2015-08-12
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Major resource-based industries are fishery, forestry, agriculture, petroleum products and mining. Across the Canadian Shield and in the north there are large iron, nickel, zinc, copper, gold, lead and uranium reserves. Large diamond concentrations have been recently developed in the Arctic, making Canada one of the world's largest producers.
23. Give a survey of the 10 provinces & 3 territories of Canada & their role in the dev-t of the state. The main cities & their role in the dev-t of the country.
(так много информации, поскольку я этот вопрос отвечала. Смело удаляйте половину)
Canada is divided into 10 provinces & 3 large territories: Yukon, & the subdivided Northwest territories (Nunavut & the Northwest Territories). On April, 1, 1999 the Northwest Territories were subdivided into 2, thus 3 territories were created. These territories include an area which is often called the “empty half of the country” because of the small number of people living permanently all year round.
Beginning in the east, there are the four Maritime Provinces (the name: they are on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean). The Maritimes are small in population; their inhabitants are of British & French origin; many of them are fishermen. The four Maritimes are: Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island & Newfoundland.
Nova Scotia means New Scotland, & its people are descendants of the Scottish immigrants who arrived in Canada between 1815 & 1851. Nova Scotia is a peculiarly shaped peninsula. The capital, Halifax, is Canada’s most important Atlantic port.
Halifax was ranked by Money Sense magazine as the 4th best place to live in Canada for 2012 & placed first on a list of "large cities by quality of life". Halifax is a major port, an economic centre in eastern Canada with a large concentration of government services and private sector companies. Agriculture, fishing, mining, forestry and natural gas extraction are major resource industries found in the rural areas of Halifax.
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The province of New Brunswick borders Nova Scotia on the west, & much of its northern & western border is formed by the Gulf of St. Lawrence River. The St. Lawrence Seaway is the longest waterway of its kind in the world, an inland navigation system of rivers, canals, and lakes, extending 3, 769 km from the Gulf of St. Lawrence to the head of the Great Lakes. The capital of New Brunswick is Fredericton.
An important cultural, artistic, and educational centre for the province, Fredericton is home to two universities, the New Brunswick College of Craft & Design, and various cultural institutions. The city hosts the annual Harvest Jazz & Blues Festival, attracting regional and international jazz, blues, rock artists.
As a provincial capital, its economy is tied to the fortunes of the public sector; however, the city also contains a growing IT and commercial sector. The city has the highest percentage of residents with a post-secondary education in the province and one of the highest per capita incomes.
Prince Edward Island in the Gulf of St. Lawrence is the smallest of the Canadian Provinces & has an area of only 5, 657 sq. km. The provincial capital & the largest city is Charlottetown. Named after queen consort of King George the III of the United Kingdom. It was most famously the site of the Charlottetown Conference in 1864, the first gathering of Canadian and Maritime statesmen to debate the proposed Maritime Union and the later British North American Union, now known as Canadian Confederation. From this, the city adopted as its motto "Cunabula Foederis" - "Birthplace of Confederation".
Newfoundland is the last of the Maritime Provinces & the largest in area. It includes the island itself & a large part of the mainland known as Labrador. The province has hundreds of lakes & streams, great areas of virgin forests, excellent hunting & fishing. St. John’s the capital city of the province and the largest city in Newfoundland and Labrador, and is considered by some to be the oldest English-founded city in North America. Its name has been attributed to the feast day of John the Baptist, when John Cabot sailed into the harbour in 1497. Newfoundland was claimed as an English colony in the name of Elizabeth I in 1583, temporarily captured by the Dutch in 1665, and attacked three times by the French. St John's was retaken each time and re-fortified. British forces used St. John's fortifications during the Seven Years' War in North America, the American Revolutionary War and the War of 1812. St. John's served Allied needs in World War II by providing an air base for the US Army and a harbour for warfare ships.
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St. John's, and the province as a whole, was gravely affected in the 1990s by the collapse of the Northern cod fishery, which had been the driving force of the provincial economy for hundreds of years. After a decade of high unemployment rates and depopulation, the city's proximity to oil fields has led to an economic boom. As a result, the St. John's area now accounts for about half of the province's economic output.
