kaliningrad and Kemerovo regions

Kaliningrad region - The westernmost territory of Russia, located in the South-Eastern Baltic. From the west, the region is washed by the waters of the Baltic Sea and its bays - Curonian and Kaliningrad. Here, within the Baltic Spit...

Country Kenya

The Republic of Kenya is located on the East African coast of the Indian Ocean. The state borders on Ethiopia in the north, Somalia in the east, Tanzania in the southwest, Uganda in the west and South Sudan in the northwest...

Regional characteristics of Japan

Japan (self-name - Nippon) is a large state located on almost 4 thousand islands in the western part of the Pacific Ocean ...

Country description of Colombia

State located in the northwest South America. In the south it borders on Peru (border length 2,900 km) and Ecuador (590 km), in the east - on Venezuela (2,050 km) and Brazil (1,643 km), in the north - on Panama (225 km). .

Toponymy of the Braslav region

Brasla district is located in the north-west of the Vitebsk region. Its area is 2.2 thousand square meters. km. The population is 32150 people. The district borders on Sharkovshchina, Miory and Postavy districts. The center of the district is the city of Braslav, where 9.8 thousand people live...

Economic and geographical characteristics of India

India shares borders with Pakistan, Afghanistan, China, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Myanmar. The length of the Indian-Chinese border is especially great. It runs along the main Himalayan range...

Before the arrival of Europeans, Canada, like the United States, was inhabited by Indian tribes; in the Great Lakes region, these were the Hurons, Iroquois, and Algonquians. The British and French met with them, who, after the first voyages of John Cabot ...

Economic and geographical characteristics of the countries of North America on the example of Canada

National composition The population of Canada can be described as very complex and at the same time quite simple. See Appendix 2. It is complex because this country is inhabited by more than 100 distinct ethnic groups ...

Canada is the second largest country in the world (10 million sq. km.), which is surpassed in size only by Russia. Canada occupies 1/12 of the earth's land and has the longest coastline, equal to 3 equators. Canada is located in North America. It borders the United States to the south and northwest, the US land border being considered the longest unguarded border in the world. The "border" with Russia is the shortest, as it is just a mathematical point - the North Pole, where the borders of the polar sectors of these countries converge. In the north, Canada is washed by the Arctic Ocean. Baffin Bay and Davis Strait to the northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the west.

Canada's climate varies from temperate in the south to arctic in the north.

Although most of the land is occupied by lakes and lowlands overgrown with forests, Canada also has mountain ranges, plains and even a small desert. The Great Plains, or prairies, cover Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and parts of Alberta. Now it is the main agricultural land of the country. Western Canada is known for its Rocky Mountains, while to the east are the country's most important cities, as well as Niagara Falls, the Canadian Shield, an ancient mountainous region formed over 2.5 billion years ago. years ago, covers most of the north of the country. In the arctic region, only tundra can be found, which further north breaks into islands covered with ice almost all year round.

The highest point in Canada is Mount Logan at 5,950 meters above sea level.

Climate of Canada

Due to the vast extent of the country from north to south (5 thousand km) and from west to east (6.5 thousand km), the climate is very diverse. Part mainland Canada and most of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago lie in the permafrost zone. The rest is in the Northern temperate zone. In the coastal provinces, winters are not so cold. And the summer is not so hot because of the influence of the ocean. The average January temperature in the north is 35 C, in the south - 20 C, in the Atlantic - 5 C, in the Pacific - 4 C; July temperature ranges from 5 C on the islands of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago to 22 C in the south of the country. On the western coast of the country, the climate is influenced by warm ocean currents causing, among other things, high humidity. In the mountainous regions, there are areas that are quite dry, despite the fact that rain and snowfall are frequent in the Selkirk Mountains. Precipitation decreases as you move from the Atlantic and Pacific coasts to the central regions. The annual precipitation in the east is 1000-1400 mm, in the central part - 200-500 mm, in the extreme west - up to 250 mm, in the north - less than 150 mm. IN winter time Canada is turning into a fairyland, where giant mountains, impenetrable forests, endless steppes are covered with thick ice. The maximum thickness of the snow cover is up to 150 cm (Labrador Peninsula). In general, winters in the country are characterized by heavy snowfalls and frosts, and summers by moderate temperatures.

