THE STUDENT’S GUIDE TO CCAANNAADDAA WRITTEN BY STUDENTS OF Q2 KFE NE 2015/16 1 CANADA - a handout KfE Ne 2015/16 Contents: 1. Geography of Canada ............................................................................................................. 3 2. Canadian history up to 1774 .................................................................................................. 6 3. Canadian history 1774-1867 .................................................................................................. 8 4. Canadian history 1867-1931 .................................................................................................. 9 5. Canadian history (1931-present) .......................................................................................... 12 6. Canada - A Country of Religious Pluralism ........................................................................... 13 7. Economy ............................................................................................................................... 15 8. Migration .............................................................................................................................. 17 9. Sport, Food and Drink........................................................................................................... 20 10. Famous people from Canada ............................................................................................. 24 11. Newfoundland and Labrador ............................................................................................. 26 12. New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island (“Maritimes”) ................................... 28 13. Québec ............................................................................................................................... 30 14. Ontario................................................................................................................................ 33 15. Manitoba ............................................................................................................................ 36 16. Saskatchewan ..................................................................................................................... 37 17. Alberta ................................................................................................................................ 40 18. British Columbia ................................................................................................................. 43 19. Yukon Territory ................................................................................................................... 44 20. The Northwest Territories (NT) and Nunavut (NU) ............................................................ 46 21. Canada’s natives: Traditions & Mythology ........................................................................ 48 22. First Nations: Clash of Cultures .......................................................................................... 50 23. First Nations: Lives Today ................................................................................................... 54 24. Canada’s Political System ................................................................................................... 55 Geography- Alina 2 CANADA - a handout KfE Ne 2015/16 1. Geography of Canada Facts and Figures: Location: North-America Area: 9.984.670 km² Coastline: 202.080 km Population: 34.834.841 (July 2014) Capital: Ottawa Provinces: 13 Languages: English and French Neighbor state: USA time zones: 6 Geography: It’s much easier if you divide the landscape of Canada into the following five areas: the West Coast (forest and mountains), the Prairies (farmland), the Central Region (boreal forest in Ontario and Québec), the Atlantic Canada (boreal forest and barren soil in the east) and the North (icy tundra). West Coast British Colombia is part of the west coast. This area is the most mountainous in Canada. The Coastal Range Mountains and the Canadian part of the Rocky Mountains are in this territory. These Mountains are home to green forests and to bears, pumas, mountain goats, moose and deer. Between the two mountain areas there is a small, warm and dry region in the south. Insulated by mountains, this desert-like area has been proven as a good climate for growing fruit, vegetables and wine. The Prairies This vast area, known as the Prairies, includes the provinces of Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba and has one of the driest, least forested parts of the country. This region is the base of the Canadian agriculture because of the flat and arable land. Geography- Alina 3 CANADA - a handout KfE Ne 2015/16 The land in the northern area is more hilly and forested and this region is the home for bison, coyotes and a few other animals like bears and moose. Central Region Central Canada includes Ontario and Québec and has a mostly green landscape of rolling hills, grassy fields and forests. Northwards you can find barren and rocky landscape. Because there are a lot of small lakes and rivers there is much moist wetland, which is home for animals like the beaver and moose. Atlantic Canada This area includes the four Atlantic Provinces Newfoundland, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia, which are all either islands or peninsulas in the Atlantic. A mix of rocky coats, street cliffs, high tides and long coastal fjords define the landscape. But most of the interior regions are more forested. The North The North includes the country’s three northern territories Yukon, Nunavut and Northwest Territories. Yukon is more forested than the others. But all three feature mostly rocky, barren terrain with only sparse vegetation. The extreme north of Canada is covered by snowy tundra, vast and frozen glaciers. This area is home for polar bears, seals and narwhales. Weather: Canada is one of the coldest countries in the world with temperatures below -20°C. Nevertheless there are also climate zones in Canada. At the Atlantic and Pacific Coasts it’s a moderate, but moist and grey climate with long periods of rainfall. In the Prairie rain is considerably rarer and the air is mostly dry and warm. That’s why there are thunderstorms and tornados sometimes. You can almost compare the weather in central Canada to the weather in Germany. They have cold snowy winters, wet springs and hot summers. The north of Canada is absolutely different. It’s the most extreme weather polarization of all. In the summer you have 24 hours of sunlight and in the winter time 24 hours of darkness. Most time of the year the temperature is below 0°C, that’s why there are always glaciers and snow during the year. Industrial sectors There are four big industrial sectors in Canada. National Resources In Canada there are a lot of national resources. In Alberta there is oil, natural gas and oil sands. But also there are a lot of mineral mines in Canada, which varies from province to province. In Saskatchewan you find uranium and potash, in Northern Ontario and Manitoba nickel and copper, in the maritime region iron and coal and in the North there are diamonds. You can find gold all over Canada. Geography- Alina 4 CANADA - a handout KfE Ne 2015/16 Energy Behind Saudi-Arabia, Canada is the world’s most oil rich nation. Canada extracts the energy from the oil and natural gas resources. But also the hydrodynamic power is very important for Canada. Agriculture and fishery Beside the normal agriculture Canada has a big viniculture, sealing and whaling. Industry The biggest industries are the automobile industry, the aircraft construction, the metal industry, the forest industry and the paper converting. Tourism In Canada you have the chance to see a lot of touristy and cultural sights. Very popular are the big cities like Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Ottawa and Québec. But you have also the possibility to do a lot of sporty activities like hiking, sailing, fishing, skiing or cycling. In 2009 there were about 15,6 million tourists visiting Canada. Geography- Alina 5 CANADA - a handout KfE Ne 2015/16 2. Canadian history up to 1774 Prehistory and early history The history of a country begins when we can tell something about the people who lived there. It starts before writings existed so everything which can be told is part the discoveries of archeology. This means Canadian prehistory begins earlier than 15,000 B.C., when people from Asia went over the Bering Strait onto the continent. So at the end of the last Ice Age the history of the First Nations whom are the natives of Canada begins. Route to Canada They remained hunter-gatherers for thousands of years. But since 8000 B.C. groups like the Paleo- Arctic or the Plano settled down and learned pottery and farming. The Inuit who understand themselves not as First Nations fallowed 5000 years ago. Vikings in Canada The first European arrived about 1000 AD. According to the Sagas of Icelanders. It was the Norse Leif Ericson an Icelandic explorer who was on his way to Greenland blown of course. He arrived at the Canadian west coast and established a Norse settlement in Vinland. Giovanni Caboto The official discoverer of Canada is the Italian Giovanni Caboto. He came in touch with the First Nations on the 14th July 1497 for the first time. Caboto took possession of the land for the English crown. Since than Canadian history was officially reported. Giovanni Caboto lead a second tour through the west coast later on. Soon afterward in 1525 the Europeans began fishing and whaling in this waters.