Newfoundland didn’t become a part of Canada until 1949. Until that time, Newfoundland was a British colony.
The people of the Maritimes, who are mainly of English, Scottish or Irish origin, are great fishermen. The Grand Banks area (off the Coast of Newfoundland) is a part of the Atlantic Ocean famous for its abundance of fish. The most important fish of the Grand Banks is cod.
Westward from New Brunswick is Quebec, Canada’s largest province. Here the names of towns & cities, and the signs & notices in the streets, are all in French. Quebec is primarily a French province and this part of Canada is called French Canada. The province has an area of more than 1,5 mln sq. km. & the population is about 7 mln. Quebec is also the name of the provincial capital. Montreal, Canada’s second largest city is also in Quebec province. Quebec City has a population of 516,622, making it the second most populous city in the province after Montreal.
The narrowing of the Saint Lawrence River provided the name given to the city, Kébec, an Indian word meaning "where the river narrows". Founded in 1608 by Samuel de Champlain, Quebec City is one of the oldest cities in North America. Most jobs in Quebec City are concentrated in public administration, defence, services, commerce, transport and tourism. Around 10% of jobs are in manufacturing. Principal products include pulp and paper, processed food, metal/wood items, chemicals, electronics and electrical equipment, and printed materials.
Montreal - is the largest city in the province, the 2nd in the country (after Toronto). It is named after Mount Royal, the triple-peaked hill located in the heart of the city. The city is located on the Island of Montreal and a few much smaller peripheral islands. As of 2011, the city of Montreal had a population of 1,6 mln. Montreal is the 2nd largest primarily French-speaking city in the world, after Paris. Montreal was named a UNESCO City of Design. Historically the commercial capital of Canada, it was surpassed in population and economic strength by Toronto in the 1970s. Today it remains an important centre of commerce, aerospace, finance, pharmaceuticals, technology, design, culture, tourism, film and world affairs.
Although Quebec is heavily populated, most of the cities & towns of the province lie along the St. Lawrence river close to the US border. The northern part of Quebec is a land of poorly explored rivers & forests. There is great mineral wealth too & its development is just beginning.
West of Quebec lies the province of Ontario, largest in population & second largest in area of all the Canadian provinces. Ontario has an area of over 1 mln. sq. km. and its population is nearly 9 mln. In the south, Ontario borders on Lake Ontario, Lake Erie, Lake Huron, Lake Superior. Niagara Falls are shared by America’s New York state & the province of Ontario.
The Prairie Provinces lie to the west of Ontario. There are 3 of them: Manitoba with the capital city of Winnipeg; Saskatchewan & its capital Regina, & Alberta with its capital Edmonton. The latter lies partly in the Prairies & partly in the eastern part of the Canadian Rockies. Geography affected the development of these provinces where agriculture is of major importance. However these provinces also have mineral wealth as well as natural gas & oil. The northern parts of all three are largely uninhabited areas of forests, swamps, lakes & rushing streams. There are 2 beautiful national parks in Alberta- Jasper & Banff National Parks.
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, and the 4th largest city in the country. Located in Southern Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and together they form the National Capital Region (NCR).
The name "Ottawa" is derived from the Indian word meaning "to trade". Initially an Irish and French Christian settlement, Ottawa has become a multicultural city with a diverse population. Population: 883,391. The 2nd highest quality of living of any large city in the Americas, and 14th highest in the world. It is also rated the second cleanest city in Canada, and third cleanest city in the world. Ottawa's primary employers are public service and high-tech industry. The city has a high standard of living and low unemployment. Ottawa had the fourth highest GDP growth rate among major Canadian cities at 2.7%. It is estimated that the National Capital Region attracts around seven million tourists annually who spend about 1.3 billion dollars.
Toronto - is the largest city in Canada and the provincial capital of Ontario. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. Toronto has expanded its borders several times through amalgamation with surrounding municipalities, most recently in 1998. Toronto is an international centre for business and finance. Generally considered the financial capital of Canada, Toronto has a high concentration of banks and brokerage firms. The Toronto Stock Exchange is the world's 7th largest stock exchange by market capitalization. The five largest financial institutions of Canada, collectively known as the Big Five, have national offices in Toronto. The city is an important centre for the media, publishing, telecommunication, information technology and film production industries.