Vegetation

In the far north, on the northern islands of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, there is a zone of arctic deserts with a rare cover of lichens and a few herbaceous species. To the south, it is replaced by the tundra zone, located on the Southern Islands of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago and the mainland coast. Further south, stretching as a strip from the foothills of the Cordillera to the Atlantic coast, there is a zone of forest-tundra and pre-tundra woodlands on permafrost-taiga, mostly stony soils and a zone of taiga forests, which are dominated by stands of white and black spruce, American larch, Banks pine and balsam firs. In the south of the central regions, the taiga is replaced by zones of forest-steppes and steppes with characteristic park forests of aspen and the dominance of dry-steppe vegetation, such as kovyel, grama grass. In the extreme southeast, south of the taiga, there is a zone of coniferous-deciduous forests; forests have been preserved mainly in relatively inaccessible areas, like the Appalachian Uplands. Altitudinal zonality is observed in the Cordillera. In the north, the mountain-taiga forests of the valleys on the slopes are replaced by mountain-taiga light forests, turning into mountain tundra. In the south, in the interior of the mountainous regions, the valleys are occupied by mountain steppes, which are replaced higher by belts of mountain forest-steppes, park forests, and mountain coniferous forests. the Pacific slopes of the Cordillera, from foot to peak, are occupied by tall coastal forests of giant arborvitae, western gelpok, Douglas fir, Sitka spruce, giant fir, and other very productive species. The average annual growth of trees here is 10 cubic meters. m/ha, and the age-old reserve is 900-940 cubic meters/ha (against 5-6 cubic meters/ha and 500-550 cubic meters/ha in coniferous-deciduous forests and 1-3 cubic meters/ha and 100 -300 cubic meters/ha in the taiga). The total forest area of ​​Canada is over 440 million hectares (over 1/3 of the territory of Canada). Industrial forests occupy 240 million hectares, concentrating in themselves a timber reserve of about 21-22 billion cubic meters. m.

Animal world of Canada

The territory of Canada belongs to the non-Arctic zoogeographical region. On the islands of the Canadian Archipelago and in the tundra zone on the mainland, reindeer, musk ox, polar bear, arctic fox are found. Lemmings, polar hare, tundra partridge, snowy owl. Elk, forest deer, bison, red squirrel, northern flying squirrel, porcupine, hare, marten, bear, lynx, red fox, wolf, and beaver live in the taiga zone and partly in the forest-tundra. The coniferous-broad-leaved forests of eastern Canada are characterized by the virgin deer, tsaliti deer, marmot, hares, raccoon, gray squirrel, and red lynx. The southern treeless regions are inhabited by donkey deer, pronghorn antelope, pouched gopher rats, ground squirrels, and prairie dogs. Steppe ferret. Steppe fox, badger. Coyote.

The Cordillera is dominated by specific high-altitude animal species: mountain goat, mountain sheep, grizzly bear, cougar. Rivers and lakes. The coastal waters are also rich in fish. In Atlantic waters, cod, herring, haddock, flounder, and crabs are of the greatest commercial importance; in the Pacific waters, mainly salmon are caught: sockeye salmon. Pink salmon, etc. In the lakes, the main commercial fish are whitefish and lake trout. Insects and reptiles in Canada are not at all different and they are found only in the south. Canada has a large number of nature reserves and national parks. They occupy an area equal to 730,000 sq. km. The most famous: national park"Wood - Buffalo", which is the largest herd of bison; national parks Kootene, Tlassie and Yoho, famous for their glaciers and waterfalls; Jasper National Park - Glaciers, lakes. Hot springs, among animals - bears, mountain goats and elks; the oldest national park in Canada, which is a mountain resort with hot springs - Bauff Park; national park "Elk - Island" (elk island) - a large number of beautiful forest lakes. Animals include moose and bison.

Water resources

The area of ​​the country is 9.970.610 sq. km, of which 755.180 sq. km is occupied by freshwater lakes and rivers. The rivers are fed mainly by snow and rain, on the plains - by a high spring rein. Summer floods in the Cordillera. The duration of freeze-up is from 3 months in the south, up to 9 months in the north. Canada has more lakes than any other country in the world. In addition to the Great Lakes, partly located in Canada, the country has 31 more large lake. The most famous are the Great Bear, Great Slave, Lakes Winnipeg, Athabasca, Manitoba, Nipigan, Mistasini. The largest rivers in Canada are the St. Lawrence, St. John, Saskatchewan, the Mackenzie River, along with the Slave, largest river Canada, which flows into Pacific Ocean- Fraser River.

