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Canada’s National Core

QUEBEC Extends from Quebec City Regional Landscapes of the City to Windsor. United States and Canada About half of Canada’s 33 mil. people live here!

Canada’s National Core Has 6 of the 10 largest metro Prof. Anthony Grande areas of Canada: (#1, 5.6 mil) ©AFG 2015 Toronto WINDSOR Montreal (#2, 3.8 mil) Ottawa (#4, 1.24 mil) Quebec (#7, .77 mil) Hamilton (#9, .72 mil) Plus, it includes the “Golden Horseshoe” Kitchener (#10, .5 mil) industrial area and prime agricultural land. Source: Canada 2011 Census 2

Toronto/Montreal Canada’s National Core French influence Great Lakes National Core When you think about this region, Thousand Islands War of 1812 what images come into your mind? Niagara Falls St. Lawrence River Term used in political geography to refer to: Canadian Parliament 1) the original area from which a country Wineries Hockey teams subsequently grew and developed; and/or 2) a region containing a country’s greatest development, wealth, and densest populations; and/or 3) the part of a country where people have the clearest sense of national identity.

All three apply to Canada’s Core Region.

3 (Does the U.S. have a core area?) 4

OVERVIEW Canadian Toponomy

• Historically a contested region with a cultural “Canada” comes from a Wendat (Huron-Iroquoian) divide (English/French). word kanata, meaning “village.” • Distinctive landscape and toponymy. In 1535 native people used kanata to direct the French explorer Jacques Cartier to a village near the site of present- • A highly productive agricultural area. day Quebec City. • Canada’s chief urban-industrial area. Kanata became Canada, and got applied to the • The St. Lawrence Seaway allows ocean- entire region, and later to the entire country. going vessels access to the entire region. “Quebec” comes from an Algonquin word/term kébec, meaning “where the river narrows.”

Source: http://www.nrcan.gc.ca/earth-sciences/geography-boundary/geographical-name/geoname-origins/5875

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Physical Environment Core Area: of the Core Population

Moderate climate, Called Canada’s “Main Street” long growing because historically it contained season and good over half of Canada’s people. soils allowed an agricultural base to develop.

Ample precipitation Young, fertile glacial soils

Climate moderated 7 8 by Great Lakes. Long frost-free period

Main Street vis-à-vis Megalopolis Settlement in the Core

This area was settled early in the colonial period. “Lower” and “Upper” designations refer to the area in relation to the river basin.

French came from the east. French (Cartier 1535; settlement 1608). English came from the south. LOWER (Late 1700s: first after French & Indian CANADA War and again after the American Revolution). English encouraged settlement UPPER to counter the existing French CANADA influence. (English Protestants vs. 9 French Catholics). See maps on pp. 16, 20- 10 23 of historical atlas

Montreal Canadiens vs. Toronto Maple Leafs National Core Cultural Boundary A Sports Rivalry? A Cultural Geography?

LOWER EAST French OTTAWA

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Ottawa Parliament French-speaking Canadians French-speaking Canadians  Canada’s capital and have resisted assimilation th 4 largest city from the time of the English  Site selected in1857 take-over: first the Acadian peasants then the wealthy . Only town of size on the landlords. border between Lower Canada (east) and Upper Canada (west ), now Quebec and Ontario. . A geographical compro- French Language as a Mother Tongue mise between English and All Canadians - 21% French speaking areas Quebec – 81% . Relatively immune to New Brunswick – 33% possible American attack Ontario – 6% 13 Nova Scotia – 4% 14 (a lesson from the War of 1812)

Quebec Sovereignty Movement Quebec City

A political action aimed at The French cultural the secession of Quebec capital of Canada. and the creation of a new  An acropolis site French-speaking country. that commands the place where the St. If successful would divide Lawrence estuary meets Canada into 3 pieces: the much narrower river. Defeated twice. Quebec (the new nation), the Rural areas tended to  A choke point at Atlantic Provinces (which would favor secession. Urban which water travel can be isolated from the rest of Canada), and areas (esp. Montreal) be controlled. Western Canada (ONT to BC/YT). opposed it. 15 16

Quebec City with La Citadelle Battle of Quebec French and Indian War To Atlantic Ocean

City of Quebec British troops scale the heights at Quebec, La Citadelle overlooks the St. Lawrence Sept. 13,1759 River and controls river traffic that has to slow down to make the curve. See maps 17 in historical 18 atlas.