West of Alberta lies the 10th province of Canada – British Columbia. This is largely mountainous & heavily forested. It has a long Pacific coastline. The area is about 950 sq. km & a population nearing 3 mln. people. This makes British Columbia the 3rd largest province in population. Vancouver, located on the mainland is the largest city in the province & is an important Pacific coast port. The provincial capital, Victoria located on Vancouver Island is much smaller. The most important agricultural product is timber, which is exported to many countries of the world.
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city in British Columbia (8th largest city in Canada). Vancouver is one of the most ethnically and linguistically diverse cities in Canada; 52% of its residents have a first language other than English. The Greater Vancouver area of around 2.3 million inhabitants is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country.
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By 1887, the transcontinental railway was extended to the city to take advantage of its large natural seaport, which soon became a vital link in a trade route between the Orient, Eastern Canada, and London. Port Metro Vancouver is the busiest and largest port in Canada, and the most diversified port in North America. While forestry remains its largest industry, Vancouver is well known as an urban centre surrounded by nature, making tourism its second-largest industry. Major film production studios in Vancouver have turned it into one of the largest film production centres in North America, earning it the nickname “Hollywood North”.
Vancouver has hosted many international conferences and events, including the 2010 Winter Olympics.
Canada’s 3 territories lie to the north of the 10 provinces. The Yukon has a population of over 25 thousand. The capital of the Yukon territory is Whitehorse (named after a large white horse used to haul miners’ baggage around rapids on the Yukon River during the gold-rush at the end of the 19th c.)
The Northwest Territories was the name of a much larger area with a population of about 65 thousand. This huge territory was subdivided on April, 1, 1999. The Eastern Arctic became the territory of Nunavut meaning “Our land” in Inuktitut, the language of the Inuit people who make up 83% of the population. The capital of Nunavut is Iqaluit located in the south of Baffin Island. It’s twice the size of Ontario & traverses 3 time zones.
The Western part still called the Northwest Territories is a land rich in diamonds, oil, gas & gold with a mixed population of natives & non-natives of about 40 thousand. Yellowknofe is the district’s capital. The non-aboriginals constitute 52 % of the population of the new district. The East with its Inuit majority is far more homogenous, and for the most part, the 2 new areas of the North have always been very different in temperament: the Inuit area a gentle maritime people. The idea of creating 2 new territories was argumented by the need to give the aboriginals the possibility to take charge of their own fate.
24. Highlight the role of the explorers & first settlers in the discovery of Canada (john Cabot, Jacques Cartier, Henry Hudson, Samuel de Champlain, Cavalier de la Salle). The origin of the country’s name.
Canada’s 1st settlers were Indians & Eskimos. Later they were called Native Canadians, but, in fact, they were immigrants – the Indians migrated to Canada from Asia at least 12000 yy. ago, during warm phases of the last Ice Age they crossed the Bering Straits. The Eskimos arrived about 5000 yy. ago after the Ice Age had declined. Both groups belonged to the Mongoloid race (narrow almond-shaped eyes, high cheek bones, straight black hair, and yellowish-brown skin). The Eskimos differ from American Indians considerably. They belong to several different tribes & live in the world’s Arctic regions, from Greenland to Canada, their language & customs are different.
When the white man came to Canada at the beginning of the 16th c. there were 4 distinct Indian groups: the Athapascans (lived between Hudson Bay & the western mountains); the West Coast Indians (the shore of the Pacific Ocean); the Algonquins (the northern forests & prairies from the Atlantic Ocean to the Rocky Mountains); and the Iroquois & Hurons (southern Ontario & New York State in the USA. The last 2 groups were deadly enemies).
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The greater part of the Indians & all the Eskimos were by tradition hunters & fishermen, living a semi-nomadic life. Many still continue in these occupations: the Eskimos catch seals, white whales, walruses & arctic fish off the Hudson Bay, Arctic & Labrador coasts. Prairie Indians herd beef cattle; some still trap in the forests & fish in the rivers & lakes. Many have taken up farming or work in cities. The Indians of the extreme south-east used to grow maize, squash, beans & tobacco - the crops that the whites took up & developed. At the time of the European arrival, there were some 200.000-220.000 Indians. Later Indians began to be driven back to marginal land, & armed conflicts started. The Canadian gov-t has officially apologized for it.