Relief

The central part of the mainland land and the adjacent land of the Canadian Aurktic Archipelago is occupied by plains that are located no higher than 200 m above sea level, i.e. plateau lowlands, i.e. plains lying relatively high above sea level and separated from neighboring areas by steep slopes. Stand out: the lowland of the Hudson Bay, which has an exceptionally flat relief; Lavreptian upland, its height reaches up to 1000 m and has a characteristic lacustrine-hilly relief; the central plains (the Mackenzie River Lowland, the Manitoba Lowland, the Alberta and Saskatchewan Plains, the section enclosed between Lakes Erie, Huron and Ontario, the so-called "Ontario Peninsula", and the lowland of the St. Lawrence River Valley), in the relief of which glacial-accumulative forms predominate; foothill plateau. The Great Plains, whose height is from 500 to 1500 m, as well as with characteristic erosional dissection and forms of glacial accumulation. The western edge of Canada is occupied by the Cordillera mountain system. The height of the Cordillera is 3000 - 3500m, the highest Mount Logan with a height of 6050 m. This mountain system includes Mount St. Epias (5483 m), Mount Lucania (5226 m), Mount King - Peak (5173 m), in the northeast along the Canadian coast The Arctic archipelago and in the north of the Labrador Peninsula - a strip of mountains with a height of 1500-2000 m. In the extreme southeast, the region of the Appalachian Uplands with a low-mountain relief. The Appalachians are located in eastern North America. They lie in the territory of Canada and the USA. They form a strip of ridges, valleys, plateaus and plateaus, 300-500 km wide. They stretch from the southwest to the northeast from 33 degrees north latitude. up to 49 degrees N at 2600 km. The Appalachians are divided into northern and southern. The northern Appalachians border in the northwest along a large fault (Logan Line) with the Canadian Shield.

Canada can be divided into 7 well-defined physiographic regions:

1. Arctic mountains

Much of Elslier Island and the northeast coast of Baffin Island is occupied by a series of high mountains and steep slopes. This region is high-latitude and extremely cold. The surface is bound by permafrost, most of the territory is covered by ice sheets, reminiscent of the conditions that prevailed in large parts of North America during the Pleistocene period.

2. Laurentian (Canadian) shield

The territory of this region is limited by outcrops of ancient crystalline bedrocks. Local landforms are the legacy of the Pleistocene. As massive ice sheets were absent to the north, they cleared and smoothed the surface. Within this area are thousands of lakes reminiscent of the last ice age in North America. In the center of the district is Hudson Bay. The entire region, which is shaped like a circle, covers half of Canada. The southern part of this area goes beyond Canada and extends to Northern regions Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan and New York.

3 Appalachian Mountains

The Maritime Provinces and the insular Newfoundland represent the northernmost edge of the Appalachian system, which begins in Alabami and runs through the eastern United States and Canada. This mountainous area of ​​ancient rocks is also the first area with permanent settlements of Europeans.

4. Interior Plains

Bordering the Canadian Shield to the west, this region of plains and canopy-undulating relief extends from the United States into the steppe provinces and continues in the northwest to the Pacific coast. Together, the Canadian Shield and the Interior Plains are an area of ​​low landform that covers approximately 60% of Canada and the United States.

5. Rocky Mountains

The Rocky Mountains rise abruptly to impressive heights along the western edge of the Interior Plains. In clear contrast to the gently undulating plains, the Rocky Mountains have peaks often exceeding 3,000 meters.

6. Intermountain regions

To the west is a relatively narrow corridor of plateaus and valleys that separates the Rocky Mountains from the mountain ranges along the Pacific coast. This area, extremely complex in geological terms, is a labyrinth of plateaus, low ridges and valleys.

7. Pacific mountain system

The western edge of the continent is a mountain wall stretching from Alaska through the Yukon Territory and British Columbia to the Sierra Nevada in Southern California.

The climatic regions of Canada are very similar to those of the Russian Federation. In the north, the tundra region extends from the Canadian archipelago through the Ungava Peninsula east of Hudson Bay and ends on the Atlantic coast of Newfoundland. To the south of the tundra extends a vast region of subarctic climate, running from the Yukon and the Northwest Territories east across the country to Hudson Bay and continuing into the Gulf of St. Lawrence.