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Regional Landscape Studies NORTHLANDS <<
©AFG 2017 NORTH PACIFIC COAST occupancy and eco- HAWAII nomic development.
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Toronto/Montreal Canada’s National Core French influence Canada’s National Core Great Lakes When you think about this region, Thousand Islands Snow and cold Nearly half of what images come into your mind? Niagara Falls Canada’s 33 mil. QUEBEC St. Lawrence River CITY Canadian Parliament people live here! Hockey/winter sports Has 6 of Canada’s 10 largest cities, “Golden Horseshoe” industrial area, and prime arable land. Gateway to Canada’s interior via the St. WINDSOR Lawrence Seaway
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OVERVIEW National Core
• Historically a contested region with a cultural Term used in political geography to refer to: divide (British/French; British/American). 1) the original area from which a country • Distinctive sub-regional landscapes and toponymy. subsequently grew and developed; and/or • Canada’s chief urban-industrial area. 2) a region containing a country’s greatest (Conflict between the agric and urban land uses) development, wealth, and densest populations; and/or • A highly productive, diverse agricultural area. 3) the part of a country where people have the • Transportation corridor: the St. Lawrence clearest sense of national identity. Seaway allows ocean-going vessels access to the interior of North America. All three apply to Canada’s Core Region.
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. In the Great Lakes/St. Law- rence Lowland physiograph- Physical Population ic region . Canadian Shield near Environment surface. of the Core . Area was glaciated; has glacial lake sediments. Called Canada’s “Main Street” Moderate climate, because historically it contained over half of Canada’s people. long growing Ample season and good precipitation soils allowed an Young, fertile agricultural base to glacial soils develop.
• Summers are long, hot and humid. • Winters extremely cold and snowy. Climate Long frost-free moderated by period • Spring/autumn unsettled. Great Lakes.
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Settlement in the Core Canadian Toponomy
This area was settled early in “Canada” comes from a Wendat (Huron-Iroquoian) word the colonial period. “Lower” and kanata, meaning “village.” “Upper” designations refer to the area in relation to the river basin. In 1535 native people used kanata to direct the French explorer French came from the east. Jacques Cartier to a village near the site of present-day Quebec City. (Cartier 1535; Champlain 1603; first settle- French ment 1608). Kanata became Canada, and got applied to the entire English came from the south. region, and later to the entire country. LOWER (Late 1700s: first after French & Indian War CANADA and again after the American Revolution). “Quebec” comes from an Algonquin kébec, meaning English encouraged settle- “where the river narrows.” See maps on ment to counter the existing Source: http://www.nrcan.gc.ca/earth-sciences/geography-boundary/geographical-name/geoname-origins/5875 UPPER pp. 16, 20-23 of French influence. CANADA historical atlas (English Protestants vs. French Catholics).
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National Core Cultural Boundary Ottawa Parliament of Canada Canada’s capital and 4th largest city Site selected in1857 LOWER . Only town of size on the EAST French border between Lower OTTAWA Canada (east) and Upper Canada (west ), now Quebec and Ontario. . A geographical compro- mise between English and French speaking areas . Relatively immune to possible American attack (a lesson from the War of 1812) 11 12 Historical Atlas: P.33 War of 1812 battle sites
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French-speaking Canadians Quebec Sovereignty Movement French-speaking Canadians have resisted assimilation A political action aimed at from the time of the English the secession of Quebec take-over: first the Acadian and the creation of a new peasants, then the wealthy landlords. French-speaking country.
If successful, the action would partition Canada: Defeated twice. French Language as a Mother Tongue . Quebec (the new nation), Rural areas tended to All Canadians - 21% . Atlantic Provinces (which would favor secession. Urban Quebec – 81% be isolated from the rest of Canada), New Brunswick – 33% areas (esp. Montreal) Ontario – 6% . Western Canada (ONT to BC/YT). opposed it. Nova Scotia – 4%
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Quebec City Quebec City with La Citadelle
This was the site of To Atlantic the battle for Quebec Ocean during the French and Indian War (1759).
The French cultural City of capital of Canada. Quebec Acropolis site com- manding the location where the Gulf of St. Lawrence meets the much narrower river. La Citadelle overlooks the St. Lawrence River and controls river traffic that has A choke point to to slow down to make the curve. control river travel. 15 16
Ile d’Orleans, French Long-lots Seigneurial System Quebec Prov.
