Name: ___Angela_________________________

Activity 2: Primary Industries

Using Internet and/or print sources, such as an atlas, research and answer the following questions
regarding Canada's natural resources.

1. FRESHWATER (non-salt)

Brazil - 8, 233 km3

Russia - 4,498 km3
Canada - 2,901 km3
World - 41,022 km3

a. Calculate Canada's percent share of the world's freshwater?

7%
b. What are Canada's sources of freshwater? Where are they located?
Canada’s freshwater can be found in forms such as rivers, lakes, groundwater, ice and snow
c. How is freshwater a valuable resource to Canadians?
Fresh water is a very valuable resource to Canadians since fresh water is a key natural resource for
Canada’s future since Canada has lots of access to water places like Florida and California don’t which
means there will be higher price points in the natural market for Canadian water
2. MINERALS 
The value of all minerals extracted in 2005 was $26.4 billion.

a. What is a mineral?
A mineral is an inorganic solid which occurs naturally, with a definite chemical composition and an
ordered atomic arrangement.
b. Over 150 communities in Canada depend on mining. Most of these are in rural and northern regions
where several hundred Aboriginal communities have proximity to operating mines and smelters.

Give an example of a community which is dependent on any mining activity and explain this relationship
as much as possible (type of mining, companies involved, etc.).
How and why are these activities so important to Aboriginal communities?

OIL & GAS

Canada is the third-largest producer of natural gas and the eighth-largest producer of crude oil in the
world.

a. Where in Canada is there an abundance of oil & gas? In which landform region is this found?
Some natural resources in the St. Lawerance lowlands include oil and gas on the south side
b. What are the oil sands? How are they different from crude oil? Why is this an important oil deposit to
Canada?
Oil sands are a mixture of sand, water, clay and bitumen oil which is a type of oil that is very thick to
flow on its own crude oil is a type of bitumen but can be separated out from the mixture. It is very
important for oil deposit to Canada since we don’t have too much oil here and helps pay for social
programs
FORESTS

Russia - 763,500,000 ha
Brazil - 551,139,000 ha
Canada - 244,571,000 ha
World - 3,454,382,000 ha
a. Calculate Canada's percent share of forested land?
7%
b. Explain why pulp and paper dominates Ontario and lumber dominates British Columbia.
Paper and pulp are found in Ontario because growing season is shorter allowing them to reach full size
before they are cut down which are very useful for making paper. Lumber dominates British Columbia
since the climate there produces trees that grow larger and faster creating more lumber.
c. Explain the importance of the Boreal Forest to Canada and the world.
The Boreal forest is Canada's largest protected area This range creates an continuous belt from
Newfoundland and Labrador west to the Rocky Mountains, extending north to Alaska. It houses most of
the commercial forest of Canada; forests with trees which can be grown for income. They occur in
colder and weathered regions of Canada where trees expand fairly rapidly in height.
FISHING

China - 11,699,600 tonnes

Peru - 9,939,500 tonnes
Chile - 7,109,400 tonnes
Canada (19th) 1,046,900 tonnes
World - 91,219,000 tonnes

a. What are the two main fishing areas in Canada?

The 2 main fishing areas in Canada is the east coast provinces, Atlantic fishery and the west coast
provinces, pacific fishery
b. What conditions make Atlantic Canada excellent fishing grounds? Make specific reference to the
Grand Banks.
Atlantic Canada is an excellent fishing ground because the mixing of the water in this area are and the
shape of the bottom of the ocean lifts up nutrients that fish feed on making it a very good fishing spot.