Canada Geography, Government, and Culture Review

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering Canadian physical geography, political systems, government leaders, provinces, history, and international agreements.

Canadian Shield

A massive geological region of solid hard rock that covers most of eastern Canada.

Mari usque ad Mare

Canada's national Latin motto, which translates to 'from sea to sea.'

Bay of Fundy

A body of water situated on Canada's Atlantic coast renowned for having the highest tides in the world.

Chinook Winds

Warm, dry seasonal winds that descend the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains, causing dramatic temperature warming for a period of one to three days.

Tree Line

The northern or altitudinal boundary line beyond which conditions are too severe for trees to grow.

Mackenzie River

A river located in the Northwest Territories that forms one of the longest river systems in North America.

Labrador Current

A cold ocean current in the northwestern Atlantic that carries Arctic water and icebergs south along Canada's eastern coast.

Western Cordillera

The extensive mountainous physical region that covers most of British Columbia and extends along Canada's western coast.

Prairie Provinces

The region comprising Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta, known as the 'breadbasket of Canada' due to its vast grain and agricultural production.

Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Lowlands

A fertile, heavily populated physiographic region in southeastern Canada that extends farther south than several northern US states.

Appalachian Region

The geographical region running along the east coast of Canada that encompasses the Atlantic provinces.

Nunavut

A northern Canadian territory formed within the Arctic Archipelago and northern Canadian Shield.

Prime Minister

The head of government who leads the majority party in Parliament and directs the federal executive branch of Canada.

Governor General

The federal official appointed by the Crown to act as the British monarch's representative in Canada's Parliament.

Premier

The political title given to the chief executive and head of government of an individual Canadian province.

House of Commons

The elected lower chamber of the Canadian Parliament whose members are directly voted into office by Canadian citizens.

Senate of Canada

The appointed upper chamber of the Parliament of Canada whose members are chosen by the Governor General on the advice of the Prime Minister.

Provinces and Territories

The administrative divisions of Canada, consisting of ten provinces and three territories.

Residential Schools

A government-sponsored boarding school system administered by churches designed to forcibly assimilate Indigenous children into European-Canadian culture.

Stephen Harper

The Canadian Prime Minister who delivered an official, formal apology on behalf of the federal government to former students of the Indian Residential Schools system in 2008.

Marine-West Coast Climate

The moderate, humid climate found along coastal British Columbia caused by warm, moist air currents arriving from the Pacific Ocean.

Medicare (Canada)

Canada's publicly funded universal health care system, through which provincial and federal governments pay doctors and healthcare providers.

Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement

A landmark bilateral environmental commitment between Canada and the United States aimed at restoring and protecting the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of the Great Lakes.

Northwest Passage

A sea corridor connecting the Atlantic and Pacific oceans through the Arctic Archipelago, which Canada claims as internal territorial waters.

Quebec

Canada's second-most populous province, notable for being predominantly French-speaking.

Ottawa

The national capital city of Canada, located in Ontario along the border with Quebec and outside the Great Lakes plains.

Toronto

The capital of Ontario and the most populous city in Canada, located on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario.

Vancouver

A major Pacific coastal seaport and metropolitan center located in southwestern British Columbia.

Hudson Bay

A very large, shallow body of saltwater in northeastern Canada surrounded primarily by the Canadian Shield.

Nova Scotia

An Atlantic maritime province of eastern Canada almost completely surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean.

New Brunswick

An Atlantic maritime province situated east of Maine and south of Quebec's Gaspé Peninsula.

Saskatchewan

A central Canadian prairie province bounded by Alberta to the west and Manitoba to the east.

Manitoba

The easternmost Canadian prairie province, bordered by Ontario to the east and Saskatchewan to the west.

Arctic Ocean

The northernmost ocean on Earth, which borders Canada's northern shores and over which Canada claims maritime territory.