Officially known as the Large land grants (seigneuries) were awarded by the King of France to Seigneurial System. entrepreneurs (seigneurs), who sub- A land division involving granted parcels (rotoures) to peasant long narrow lots brought farmers (habitants). to America by the French. Each rotoure was150-200 yards wide This system guaranteed and arranged perpendicular to the access to property. St. Lawrence River and extended No property owner could about a mile inland. be isolated or dependent After river frontage was occupied, on his neighbor. roads were extended inland to create a new rank (rang) of rotoures. This was repeated inland as needed. Remember Acadian colony? No long-lot pattern there. Because the area was not 17 18 inviting and no Seigneurs claimed the land.
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QUEBEC CITY MONTREAL MONTREAL Montreal
Canada’s most important • Located at head of navigation eastern port city. (rapids) of the St. Lawrence R. The world’s 2nd largest • Strategically located at the French-speaking city. junction of a T-shaped low- land area where the the St. Lawrence River Valley meets the Lake Champlain Lowland. • Land routes radiate from the site. Rapids blocked inland movement NYC of ships (head of navigation) until the St. Lawrence Seaway was built. 19 20 Historical Atlas: See French and Indian War and American Revolution battle maps.
St. Lawrence Seaway Thousand Islands Region System of locks, canals and deepen- ed channels that permit ocean-going Extends from Cornwall, Ont. and ships to travel 2,340 miles from the Massena, NY to Kingston, Ont. Atlantic Ocean to Duluth, MN on and Cape Vincent, NY in the Lake Superior. St. Lawrence River. Consists of about 2,000 rocky The Great Lakes St. Lawrence outcrops that geologically link Seaway System is a navigational the Canadian Shield to the waterway jointly built (1950-56) by Adirondack Mts. (An impediment to the United States and Canada the St. Lawrence Seaway construction.) and is jointly administered and maintained: Good example of international cooperation between two To be classified an island, countries sharing a common border. there must be a tree or It traverses the Canadian Core from Mon- bush on it. Otherwise, it http://www.greatlakes- treal to Lake Erie (5 locks) and the Welland is a shoal. seaway.com/en/navigating/map/index.html Canal (8 locks) gets it over the Niagara There 1,864 islands. Escarpment. 21 22
Thousand Islands Thousand Islands St Lawrence River section of the St Lawrence Seaway
CANADA USA
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. Canada’s largest city and 5th largest in N. Amer. - has a better hinterland than Montreal. Toronto - has excellent links to the US Midwest. Niagara Escarpment . Originally noted for its small harbor and portage from Lake Ontario to Georgian Bay. The Niagara Escarpment is a “cuesta” the exposed edge of a resistant rock formation.
HARBOR
About 25% of all Canadians live in the Toronto metro area. Extends from Rochester, NY through southern Ontario and into Michigan and Wisconsin. It is responsible for It is a world financial center as well as a diversified manufacturing city. many waterfalls, the most famous of which is Niagara Falls.
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Niagara Escarpment Located in the center of the “Golden Hamilton Horseshoe” which extends from Bisects the Core Region in southern Ontario Toronto to the Niagara River. A sandbar provides it with a natural harbor. It is a center for heavy industry, producing c.60% of Canada’s steel.
Called the "City of Waterfalls.” It has more than 100 waterfalls within its boundaries created by streams passing Grimsby, ON over the Niagara Escarpment. 27 28
Niagara Falls (a beautiful impediment to shipping) Niagara Falls
Niagara Escarpment Horseshoe Falls Canadian side of Niagara Falls
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The Niagara River Welland flows from Lake Erie Setting of Niagara Falls to Lake Ontario. Canal It flows over the Lake Erie is 22 miles upstream Niagara Escarpment of the Falls. to reach Lake Ontario. It has created a 7 mi Moved 7 miles long gorge as the in 12,000 yrs Linking Lake Ontario with falling water eroded GORGE Lake Erie, it was built to weak layers of rock. counter the US construct- Niagara Falls It will take 75,000 yrs ion of the Erie Canal. for the falls to reach Canada Allows ships to avoid United States (Ontario) Lake Erie. (New York) Niagara Falls using 8 locks to raise and lower them over the Escarpment. 9 miles from escarpment It has been enlarged a 16 miles from the Falls number of times.
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Ontario Peninsula • Good soils; flat land Agriculture in the National Core • Relatively mild Agriculture climate • Relatively long growing season • Proximity to large cities and many people. • Educated, fully mechanized farmers.
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Windsor NEXT Canada’s southernmost city at west end of the Core. . Located on the Detroit River. . Strategic site in colonial times. . Shows evidence of French influence. . Now a major border crossing and a short-cut between Detroit and Buffalo. Focus of Canada’s automotive, food processing and wine making industries.
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