THE NORTHLANDS
(CHAPTER 17)
INTRODUCTION
• The American Northlands is easily the
largest of the North American regions.
• Extends from northern Alaska & Canada as
for south as the northern Great Lakes
• See map on page 391.
• Regional Criteria
– Inhospitable nature of the physical environment
– Sparse population
NORTHLANDS
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY
• General Characteristics
– Cold temperatures
– Long winters
– Thin soils
– Poor drainage
– Low precipitation
• Climate
– Average January temperatures range from 27
F (along the southern Great Lakes) to -39 F (in
parts of Arctic Canada).
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY
(CLIMATE)
 Long winters are the norm
– Frost free periods range from about 135 days in
the south to about 14 days in the northern
extremes.
– The average frost free period is about 90 days.
 Summers are short and cool.
 A continental climate prevails over most of
the region.
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY
(CLIMATE)
 Precipitation is variable
– 40 inches/year along the southern shore of
Labrador
– 10 inches a year in Northwestern Canada
– <6 inches a year throughout the Arctic.
 In the Arctic, cold air masses formed
over this area hold little moisture and
therefore produce little precipitation.
 Much of the Arctic area is among the most
arid climates found in North America.
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY
(Terrain)
•
Most of Alaska and about 1/2 of Canada is
underlain by "permafrost."
– The subsurface layer that may range from 3 to
300 meters in thickness.
– As the surface layer thaws to a depth of about 1
meter, water is held on the surface by a frozen
layer underneath.
– Instead of permitting the moisture to penetrate
the soil, the result is a boggy, shifting surface.
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY
(Vegetation)
 Taiga
– The expanse of coniferous forest that stretches
across the entire southern area of the region.
– Characterized by closely ranked spruces, firs, and
pines, which are slow growing and not very tall.
– Trees decrease in size and number- south to north
 Tundra
– The region of lichens, grasses, mosses, and shrubs
that occupies the northern section of the Northlands.
– See map on page 393.
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY
(Vegetation)
 Treeline
– A term that refers to the latitudinal or
elevational limit of normal tree growth.
– In the case of the Northlands, the treeline
is the latitudinal limit that serves as the
transition zone or boundary between the
Taiga and the Tundra.
HUMAN SETTLEMENT
PATTERNS
• History
– Long before Europeans arrived on the continent,
the region was inhabited by American Indians
and Inuit (Eskimos).
 Inuit were predominant in most of the Arctic
region
 Indians were largely concentrated in the
Taiga.
 Most were hunters and fishers during the PreEuropean era.
HUMAN SETTLEMENT
PATTERNS
• History (continued)
– Early French fur traders and trappers
established themselves in the Northeast.
– The Hudson Bay Company focused on
the Northwest.
– Both groups relied on water transport and
early military forts were established to
protect their interests.
HUMAN SETTLEMENT
PATTERNS
• Current Population Distribution
– Indians and Inuit no longer rely totally on
hunting, fishing and gathering. Forestry and
mining provide employment opportunities.
– Both groups are mainly town or village dwellers
and usually occupy the bottom rung on the social
and economic ladder.
– Indians - concentrated in the interior; Eskimos
are distributed along the coasts and in the Arctic.
– Land settlements with native peoples in both
countries remain key issues.
REGIONAL ECONOMY
• Logging/Forestry
– The largest area of uncut forest in North America
remains in the southern half of the Northlands.
– The upper Great Lakes area was logged during
the late 1800s and early 1900s, and was so
devastated it became known as the "Cutover
Region."
– Lumber, pulp and paper operations now dot the
region from Quebec to Manitoba.
– The spruce forests south of Hudson Bay are the
prime source for most paper mills.
REGIONAL ECONOMY
• Logging/Forestry (continued)
– Quebec remains the leader in Canadian pulp and
paper production.
– Canada is the world's number two producer of
pulp and paper.
– Most of the production is exported to the U.S.
• Mining
 Canada - world's third leading producer of metals.
 In order of importance, its minerals include
copper, coal, gold, and iron ore.
REGIONAL ECONOMY
• Mining (continued)
– The Mesabi Range developed into the continent's
major producer of iron ore.
 Situational advantage - the accessibility network
provided by the Great Lakes.
 The locks at Sault-Ste Marie are the busiest in the
world as a result of the ore traffic.
 Taconite, which has an ore content of only 30% has
replaced higher grade ores and is made useful
through a process called "beneficiation."
REGIONAL ECONOMY
• Mining (continued)
– Another iron ore producing region is located
between Labrador and Quebec.
– Sudbury started as a mining center and has
grown to be the largest city of the Northlands,
with about 150,000 people. The city is located
in an area rich in nickel, lead, and zinc.
– The Clay Belt District between Timmins,
Ontario, and Val d'or, Quebec is an important
copper region.
REGIONAL ECONOMY
 Mining (continued)
– North slope oil
 Continues to be an important resource in the
region.
 The Alaskan pipeline was opened in the
summer of 1977, after a cost of about 8 billion
dollars.
 The pipeline transports oil from the North slope
to the port of Valdez-about 800 miles south.
ALASKAN
PIPELINE
REGIONAL ECONOMY
• Tourism
– Major attractions
• Parks and national forests
• Wildlife (big game)
• Sport fishing
– The areas closest to the U.S. border
receive most of the pressure.
REGIONAL ECONOMY
• Hydroelectricity
– 70% of all electrical power in Canada comes from
hydroelectrical facilities along the southern
margins of the shield, where streams drop from
the hard rock of the shield onto the lowlands of
Quebec and Ontario.
– Electrical power generated is cheap & abundant.
– Canada sells its surplus to New York and the
New England states, and would certainly like to
compete with the coal-burning power plants of
the Ohio Valley.
THE NORTHLANDS
(CHAPTER 17)