Animals and Plants
Canada’s nature: tundra, taiga and prairie
Large parts of Canada are covered in pristine forests. A rich fauna is at home here. The shape of the landscape is called taiga or boreal coniferous forest. Above all pines, spruces, firs and larches grow here. In the east the forest turns into a mixed forest. In addition to hemlocks and pines, beech, birch and maple also grow here.
In the far north, however, trees no longer grow. It’s too cold there. The landscape there is the tundra. Only mosses, lichens, grasses and small dwarf shrubs can grow here. The further north you go, the more snow there is, sometimes all year round.
In the central south of Canada, namely in the south of Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Alberta, however, there are prairies. Mainly prairie grass grows here. It’s too dry here for forests. Today these areas are mainly used for growing grain and keeping cattle herds.
Land of bears
When you think of Canada’s animals, the first thing that comes to mind is the bears. Brown bears live all over the west of the country. They belong to the grizzly bear subspecies. Black bears are found in most of the country except in the arctic north. The polar bear is at home there. It is the largest land-based predator on earth. A subspecies of the black bear is the kermode bear. One tenth of them have a light coat. The kermode bear occurs only in the western province of British Columbia.
Animals in the forest and prairie
Caribou and moose live in Canada’s forests as well as beavers, martens and gray squirrels. The bison like it in the forest and prairie. Prairie hares feel at home in the prairie grass. Pocket rats can also be found. Many birds spend the summer in the forests of Canada and migrate south in the winter.
The arctic wildlife
In addition to polar bears, whales, walruses and seals feel at home in Canada’s arctic waters. On land, in the tundra, you will find musk ox, caribou, arctic wolves, arctic foxes, arctic hares and lemmings. Migratory birds spend the summer here.
Economy
Rich in natural resources
Canada is one of the richest countries in the world. The wealth is mainly based on the country’s mineral resources. Crude oil, nickel, gold, uranium, lead, zinc, diamonds, sulfur and other raw materials are mined. Canada is the world’s largest producer of some raw materials, including potassium carbonate and cadmium. The deposits are distributed very differently in the country, uranium is mainly mined in Saskatchewan, diamonds mainly in the northwest. Alberta has large deposits of oil sands from which crude oil can be extracted.
Canada is also richly blessed with forests and so forestry also plays an important role. Pulp and paper are also produced.
Wheat and more
Agriculture hardly contributes to the country’s economy, its share is only 1.6 percent. Only 2 percent of the people work in this field. Yet agriculture is highly productive. Wheat is the most important crop. Canada is the sixth largest producer of wheat in the world. The surpluses are exported. There are also fields with barley, rape and flax. Cattle breeding is also mainly practiced on the prairie. Fish is caught on the coasts. Salmon and halibut in particular are exported.
Cars, planes and paper
Most of the country’s industry is located in the southeast, where most Canadians live. The automotive and aviation industries are particularly important. Metal industry, food processing as well as wood and paper industry are also important areas. Export also plays an important role here. Canada’s largest trading partner is the USA.
Services
Services are the largest area of the economy. Banks and insurance companies in particular play a role here. Commerce, education and healthcare are also included.
Culture
Snow and ice
What do we think of when we think of Canada? Most likely to wide landscapes, huge forests, many lakes and rivers – and a lot of snow, ice and cold. In fact, Canada is a country that has long winters in large parts. What you quickly forget, however, is that the summers can be quite hot. You probably wouldn’t have thought that the photo on the left was taken in Canada, would you?
Maple
The maple leaf is the national symbol of Canada. It is depicted not only on the flag, but also in the coat of arms and on the 1 cent coin. Maple trees grow all over the southern half of the country. At the beginning of the 18th century, the French settlers on the St. Lawrence River chose the maple leaf as their symbol. It stayed that way for the whole of Canada.
Ice hockey and lacrosse
Ice hockey and lacrosse are national sports of Canada, with ice hockey being played in winter and lacrosse in summer. Not only is ice hockey extremely popular, it originated in Canada in the 19th century. So Canada is the motherland of ice hockey.
Lacrosse is a sport with Indian roots. The Indians on the east coast and the Great Lakes were already playing it. It is a ball sport and is played on grass. You play it with the lacrosse bat, which can be recognized by its pocket-like net at the front.
Symbols
In addition to the maple leaf, there are several animal symbols of Canada. Official National animals are the beaver and the Canadian horse (Canadian Horse). In many cases, however, the Canada goose and the common loon are also associated with Canada. To get more information on Canada and North America, check prozipcodes.
And what else?
“Tim Hortons” is also typical for Canada. This is a fast food chain that is widespread in Canada. It was founded by the ice hockey player Tim Hortons. There is mainly coffee and donuts, but also sandwiches and other snacks.
