Advancing Interdisciplinary Research in Singing Canada Geography •Canada is a North American country comprised of 10 provinces and 3 territories. •The continent reaches from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and extends north to the Arctic Ocean. •Canada is the world’s second largest country. •Canada borders the United States of America. Major Cities •Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Ontario is home to the Canadian government. •In the winter, the Rideau Canal in Ottawa becomes the worlds largest ice skating rink. Major Cities (continued) • Toronto is Canada’s largest city. The CN Tower is the largest tower in the Western Hemisphere. Population • Total population: over 34.4 million (2010) • Main ancestors: numerous Aboriginal tribes, Europeans (especially the British, French, Scottish and Irish) Religion • Canada has no official religion and is proud to support many religions • Could be considered historically Christian Catholics (43.6%) Protestants (29.2%) ● 16.5% have no religious affiliation ● Other religions: Animist, Muslim, Hindu, Sikh, Jewish and Buddhist Language • Two official languages: English (59.7%) and French (23.3%) • More than 85% of the French-speaking Canadians live in Quebec • Over 6 million Canadians cite a non-official language as their mother tongue Most prominent of these are Chinese, Italian, German, Punjabi, and Spanish. Money • The Canadian dollar • •There are 100 cents in one Canadian dollar is the currency of the country. All the coins contain images important to Canadian culture and environment: The polar bear, the loon, the moose, the bluenose sail boat, the beaver, and of course, the maple leaf. Money • Paper bills include important people • • • • • in Canadian history are pictured: $5 bill: Wilfred Laurier, Prime Minister 1896-1911 $10 bill: John A. Macdonald, Canada’s first Prime Minister $20 bill: Queen Elizabeth II $50 bill: William Lyon MacKenzie King, Prime Minister 1921-1948 $100 bill: Robert Borden, Prime Minister 1911-1920 Chief Exports • Canada is one of the world’s largest suppliers of agricultural products such as: • Maple syrup • Wheat • Canola • “Tapping” maple trees for the sap excreted as maple syrup • And natural resources: • Gold • Oil Geography & Climate •Canadians experience four distinct seasons: spring, summer, fall and winter •Temperatures vary across regions. •Some areas have temperatures as low as –25 degrees Celsius, while other areas have temperatures as high as 40 degrees Celsius Regions • East Coast Halifax beach Townhouses in Newfoundland Regions • Prairies Regions • West Coast •Lake Moraine with the famous Rocky Mountains in Banff National Park, Alberta Regions • The North • The Northern Lights in the night sky Regions • Central Canada: Ontario and Quebec • Henry Hudson, an English sea explorer and navigator claimed a vast area of land for England in 1611, that is modern day Ontario. • This area includes Toronto, the provincial capital and largest city in Canada. Political Divisions of Canada • Canada has a conservative government led by Stephen Harper. • The parliament buildings (left). Located on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Ontario Recreation & Sports • Hockey A sport played on ice, using skates and a hockey stick to place a rubber disc (a puck) into the opponent’s net • In Canada, and especially in the Rocky Mountains, skiing and snowboarding are popular pastimes, making the skiing village a common vacation destination. Recreation & Sports • Canoe trips are a popular getaway from the city for Canadians • National parks, such as Algonquin Park found in Ontario, keep wooded areas safe from destruction Nature & Wildlife The wildlife in Canada is highly varied, most popularly associated with Canada are the: • Moose ● Loon - Also seen on the one dollar coin (the “Loonie”) Food • Regardless of what type of food you are looking for (Italian, Greek, Japanese, Arabic, Indian , etc.), you can find it in the many cities of Canada. • Regional Foods of Canada include: – Seal flipper pie – Poutine (right) – Saskatoon berry pie – Fresh salmon – Maple syrup Inventions & Tourist Attractions • Inventions: – Canadian invented Basketball, Baseball and 5 pin Bowling – Telephone (Alexander Graham Bell) – Television (Reginald Fesseiner) – Music Synthesizer – Insulin (Banting) • Major Tourist Attractions – – – – – – – Niagara Falls (below) Bonhomme Festival – Quebec City Stanley Park (Reversing Falls) Bay of Fundy Whistler, British Columbia Calgary Stampede Banff National Park Music • Canada is home to all genres of music from classical to pop. • Some famous artists include: Celine Dion Glenn Gould