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Pre – Reading Discussion Question: What part of Canada have you visited? Describe the
places you have visited.
Vocabulary
Look up the meaning of the following words and use them in your own sentences: (adj) diverse,
(v), border, (n) landscape, (n) region, (adj) extreme, (adj) industrialized
The Land
If you had to use two words to describe Canada., they might be large and diverse. Canada is the
second – largest country in the world. It has a total area of 9,970, 610 square kilometres and is
bordered by three oceans: the Pacific to the west, the Artic to the north, and the Atlantic to the
east. As people travel across the country, they will experience many different landscapes.
The Pacific Region includes Canada’s western-most province, British Columbia. The region is
known for its mild climate, temperate rainforests, and mountains (the Rocky Mountains run
through the part of Canada).
The Prairie Provinces are Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba. They are known for their
rolling plains. The weather in these provinces can be extreme with long, cold winters and hot,
dry summers. Most of the areas in these provinces is covered with farms that produce wheat,
canola, and other grains. This region is also rich in oil and natural gas.
Central Canada is made up of Ontario and Quebec. Central Canada is the most populated and
industrialized area of Canada. Central Canada sits on top of some of the oldest rock in the world
– the Canadian Shield. This rock formation is partly why Ontario and Quebec have many rivers
and lakes. The largest bodies of fresh water in the world are located in Canada – the Great Lakes.
There are five Great Lakes, from largest to smallest, they are Lake Superior, Lake Huron, Lake
Michigan, Lake Erie, and Lake Ontario. The St. Lawrence River is one of the longest rivers in
Canada and connects Central Canada to the Atlantic Ocean.
The easternmost region of Canada is called the Maritimes and includes New Brunswick,
Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland and Labrador. There are mountains in
this region called the Appalachian Mountains. They are much older than the ones found in the
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Pacific Region, so they are low and rounded. Fishing and a farming are important economic
activities in this region.
Canada’s North includes the Yukon Territory, Northwest Territories, and Nunavut. The North
has a varied landscape from mountain ranges to lowlands to plains. These different landscapes
have one thing in common: long cold winters. Some parts of the North are so cold that the earth
is frozen for most of the year and never thaws more than half a metre from the surface. Because
of the tilt of the Earth, during the summer, there is no darkness in the North, but in the winter,
there is only darkness.
The People
Even though Canada has a large land area, it has a relatively small population. There are only
about 35 million people in Canada. Most of the people in Canada are immigrants, which means
they come from different countries. Many people visiting Canada’s large cities notice how
multicultural they are.
Comprehension Questions:
1, How does the landscape change as a person moves from the west to the east of Canada?
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2. Which part of Canada would you like to live in? Why?
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3. Why does Canada’s Pacific Region have a mild climate while the Prairies have extreme
weather?
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4. How does Canada’s geography contribute to its economy?
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5. Compare Canada’s land and people to your own home country.
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