The first Europeans to visit Canada were the Northmen (=Vikings). Leif Eriksson & his followers reached Canada in the 11th c. They settled in Newfoundland at L’Anse Aux Meadows (this site was declared a World Heritage by the UN).
A burst of exploration took place during the Age of Discovery in the 15th & 16th c. Explorers found the New World.
In 1497, Giovanni Caboto (a Venetian sailing for England where he was known as John Cabot) in an attempt to outdo Columbus & reach the Orient by a northern sea route, landed on the Canadian coast from his ship “The Matthew” at the village of Bonavista in Newfoundland & claimed the land for England’s King, Henry VII. Cabot probably died on his second voyage in 1498, but his discoveries helped to open up the rich fishing grounds of the Grand Banks.
The first real exploration was undertaken by Jacques Cartier who was also searching for a passage to the Far East - he explored the Gulf of St. Lawrence in 1534. Returning in 1535, he sailed up the St. Lawrence to the Indian village of Stadacona (the future site of Quebec City) & Hochelaga (future Montreal). On this voyage he picked up the name of the local village “Kanata” & applied it to the entire region. When he went back to France he took an India chief Donnacona with him. In general, Cartier undertook 4 expeditions & claimed the new land for the King of France. However, as France was engaged in European wars at the time & couldn’t spare money for colonization. In 1583 Sir Humphrey Gilbert claimed Newfoundland for England.
At the end of the 16th c. beaver hats began to gain popularity in Paris. Fur trading with the Indians increased. At the beginning of the 17th c. a permanent French settlement was founded. Soon there were Danish, English & Dutch sailing to Canada in search of wealth & trade route to Asia.
Henry Hudson (an Englishman working for the Dutch) sailed up the Hudson River in the today’s state of New York & explored the coastline. Later he went looking for a water route to Asia & reached the great bay which now bears his name. After spending a winter ashore, he tried to force his men to continue the search for the passage, but they mutinied and cast Hudson & his supporters adrift in a small boat. They were never heard of again.
King Henry IV granted wealthy Frenchmen monopolies in the New World in return for colonization. In 1604 a French expedition landed & spent the winter on the Bay of Fundy. Only 35 (of 79) men survived the winter & among them was Samuel de Champlain. In 1608 he returned with an expedition of his own appending the winter at the site of modern Quebec City. He founded Quebec but only 8 of his 24-man expedition lived through the winter. He began to develop the fur trade by exchanging horses for furs & gradually explored the inland area. He named it New France. However, colonization was slow: Quebec had fewer than 100 residents 20 yy. after its founding. In 1627 Cardinal Richelieu organized the Company of New France to carry on trade with the New World. The Company was required to bring over 300 colonists each year. In 1642 Montreal was founded. Louis XIV began to take interest in promoting colonization & by 1629 there were almost 10.000 inhabitants in French Canada.
In 1682, Cavalier de La Salle descended the Mississippi River to the Gulf of Mexico, naming the territory Louisiana, after the King.
At the end of the 17th c. strife of the French with the British began.
In 1668 a British ship sailed into Hudson Bay & then returned to England with fine furs. This was the beginning of the great fur-trading Hudson’s Bay Company (King Charles II issued a trading Charter). The founding of the Hudson’s Bay Company brought British settlers to Canada. A period of war between England & France over the control of Hudson Bay began.
By 1701, the French had arranged peace with the Iroquois. As a result of the Treaty of Utrecht (1713) (marked the end of the War of the Spanish Succession), France recognised British claims to Hudson Bay.
During the Seven Years’ War (1756-1763), in 1758 the French lost their fortifications on Cape Breton Island. The English captured Quebec City in 1759 & Montreal in 1760. In 1763 the treaty ending the war confirmed British sovereignty: France cede all its territories in Canada to GB. This happened largely because the inability of France to supply its colony in the face of British naval supremacy.
