The Arctic Islands

North of Canadian mainland is the Arctic Archipelago - a vast expanse of islands of various sizes, geologically similar to the Canadian Shield area. Baffin, Ellesmere & Victoria Islands are among the 10 largest in the world. The mountains that run through these islands have considerable reserves of oil & natural gas & add to Canada’s fuel wealth. The weather is icy cold, there’re no permanent residents here. In fact, the soil never thaws. Among the plants there are only lichens, in summer – flowers. The only land animal is the musk-ox which feeds on lichens. But it’s a dying breed.

Rivers & Lakes. Canadian rivers comprise some of the greatest rivers of the world. The St. Lawrence (3,058 km) links upthe Great Lakes with the Gulf of St. Lawrence, forming the main artery of settlement & trade through Ontario & Quebec. Its immense water supply is used for hydro-electric development & Canada’s chief industries.

The largest of the big lakes form a line along the southern & western edges of the Canadian Shield: the Great Lakes lying between Ontario & the USA (Ontario, Erie, Huron, & Superior. Lake Michigan is fully within the USA); the so-called Great Lakes of Manitoba – Lakes Winnipeg, Manitoba, & Winnepegosis; & the other Great Lakes of the Northwest – Athabasca, Great Slave, & Great Bear (the last 2 exceed 28.500 sq km in area).

The Mackenzie River flows northward from Great Slave Lake in to theArctic Ocean. With its tributaries it’s the longest river system in Canada of 4.240 km.

In the West, the water-rich Rockies feed the Columbia, Fraser, Skeena & Yukon rivers which flow into the Pacific Ocean.

Rivers are important passes to link one region with another.

Forests. Cover extends from the Atlantic Provinces to British Columbia & Yukon Territory. However, less than 40 % of Canada is classified as forest area, & there’re wide differences in tree sizes, densities, & species. 3 rough divisions can be classified: 1) the broadleaf hardwood & softwood forests (stretching from the Appalachian Provinces to Lake Huron). These include the maple, Ontario oak, hickory (орешник), chestnut, beech (бук), yellow birch (желтые березы), ash, etc.; 2) the northern needle leaf forest (stretching from Labrador to Yukon); 3) the fir forests growing along the Pacific coast in the western mountains. The giant Douglas fir (ель или пихта Дугласа), western cedar, & sitka spruce (ситхинская ель). The western forest is the main source of construction lumber, whereas woods of the east are used for house-building & furniture production. Forest products are amongst Canada’s chief exports. In recent years a lot has been done to fight deforestation & restore the balance of recovered forests.

Tundra, or treeless area in the Arctic region occupies about 2.4 mln sq. km (1/4^th of Canada).

The grasslands are either between the mountain ranges of British Columbia, or in the southern parts of the Prairie Provinces. The soils under the grassland are amongst the richest in Canada. They have formed into 3 belts: 1) the black earths (or chernozem) to the north & east, 2) the light or yellow-brown soils to the south & west, 3) the chocolate-brown soils between.

Wildlife, birds & fish

Furbearers (пушные животные): beaver, mink (норка), muskrat (ондатра), moose (американский лось), etc.

Other: deer, bighorn sheep (снежный баран), bear, antelope

The far north is the home of the seal (тюлень), walrus (морж), caribou (карибу), & polar bear.

Ducks, geese & other birds migrate to Canada in spring.

Trout (форель), perch (окунь), white-fish (сиг), pike (щука), & other varieties of fish thrive in Canada’s inland waters while salmon, halibut (палтус), cod (треска), mackerel (скумбрия), haddock (пикша), & herring are found in the oceans.

In general, a lot has changed since the arrival of the first settlers, & today only 10 % of the area of the provinces can be considered truly wild. 33 national parks seek to preserve what remains of Canada’s wild lands. Since 1970 more than 50000 sq. km have been added to Canada’s national park system.

The climate. “a few acres of snow” (Voltaire). It’s a winter-dominated country, yet the summers, though brief, are strong & vital – the heat makes Canada a wealthy agricultural land. Seasonal contrasts are marked. Canada’s climate can be described as cool or cold over the entire country. This is due to its location in the high latitudes of the Western hemisphere. The climate is dominated by 4 main air masses: the polar continental, cold & dense; the tropical from the Gulf of Mexico, changeable & turbulent; the maritime polar from the Pacific Ocean, strong & far-reaching; the maritime polar from the Atlantic Ocean, raw & unstable. The polar continental is the most influential.

Very warm weather takes over the southern parts of Canada in late June & lasts through July & August, accompanied by heavy showers.

The effect of warm, moist air from the Pacific Ocean is reduced by the presence of high mountain barriers along the Pacific coast. They also keep out Arctic air masses in winter. The Pacific area gets more rain than any other in Canada (about 2300 mlm a yy.). British Columbia & the Prairies – continental climate. Southern Alberta’s cold waves are frequently relieved by the Chinook – a warm south-west wind coming from the Rocky Mountains which can raise temperature to above freezing in a few hours.

Above 50 north latitude Canada has a subarctic climate – winters are long & cold. Temperatures are below 0 for 5-6 months of the year. The coldest temperature recorded was – 63C, the coldest place is Iqaluit – the capital of Nunavut Territory (temperatures drop to -45C). In general, a half of Canada lies in the permafrost region.

The average January temp-re in the north is -35C & average July temp-re is about + 5 C.

The southern & eastern part of the country has a humid continental climate with warm summers. The Great Lakes, Atlantic Ocean exercise a moderate influence on temperature extremes. Average January temperature in Toronto is -4C, & average July + 22 C. Southwest Ontario has the highest summer temperatures in eastern Canada – as high as +32 C. Precipitation averages more than 1000 mlm/ year in the Niagara Falls area.