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64 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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What provinces are contained in the Prairie region? |
AB, SK, MB |
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Characteristics of the prairies? |
Relatively flat topography Southern region is heavily agricultural Northern part is covered in boreal forest Oil in the western part Tourism in the Rocky Mountain foothills High aboriginal and high eastern european population |
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What is the origin of the name 'Alberta'? |
Princess Louise Caroline Alberta was the 4th daughter of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert |
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What is the origin of the name Saskatchewan? |
Derived from a Cree word meaning "swift flowing water" |
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What is the origin of the name Manitoba? |
Derived from a Cree word meaning "lake of the prairies" |
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How were the prairies settled before 1869? |
Lots were narrow and provided frontage along rivers. Based on Metis settlement patterns. |
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How were the prairies settled after 1869? |
Land division was based on sqaure lots 160 acres in size. This pattern preceded European settlement and was superimposed over physical obstacles and the preceding Metis settlement pattern. |
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Where did towns develop near? |
Grain elevators Roughly every 3rd settlement along a railway was larger and provided more diverse services Every settlement housed frequently used services. |
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Why has the rural population in the Prairies steadily declined since 1940? |
Farms became larger and more mechanized Many areas became dominated by grain farms. There is not livestock on these farms thus minimal staffing is necessary. |
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Why has the population of many villages declines since 1940 and cities growing? |
Lower rural population density leads to less businesses for villages. An increase in the use of trucks and cars plus an improved and expanded road network. New highways tended to bypass villages. Infrequently used transportation corridors were shut down. |
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What are some exceptions to the pattern of decline? |
Dormitory towns Site of government services Resource towns |
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What are dormitory towns? |
Towns that people live in but work in the nearest urban center. |
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What is the gateway to the northern AB hinterland? |
Edmonton |
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What is the gateway to the northern SK hinterland? |
Prince Albert |
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What does the smaller size of Prince Albert demonstrate? |
Fewer economic activities in its hinterland |
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How did the Metis respond to the land surveyors? |
With organized rebellions |
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How did the more nomadic tribes respond to land surveyors? |
Felt like they had little to no choice but to sign treaties |
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What did the British government do when they were concerned about the viability of the lands managed by HBC? |
Surveyors were deployed to register the land and organize it into townships divided into 36 sections. Each new homesteader was given a 1/4 of a section. |
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What was required of new homesteaders on the land they were given? |
Till the land and build a house |
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How many continental railways had the US completed by the 1870s? What concern did this cause? |
3 - concerns that the US would annex (take over) the land |
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When was the CPR completed? |
1885 |
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What challenges faced homesteaders? |
Created a sense of isolation May settlers were not prepared for the climate and the far distance to market Homesteaders were forced to be innovative (ex: summer fallow) |
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What is summer fallow? |
The practice of leaving land idle for a growing season or longer to accumulate soil moisture |
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What is the CCF? |
Co-operative Commonwealth Federation A political party that is the present day NDP |
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What is the social credit party? |
It had a fundamentalist and religious philosophy, popularity maximized in the early 1900s. |
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What is the reform party? When did they exist? |
Extreme right wing party founded by Preston Manning in AB. |
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What party at one point became the official opposition in Ottawa? |
Reform Party |
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What did the Reform Party change its name to? |
Canadian Alliance |
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Who led the Canadian Alliance? |
Preston Manning Stephen Harper |
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What party did the Canadian Alliance merge with? What did they become? |
Progressive Conservative Party Today's conservatives |
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During what years did the prairies have the lowest unemployment rate in the country? |
2006-2015 |
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What 5 CMAs are in the prairies? |
Calgary, Edmonton, Regina, Saskatoon & Winnipeg |
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Why does Calgary now have one of the highest unemployment rates? |
Oil prices |
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What has provided a recent boost to the SK economy? |
Increased demand for potash - high price and high demand - used in agriculture |
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During early settlement of the prairies, wha6t was the common crop? |
Wheat |
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What crop has become increasingly common? |
Canola |
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What are the 3 agricultural regions of the prairies? |
Fertile Belt Dry Belt Agricultural Fringe |
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What are the differences between the agricultural regions? |
Length of the growing season Soil moisture |
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What is most common on the agricultural fringe? |
Farmers mainly grow grains to raise livestock |
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What are the characteristics of the fertile belt? |
Relatively high levels of soil moisture Adequate frost free period Most popular crops are wheat, canola, beans, peas and sunflowers Mixed farming is common |
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What are the characteristics of the dry belt? |
Cattle ranching is common Irrigation is required to grow here Continuous cropping is a growing trend |
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What are the benefits of continuous cropping? |
Aids in controlling weeds or other foreign plants Reduces soil erosion |
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What are the Great Sand Hills? |
Located in Southwestern SK - a unique landscape formed from wind that has caused the beach deposits of formed glacial lakes to form into dunes |
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Where are the large hog slaughtering plants currently located? |
Brandon Red Deer Lethbridge |
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What are economies of scale? |
A reduction in per unit costs that results from an increase in output. |
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What is bitumen? |
Oil mixed with sand |
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Where is the production center for oil? |
Edmonton |
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Where is the administration center for oil? |
Calgary |
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What are the 4 leading mineral resources of the prairies? |
Oil, gas, coal, potash |
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How is oil processed? |
Oil sands are mixed with hot water and transported to processing plants where large hydrocarbon molecules are broken into smaller ones. The product is then supplied to refineries which process it into gasoline, diesel and propane. |
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What is a by-product of the oil industry? |
Non-renewable, toxic water that increases daily. Leakage from the storage ponds can affect groundwater or nearby surface water. |
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What is a possible solution to the tailing ponds? |
Bury the toxic sludge in deep pits and cover it with layers of soil. |
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How much toxic waste is deposited into the tailing ponds daily? |
~2billion litres |
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What 2 minerals are mined in SK? |
Potash & uranium |
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What are mined in Manitoba? |
Copper (Flin Flon) Nickel (Thompson) |
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What percentage of the prairies lumber production occurs in AB? |
75% |
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Where is the large pulp and paper mill in MB? |
The Pas |
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What are the top tier cities of the prairies? |
Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Saskatoon, Regina |
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What are the second order cities in the prairies? |
Lethbridge, Red Deer, Medicine Hat, Brandon, Prince Albert & Moose Jaw |
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What is Winnipeg referred to as? |
The historic gateway to the west |
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In 1900, what was the largest city in the prairies? |
Winnipeg |
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What happened to the land of the Red River Valley in 1810? |
Lord Selkirk from Scotland acquired the land from the HBC |
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What causes the Red River flooding? |
The impermeability of the soil causes excess water to accumulate on the surface instead of infiltrating. |
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What is the Red River Floodway? |
After frequent flooding events, Manitoba constructed the Red River Floodway in 1969. It is an artificial waterway 48km long designed to divert excess water around the city. |
