The Canadian prairies is a region in western Canada, which may correspond to several different definitions, natural or political.
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Definitions
The word prairie usually refers to a type of grassland, and true prairies occur only in the far southern reaches of Alberta and Saskatchewan. Prairie, from the French prairie ("meadow" "grassland" "pasture" refers to an area of land of low topographic relief that historically Contrasted to this are other biomes such as the boreal forest or the aspen parkland. A biome is a climatically and geographically defined area of ecologically similar climatic conditions such as communities of Plants Animals and Taiga (ˈtaɪgə from Turkic or Mongolian) is a Biome characterized by Coniferous forests Aspen parkland refers to a transitional biome between Prairie and Boreal forest stretching from northeastern British Columbia through central and northwestern
However "the prairie" may also refer to all of the Interior Plains landform within Canada, in contrast with the neighbouring Rocky Mountains and Canadian Shield, and is a continuation of the Great Plains region of the United States. The Interior Plains is a vast physiographic region that spreads across the Laurentian craton of North America The Canadian Rockies comprise the Canadian segment of the North American Rocky Mountains range. The Canadian Shield &mdash also called the Laurentian Plateau, or Bouclier Canadien (French &mdash is a large geological shield covered by The Great Plains are the broad expanse of Prairie and Steppe which lie east of the Rocky Mountains in the United States and Canada
It may also refer to all of the farmland in the provinces of Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba, a definition based on human use, which includes all of the aspen parkland biome. Alberta (ælˈbɝtə is one of Canada's prairie provinces. It became a province on September 1 1905 Saskatchewan (səˈskætʃəwən) is a prairie province in Canada, which has an area of 588276 Manitoba (English ˌmænɨˈtoʊbə French /manitoba/ is a province of Canada, spanning 647797 square kilometres (250116 sq mi of North America
Finally the Prairies may include the entire area of all three of those provinces — a region known as the Prairie provinces. The provinces and territories of Canada combine to make up the world's second largest country in total area. National regions Provinces and territories are normally grouped into the following Regions (generally from west to east Northern Canada (The "p" in prairie(s) is typically capitalized in political references, but not when describing landscapes. P is the sixteenth letter of the modern Latin alphabet. Its name in English is spelled pee or occasionally pe (piː Prairie, from the French prairie ("meadow" "grassland" "pasture" refers to an area of land of low topographic relief that historically Capitalization (or capitalisation &mdash see spelling differences) is writing a word with its first letter as a Majuscule (upper case letter ) The Prairie provinces are included among the provinces of western Canada, and historically this region was called the Canadian Northwest or simply "the West". Western Canada, commonly referred to as the West, is a region of Canada normally including all parts of Canada west of the province
Physiography
- See also: Prairies (ecozone)
Three main grassland types occur in the Canadian prairies: tallgrass prairie, mixed prairie, and short-grass or fescue prairie. The Prairies is a Canadian terrestrial ecozone which spans the southern areas of the Prairie provinces of Alberta, Saskatchewan, and The tallgrass prairie is an Ecosystem native to central North America, with fire as its primary periodic disturbance Fescue ( Festuca) is a Genus of about 300 Species of perennial tufted Grasses belonging to the grass family Poaceae Each has a unique geographic distribution and characteristic mix of plant species. All but a fraction of one percent of the tallgrass prairie has been converted to cropland. What remains occurs on the 6,000 square kilometre plain centred in the Red River Valley in Manitoba. For other uses see Red River (disambiguation The Red River Valley is a region in central North America that is drained by Mixed prairie is more common and is part of the dry interior plains that extend from Canada south to the U. S. state of Texas. Texas ( is a state geographically located in the South Central United States and is also known as the Lone Star State. More than half of the remaining native grassland in the Canadian prairies is mixed. Though widespread in southern Saskatchewan and southeastern Alberta, due to extensive cattle grazing, it is estimated that only 24 percent of the original mixed prairie grassland remains. Fescue prairie occurs in the moister regions, occupying the northern extent of the prairies in central and southwestern Alberta and west central Saskatchewan (see map).
The southern Canadian prairies, supporting brown and black soil types, are semi-arid and highly prone to frequent and severe droughts. Soil, often typeset as SOiL, is a four piece rock band from Chicago Illinois United States founded by Shaun Glass Tom Schofield Tim King and Adam Zadel A drought is an extended period of months or years when a region notes a deficiency in its water supply The region known as Palliser's Triangle, also classified as the Prairies ecozone, is so arid that farming has never been successful there without government help and irrigation. Palliser's Triangle, or the Palliser Triangle, is a Semiarid geographic area in western Canada that was determined to be unsuitable for agriculture because The Prairies is a Canadian terrestrial ecozone which spans the southern areas of the Prairie provinces of Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Irrigation is an artificial application of water to the soil usually for assisting in growing crops The zones around the cities of Regina and immediately east of Calgary are also very dry. Regina (rɨˈdʒaɪnə is the capital of Saskatchewan, Canada. Calgary (ˈkælgəriː is the largest city in the Province of Alberta, Canada In an average year, southern Saskatchewan receives between 300 mm (12 in) and 510 mm (20 in) of precipitation, with the majority falling between April and June. Frost from October to April (and sometimes even early May) limits the growing season for certain crops. Frost is the solid deposition of Water vapor from saturated air More than half of the prairies' precipitation falls as snow. "Snowfall" redirects here For other uses see Snow (disambiguation or Snowfall (disambiguation.
