Maturitní otázka číslo 18. Canada
n
the
second largest state in the world
n to the north of the USA, in the north of America
n borders on USA in the south and north
n surrounded by the Atlantic , the Pacific and the Arctic ocean
n no borders between Canada and USA, very similar countries
n capital - Ottawa
History
n
the
original inhabitants came to C. some 2 thousand years ago across the Bering
Strait from Asia
n
the
first Europeans here were the Vikings (more than thousand year ago)
n
during
the Age of Discoveries (15th, 16th century) Jacque
Cartier discovered the Gulf of St. Lawrence
n
discovered
in 17th century by Govan
Cabot (Italian) - French colony
n settlements were in the south east part in the valley St. Lawrence
needed fresh water,
connection with Europe - they needed a lot of imported and exported fur
( fur trade - very
important )
English settlers - Hudson - in 18th century was
Canada British colony
n
original
inhabitants : they help them now, no racism, museums- people can learn their
life
- Indians - came from Asia
- Inuit - had to stay and live in the north
because of Indians
n
10
provinces, 2 territories ( Ottawa, Northwest Territory )
n
in 1999 there will be a new state with a new
capital, new state of Inuit ( a lot of names Amos - because of the religion of
the firs settlers)
Relief
n
The
Rocky Mountains - Mt. Logan (6050m)
n
The
Mackenzie Mountains, Melville Hils
n
middle
part - forms by prairie
n
east -
highlands, lowlands
n
rivers-
the St. Lawrence (the biggest), the Mackenzie, the Yukon - connected with gold
( writer Jack London
n
lakes
- the Great Bear, the Great Slave lake , 5 big lakes -the biggest deposit of
fresh water ( Michigan, Huron, Erie, Ontario, Superior )
n
Niagara
Falls (between the lakes Erie and Ontario)
n
Islands:
Baffin I, Newfoundland, Vancouver, Prince Edward Island etc.)
Climate
n
in the
north - arctic climate - short summer, cold winter ( -50C )
n
in the
south - continental climate - winters snow ( the same as our country )
Industry
n
rich
of all metals - gold, led , bauxite, zinc, copper
n
oil,
coal, natural gas, uranium (40 percent of the world production)
n
industry
- mining industry, food, fishing, forestry - wood and paper industry, trapping
( hunting animals without guns)
Agriculture
n
only 7
percent of land suitable for farming
n
C. is
second largest wheat exporter in the world (Manitoba Saskatchewan)
n
very
fertile soil, wheat, fish
Population
n
in the
south warmer, big lakes, north- almost without people
n
bilingual
country- English and French; many minorities (Russian, German Ukranien, Chinese)
n
Inuit - in the north, travel by dog-sledge, skiing,
kayak, showboats
n
live
in the igloos, trapping, fishing
n
eat
fish, fruit and vegetable are very expensive - transport by planes
n
parka
- special warm cloth
n
Indians – they call themselves first nation, they live
in the reservations, in normal houses, they use cars … - in the middle
n
still
live their traditional life connected with hunting,
n
not
enough education - poor living conditions, taking drugs, drug addict,
unemployment...
n
they
have a lot of advantages- free education, government gives then a lot of land
they can hunt, live their traditional life but their children have to attend
schools
they are
very proud of their history, many museums (Museum of clothes, Museum of First settlements)
Flag
red and white
= blood and snow
Symbol –
maple leaf
Animals: loon, polar bear, polar fox
Political system: Canada has independent parliamentary system
with Queen Elisabet II. As a head of the state. The federal parliament consist
of the House of Commons and the Senate. The leading figure in political life is
prime minister. C. is a member of the UN, UNESCO, NATO etc.
James
Fenimoor Cooper – The last of the Mohicans- about Indians near lake Huron
Ernest
Thompson Seton – Two little Savages
CANADIAN CITIES
Montreal
Montreal lies in Quebec and
it is the second largest French
speaking city. It is situated on an
island n the middle of the St. Lawrence River. Montreal was chosen as the
site of the Universal Exhibition (Expo
67) and the (21st) Summer
Olympic games took place there in 1976.
It is a great industrial, commercial, and financial and tourist
centre.
Winnipeg
Winnipeg is the capital of Manitoba.
It is located in the prairie, at the junction of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers.
It is a cultural, commercial and historical centre. People in Winnipeg
are very proud of their culture and history. They built a lot of museums, galleries, churches, theatres
and so on.
Museums: Children’s museum, Living prairie Museum and
Canada’s first costume museum Dugald costume museum.
There are a lot of parks in
W. as well. For example, Sargent Park or
Assiniboine Park which is Winnipeg’s
oldest and largest park. In this park
there are the English Gardens, the zoo, picnic sites, a lot of special areas
for different kinds of sports.
A lot of festivals take place
there e.g. Winnipeg Folk Festival, W. Fringe Festival… The world’s largest celebration takes place
in Winnipeg. This celebration is called Folklorama
and it lasts two weeks in August.
Winnipeg’s “French Quarter”
is a historical and cultural cornerstone of the city. It is the largest
French–Canadian community in Canada, west of Quebec.
In Manitoba there is the provincial park called Whiteshell. In this park there are the stones called Petroforms. They are arranged in the
shapes of snakes, turtles, humans…It was made by Native people for religious
purposes.
Toronto
Toronto is the biggest city
in Canada. It is the capital of the province of Ontario. It is situated on the bank of Lake Ontario. There is a very
famous the City Hall in T.
Vancouver
Vancouver is situated in British
Columbia it is one of the important ports
in Canada. The Universal Exhibition (Expo
86) took place there.
Canada has its own national flag since 1964. It is red and in the centre there is a white square with a simple red maple leaf.