Five Themes of Geography (MRHELP) & Canadian Regions
Movement
How are people and places linked by communication and the flow of people, products, information, and ideas?
- People: Immigration, migration, refugees
- Products: Cars, trucks, planes, trains
- Information/Ideas: Phones, computers, social media, TV, radio, newspapers
Regions
What are regions and how are they useful?
Formal Regions
Based on official boundaries, such as cities and provinces (e.g., St. Lawrence Lowlands, Greater Vancouver Regional District).
Functional Regions
Based on connections created by an activity such as communication or trade flows (e.g., the distribution area of a newspaper, North American Free Trade Agreement area).
Perceptual Regions
Determined by people’s attitudes and feelings (e.g., “Up North,” “South Side,” “The Interior”).
Human-Environment Interaction
How do people interact with and/or change their environment?
Dependence
We depend on the environment (e.g., people depend on rivers for water and transportation).
Adaptation
We adapt to the environment (e.g., people wear clothing suitable for the season like shorts, leggings, coats, tank tops).
Modification
We modify the environment (e.g., we create river dams to prevent floods or for water reservoirs).
Location
Where is it? Why is it located there?
Absolute Location
- Very precise, in terms of position on the globe.
- Latitude and Longitude (global location).
Relative Location
- Described by landmarks, time, direction, or distance from one place to another.
- Depends upon your point of reference (e.g., near, far, a short drive).
Place
What does it look like when you get there?
Physical Characteristics
- Landforms: Mountains, plains, valleys, etc.
- Bodies of water: Oceans, lakes, bays, rivers, etc.
- Ecosystems: Soils, plants, animals, etc.
Human Characteristics
- Infrastructure: Bridges, roads, buildings, etc.
- People: Culture, languages, beliefs, economics, etc.
Landform Creation
How old is the Earth? – 4.5 billion years old
What are the three layers of the Earth? – The crust, mantle, and the core
What is magma? – Molten rock
What does magma do? – Causes the plates of the crust to move or break
How are fold mountains formed? – Two plates pushed together for millions of years
What kind of mountains are the Rocky Mountains? – Fold mountains
How are volcanic mountains formed? – When the crust breaks as it is folding and molten rock pushes up
What are the two volcanic mountain ranges in Canada? – Canadian Shield and Coastal Ranges
Ice Age Landscape Changes
When the ice retreated during the last ice age, how did it change the landscape of the following places?
a. Southern Prairies: When the glacial lake (like Lake Agassiz) drained, it left a flat and bare landscape, often with fertile soil.
b. Canadian Shield: Glaciers scraped the rocks bare and left thin layers of soil.
c. Other areas: Glaciers left mounds of debris which became hills (e.g., drumlins, moraines).
Physical vs. Climatic Regions
Physical Regions
Canada has 6 physical regions.
A physical region is a large area of the Earth’s crust that has three distinct characteristics, determined by the topography (physical landscape) of a place.
Three key characteristics:
- Extends over a large area with similar features.
- Landform has been shaped by a common set of geomorphic processes.
- Possesses a common geological structure and history.
Climate can vary within a physical region (e.g., cold and snowy in the north to hot and humid in the south).
Climatic Regions
Canada has 11 climate regions.
A climate region is an area of the Earth’s surface where similar weather conditions occur.
Determined by long-term data describing annual, seasonal, and daily temperatures and precipitation.
Determined by wind currents, ocean currents, and location (e.g., proximity to the equator).
Climate is not determined completely by the physical region or topography.
Maritime Climate
Air masses originate over water.
Features temperatures moderated by the water (often resulting in cooler summers and milder winters compared to continental areas) and typically significant precipitation.
Continental Climate
Air masses originate over land.
Features extreme temperature ranges (hot summers, cold winters) due to the lack of moderating ocean effects. Typically lower precipitation than maritime climates.