The eastern section of the Canadian prairies in Manitoba is well watered with several large lakes such as Lake Winnipeg and several large rivers. Lake Winnipeg is a very large ( Lake in central North America, in the province of Manitoba, Canada, about north of the city The area also gets reasonable amounts of precipitation. The middle sections of Alberta and Saskatchewan are also wetter than the south and have better farmland, despite having a shorter frost-free season. The areas around Edmonton and Saskatoon are especially notable as good crop land. Edmonton (ˈɛdmɨntɨn is the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta. Saskatoon is a city located in central Saskatchewan, Canada, on the South Saskatchewan River, with a However, Edmonton and Saskatoon both lie far enough north that they are surrounded by aspen parkland rather than fescue prairie. Aspen parkland refers to a transitional biome between Prairie and Boreal forest stretching from northeastern British Columbia through central and northwestern
Further north, the area becomes too cold for most agriculture besides wild rice operations and sheep raising, and is dominated by boreal forest. Wild rice is any of the four species of plants that make up the genus Zizania (common names Canada rice, Indian rice, and water oats Taiga (ˈtaɪgə from Turkic or Mongolian) is a Biome characterized by Coniferous forests The Peace Region in northwestern Alberta is an exception, however. Alberta (ælˈbɝtə is one of Canada's prairie provinces. It became a province on September 1 1905 It lies north of the 55th Parallel and is warm and dry enough to support extensive farming. Like the area around Edmonton, aspen parkland is a major biome in the Peace Region. Edmonton (ˈɛdmɨntɨn is the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta. Aspen parkland refers to a transitional biome between Prairie and Boreal forest stretching from northeastern British Columbia through central and northwestern The long daylight hours in this region during the summer are an asset despite having an even shorter growing season than central Alberta. Alberta (ælˈbɝtə is one of Canada's prairie provinces. It became a province on September 1 1905 In fact, agriculture plays a major economic role in the Peace Region.
Recent growth
Some of the prairie region of Canada has seen rapid growth due to a boom in oil production since the mid-20th century[1] Alberta has seen a record increase in population, second only to Ontario, and Manitoba has experienced record immigration levels. Petroleum ( L petroleum, from Greek πετρέλαιον, lit The twentieth century of the Common Era began on
Economy
Primary industries include agriculture (wheat, barley, canola, brassica, oats), and cattle and sheep ranching. Also, natural resources such as tar sands (Fort McMurray, Alberta) and other forms of oil production can be found on the plains. Fort McMurray is a community within the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo, Alberta. Secondary industries in the consist of the refinement of oils and agriculture processing.
Culture and politics
The Prairies are distinguished from the rest of Canada by unique cultural and political traits. The oldest influence on Prairie culture are the First Nations, who have lived in the area for centuries. First Nations is a term of Ethnicity that refers to the Aboriginal peoples in Canada who are neither Inuit nor Métis people The first Europeans to see the Prairies were fur traders and explorers from eastern Canada (mainly present-day Quebec) and Great Britain via Hudson Bay. The fur trade is a worldwide industry dealing in the acquisition and sale of animal Fur. Quebec (kwɨˈbɛk See also Kingdom of Great Britain Great Britain (Breatainn Mhòr Prydain Fawr Breten Veur Graet Breetain is the larger of the two main islands They gave rise to the Métis, famous for their skill in bison hunting. A Métis is a person born to parents who belong to different groups defined by visible physical differences regarded as racial or the descendant of such persons This is an article about an animal For other uses see Bison (disambiguation. Not until the Canadian Pacific Railway was built did widespread agricultural settlement occur. The Canadian Pacific Railway ( During their settlement, the prairies were settled in distinct ethnic block settlements giving certain areas distinctively Ukrainian, German, French, or Scandinavian Canadian cultures. A block settlement is particular type of land distribution which allows Settlers with the same Ethnicity to form small Colonies. A Ukrainian Canadian is a person of Ukrainian descent or origin who was born in or immigrated to Canada. The 2006 Canadian census put the number of Canadians of German ethnicity at 3179425 Terminology and usage As a cultural term "Scandinavia" has no official definition and is subject to usage by those who identify with the culture in question as well
Some areas also developed unique cultures around their main economic activity. For example southern Alberta is renowned for its cowboy culture, which developed when real open-range ranching was practised in the 1880s. Canada's first rodeo, the Raymond Stampede, was established in 1902. The Raymond Stampede is an annual Rodeo that is held in the town of Raymond, Alberta, Canada every July 1. These influences are also evident in the music of Canada's Prairie Provinces. The city of Winnipeg Manitoba is the musical centre of the Canadian Prairie Provinces of Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta, having produced This can be attributed partially to the massive influx of American settlers who began to migrate to Alberta (and to a lesser extent, Saskatchewan) in the late 1880s due to the end of available land in the United States.
The Prairie Provinces have given rise to the famous "prairie protest" movements, such as the Winnipeg General Strike of 1919, the first general strike in Canadian history. The Winnipeg General Strike of 1919 was one of the most influential strikes in Canadian history A general strike is a Strike action by a critical mass of the labour force in a city region or country These political movements (both of the left and right) tend to feed off of well established feelings of Western alienation, and each one represents a distinct challenge to the perceived Central Canadian elite. Western alienation, in Canadian politics, is the concept of the Western provinces, namely British Columbia (B Central Canada (sometimes the Central provinces) is a region consisting of Canada 's two largest and most populous provinces: Ontario and The Prairies continue to have a wide range of political views. While the Conservative Party of Canada enjoys widespread support throughout the region, support for the New Democratic Party can be found in certain areas of Manitoba and Saskatchewan. The Conservative Party of Canada ( Parti conservateur du Canada) colloquially known as the " Tories " is a conservative Principles policies and electoral achievement The NDP grew from populist, agrarian and democratic socialist roots
See also
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References
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