25. Give a general survey of the present population of Canada. The major provinces & their population (это есть в вопросе 23). The role of different ethnic groups in the making of the present population. Multiculturalism.
Canadian population is 35 mln. people. A national population density is 3 persons/square km, but this figure is misleading: nearly all Canadians live within approximately 250 km of the border with the USA. The 3 Canadian territories have a population of less than 70.000 persons. Eastern Canada is the most populated part – Ontario & Quebec have nearly 2/3s of population. 10 % of the population live in the Maritime provinces, 17 % - in the Prairie Provinces, 9% - in British Columbia. After the WWI there was a shift of Canadian population marked by urbanization. The situation repeated after the WWII. The cities of Canada offered a better environment for development, they were much better run, much less corrupt, much freer from racial strife, much less dominated by class division. The largest cities: Toronto (4.2 mln), Montreal (3 mln), Vancouver (1.8 mln). Metropolitan explosion characterizes Canadian life (80% of the population lives in cities). City life offers job opportunities, sports, theatre, music, art, the rich social life. The characteristic of Canadian cities that’s shared with the USA, is that people live among their own race/ class/ profession/ religious group – in special quarters. More immigrants are swarming into the Toronto area than to the rest of Canada. Another trend: middle class are moving back from the suburbs to mid-town (or even down-town). Canadians have one of the highest dwelling standards in the world (4 people for 5.5 rooms).
Two important groups make up the Canadian population:
-people of British origin (half of Canada’s present population)
-people of French origin (Quebec, New Brunswick) – 1/3 of the national population
Other ethnic groups: Germans (6%), Ukrainians (3%) – the Prairie Provinces, Italians (2.5%), Dutch (2%), Scandinavians (2%), Poles (1%) – British Columbia.
There’re also over 200.000 American Indians & >11.000 Eskimos.
About 85% of All Canadians were born in Canada & 95% are Canadian citizens.
However, the assimilation process wasn’t as rapid as in the USA: immigrants tend to live in communities & preserve their national traits. The interplay of different cultures is termed multiculturalism, & today it’s a most important feature of Canadian life (unlike the USA, their society is not a melting pot in which the diverse elements are transformed to make one standard product).
With an introduction of an immigration policy in 1967 that eliminated preferences for particular national groups there has been a dramatic change in the composition of Canadian population.
Now almost 75% come from Asia, Africa, Latin America & the Caribbean. Asian immigration accounts for about half the annual.
Immigrants now come to cities rather than rural areas, particularly. To the metropolitan areas.
The 1996 census of Canada encouraged people for the first time to list any self-identified ethnic ancestry. Predictably, “Canadian” skyrocketed to first overall across the country. 19% of the population gave their ethnic origin as solely Canadian, turning away from citing English & French as their ancestral origin. This was the most remarkable indication of how much Canadians have consolidated as a nation.
2/3s of the population are represented by “visible minorities”: the Chinese – the largest single visible-minority group with 860.000 people, next are South Asians - 700.000, & Blacks make up about 600.000 or 2 % of the Canadian population.
70.000 Belarusians live in Canada. Там есть Координационный комитет белорусов Канады, собрание белорусов в Торонто и Квебеке, Белорусский союз молодежи.
Ethnic groups: 76, 7 % - White, 14,2 % - Asian, 4,3 % - Aboriginal, 2, 9 % - Black, 1,2 % - Latinos
26. Survey the making of the Canadian Confederation (1763-1867). The British North America Act (1867) & the gradual process of provincial membership.
In 1763 the treaty ending the Seven Years’ War confirmed British sovereignty: France ceded all its territories to GB. The British believed they could turn French Canada into another colony. However, they faced with governing the colony which had large French population. Besides different language, the French were Catholics (the English - Protestants), the French had their own system of law, courts & rules of land-holding. To avoid armed conflict, the English allowed the French to keep their own ways of living. This decision was partly affected by events in what is now the USA.
In 1774 the American Continental Congress invited French colonists in their struggle against British rule. But the French decided not to take part.