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French Long-lot System The Seigneurial System

Officially known as the  Large land grants (seigneuries) were awarded by the King Seigneurial System. of France to entrepreneurs (seigneurs), who sub-granted parcels (rotoures) to peasant farmers (habitants). System of land division  Each rotoure was150-200 yards wide and arranged involving long narrow perpendicular to the St. Lawrence River and extended lots used by the French about a mile inland. during colonial times.  After river frontage was occupied, roads were extended inland to create a new rank This system guaranteed (rang) of rotoures. access to property.  This was repeated inland as needed. No property owner could be isolated or dependent Remember Acadian colony? No long- on his neighbor. lot system there because the area was 19 poor and no Seigneurs wanted the land. 20

Seigneurial System Seigneurial System Ile d’Orleans, Quebec Quebec

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Location of Montreal on the Site of Montreal St. Lawrence River • Located at the head of navigation (rapids) of the St. Lawrence River. • Located at the junction of a T-shaped lowland QUEBEC CITY area where the the St. Lawrence River Valley meets the Lake Champlain Lowland.) MONTREAL OTTAWA • Land routes radiate from the site.

Lake Champlain 23 24

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Lachine Rapids on the St. Lawrence R. Montreal (between the Island of Montreal and south shore)

Canada’s most important eastern port city. The world’s 2nd largest French-speaking city.

Rapids blocked inland movement of ships (head of navigation) until the St. Lawrence Seaway was built. 25 26

St. Lawrence Seaway St. Lawrence Seaway

It extends from Montreal to Lake Erie (includes the A system of locks, canals and channels that Welland Canal and the channels that weave through the Thousand permit ocean-going ships to travel from the Islands between NYS and Ontario). Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes. Navigational facilities allow ocean-going ships to reach the western tip of Lake Superior over 2400 mi. The 2400 mile long system from the Atlantic. was jointly built by the United States and Canada between 1950-56. It is jointly administered and maintained. An example of international cooperation between two countries along a common border.

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Great Lakes/Seaway Profile Thousand Islands Region with location of locks between Canada and the United States

Extends from Cornwall, Ont. and Massena, NY to Kingston, Ont. and Cape Vincent, NY.

Consists of about 2,000 rocky outcrops that geologically link the Canadian Shield to the Adirondack Mts.

To be classified an island, there must be a tree or bush on it. Otherwise it is a shoal. There 1,864 islands.

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Thousand Islands Thousand Islands Section St Lawrence River St Lawrence Seaway

CANADA USA

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Niagara Escarpment Niagara Escarpment Bisects the Core Region in southern Ontario

The Niagara Escarpment is a cuesta (exposed edge of resistant rock formation).

Extends from western NYS through southern Ontario and into Wisconsin, Michigan and Illinois. It is responsible for many waterfalls, the most famous of which is Niagara Falls. 33 34

Niagara Falls (a beautiful impediment to shipping) Niagara Falls

Niagara Escarpment

Horseshoe Falls, Canadian side of Niagara Falls 35 36

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Setting of Niagara Falls Retreat of Niagara

Lake Erie 22 miles upstream of the Falls The Niagara River Falls. flows from Lake Erie At the present rate to Lake Ontario. Moved 7 miles of erosion it will Horseshoe Falls American Falls GORGEin 12,000 yrs take the Niagara It flows over the River 75,000 years Niagara Escarpment to reach Lake Ontario. to reach and drain Canada Lake Erie. << Each layer It has created a 7 mi United States (Ontario) of rock has a (New York) long gorge as the different resistance to falling water eroded water erosion. weak layers of rock. 9 miles from escarpment 16 miles from the Falls

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It links Lake Ontario Agriculture in the National Core with Lake Erie. The Welland Canal Was built to counter the construction of the Erie Canal by the US. Allows ships to avoid Niagara Falls by raising and lowering them over the Niagara Niagara Falls Escarpment.

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Ontario Peninsula • Good soils; flat land • Relatively mild Toronto: LANDSAT Image Agriculture climate • Relatively long Originally noted for its growing season small protected harbor and • Proximity to large portage to Georgian Bay . cities and many people. • Educated, fully mechanized farmers.

HARBOR Canada’s largest city and 5th largest in North America. Has a better hinterland than Montreal.

41 Has excellent links to the US Midwest region. 42

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Located in the center of the Toronto Hamilton “Golden Horseshoe” which extends from Toronto to the Niagara River. A sandbar provides it with a natural protected harbor. It is a center for heavy industry, producing c.60% of Canada’s steel.

About 25% of all Canadians live in the Toronto metro area.

It is a world financial center Hamilton is known as the "City of Waterfalls.” as well as a diversified There are more than 100 waterfalls within its manufacturing city. boundaries created by streams passing over the 43 Niagara Escarpment. 44

Windsor NEXT Canada’s southernmost city at west end of the Core. Located on the Detroit River. Strategic site in colon- ial 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 AMERICA’S processing and wine making industries. HEARTLAND

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