6TH GRADE SOCIAL STUDIESMR. SMITH

5 Regions of Canada

Atlantic Region

4 Provinces in this region and they are: Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador, New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island.

Population: 2.3 Million; first areas of European Settlement; population is declining because fishing restrictions limit jobs.

Language: most speak English but some speak French.

Atlantic RegionClimate: mild; humid continental climate;

wet winters; ice hockey was born here.Buildings: 275 lighthouses in operation on the coastline.Economic activity: fishing (declining), farming (limited), and forestry.

Core Region

The core region includes Ontario and Quebec.

Population: 18.6 Million; most Canadians live here; three largest cities are Toronto, Montreal, and capital city of Ottawa; many jobs are here.

Language: In Ontario most speak English; in Quebec most speak French; both are official languages of Canada; Chinese, Italian, and Portuguese are also spoken here.

Core RegionClimate: humid continental climate in

the south; colder with less rain in the north; Winterlude held in February.

Buildings: British and French influences; Gothic revival style; large stone buildings with tall pointed windows.

Economic Activity: manufacturing, farming (a third of all Canada’s farm products), and hydroelectric power.

Prairie Region

The prairie region consists of the provinces: Alberta, Manitoba, and Saskatchewan.

Population: 5 Million; fast growing area; Edmonton and Calgary are the fastest growing areas.

Language: English is the first language of most people; French, German, and Ukrainian are also spoken.

Prairie RegionClimate: Semiarid to humid continental in

the south, subarctic in the north; polar bears migrate through Churchill every year.

Buildings: Farms in the southern region; barns with silos to store grain.

Economic activity: farming (half of all Canada’s farm products); mining ( more than half of all minerals in Canada); and oil (oil sands).

Pacific Region

The Pacific region has only one province which is British Columbia.

Population: 4 Million; most people live in or near Victoria or Vancouver or on the western slopes of the Rockies; high Asian population.

Language: English is most peoples first language; Asian languages such as Punjabi, and Tagalog are also spoken.

Pacific RegionClimate: Marine west coast along the

coast; colder in the Rocky Mountains; winter surfing is a popular sport.

Buildings: Strong British influence; some buildings look almost like castles.

Economic activity: Farming and forestry are important, but mining, shipping, and hydroelectric power are the largest industries.

Northern RegionIncludes all of the territories: Yukon Territory, Northwest Territory, and Nunavut Territory.

Population: 100,000 people; largest land area, smallest pop.; costly to live here because it’s so far from other places.

Language: Most speak English as their first language; many Inuit continue to speak Inuktitut.

Northern RegionClimate: Tundra in the north; Subarctic in

the south; all terrain vehicles are popular for transportation; dog sled racing is a popular sport.

Buildings: traditionally some Inuit made winter igloos from snow blocks; today most have house made from kits.

Economic activity: Hunting and gathering, nomadic herding, mining, government work.