The Br. Parliament passed the Quebec Act in 1774 which allowed the French Canadians to keep to their religion, laws & court system & ensured the use of the French l-ge. This didn’t solve the problems of blending 2 cultures – friction continued.
Scarcely had the French & the British sorted out their differences, then Canada was at war (the War of Independence). After the Am. Revolution some Am. Colonists who wished to retain their British ties fled from the newly-created United States to Canada to the Maritimes & Quebec (the loyalists).
The arrival of about 30.000 of these Loyalists in Nova Scotia led to the creation of a new colony – New Brunswick in 1784.
The influx of 10.000 of these colonists into Quebec led to the division of the colony & in 1791 the western part became Upper Canada (the nucleus of today’s Ontario) & the remainder of the old colony – Lower Canada (nucleus of today’s Quebec).
During these changes fur trading remained an important economic activity. There was a rivalry for fur.
Canadian relations with the US didn’t improve after the Wof I, there were frictions between them. Resentment grew until June 1812, when the USA declared war on Britain. By 1814 both sides were exhausted. Br. & US negotiators signed the Treaty of Ghent in December 1814 to end the war.
As the population grew, so did discontent with the form of gov-t – power was concentrated in the hands of few influential people in each province of British North America. By the mid-1830s the economy began to suffer. In Lower Canada this problem was worsened by the prejudice felt by the French-Canadian colonists. The French-Canadians called for several major reforms. In Upper Canada also there were calls for reforms which were turned down by the gov-t. The radicals under William Mackenzie took up arms in early December 1837. The rebellion was put down.
Lord Durham presented his report to the Br. Parliament in 1839 which contained 2 recommendations: 1) union of Upper & Lower Canadas. 2) the granting of Responsible gov-t.
The immediate effect of the Durham Report was the unification of 2 Canadas in 1841. But the measure proved to be a failure. The single legislature was barely functioning as no single party could get enough support from both the French & the English.
The real drive for a union between the Br. Colonies in NA came as a result of the Am. Civil War (1861-65). The USA had claims arising from Britain’s role in the CW. Br. Had supplied the outlaw Southern Confederacy with arms & had allowed Confederate warships to use British ports freely & these ships inflicted a great deal of damage on Union ports & naval forces during the CW.
After the end of the CW, US politicians held Britain directly responsible & sought territorial compensation to make up losses.
Under such circumstances Canadian politicians sought a more unified British North America.
Nearly all politicians of the 2 largest Br. & NA territories – Ontario & Quebec – favored this united scheme & persuaded representatives of the other Br. NA territories – New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island & Newfoundland to form a confederation. The initiators of this union are known as the Fathers of Confederation. The eventual result was the British North America Act of 1867 (the 1st part of the Canadian Constitution). Sir John Macdonald became the first PM of the new nation of the Dominion of Canada, its birthday being July,1.
In Prince Edw. Island & Newfoundland the attitude was one of “wait & see”. The idea of a federal system with 1 central gov-t & a separate gov-t for each of the provinces was accepted by the 4 Eastern provinces.
Slowly, other provinces & areas were brought into the Confederation. In 1870 the federal gov-t bought the vast Robert’s Land territory (Hudson Bay Co) for 300.000 pounds. It became the Province of Manitoba.
Br. Columbia on the west coast was enticed to join Canada in 1871, thank to the promise of a railway to connect the west with the east (1885 – Transcontinental railway). Prince Edward I. followed in 1873.
The prairie provinces of Alberta & Saskatchewan were created in 1905 out of the Rupert’s Land purchase east of the Rocky Mountains.
Thus, from 1867 to 1905 (in the space of 40 yy.), Canada became a nation stretching from “ocean to ocean”.
Newfoundland – the oldest British colonial possession – became Canada’s 10th province in 1949.
27. Highlight the economic regions of Canada (the Atlantic Provinces, the Great Lakes – St. Lawrence Provinces; the Prairie Provinces; The Cordillera of British Columbia; The Canadian Territories). Speak on their mineral wealth & the main industries.
Canada is a major world industrial power. It has both rich farmland & many other natural resources. Canada’s provinces can be grouped into 5 large economic geographical regions. Each differs from the others in natural resources & economic activities.
