Western Canada
Western Canada (English Western Canada , French Ouest canadien , in Canadian English often just The West ) is a region of Canada .
The most common definition includes Western Canada all provinces west of Ontario . From west to east these are:
The last three provinces also make up the prairie provinces . British Columbia's status is often called into question. Together, the provinces with just under 10 million inhabitants are home to around 30% of all Canadians. It is the area with the fastest population and economic growth, mainly due to the oil reserves in the prairies. Politically, Western Canada has often been home to conservative-libertarian separatism movements, which see Western Canada at a disadvantage due to the dominance of Ontario and Québec in the central government.
scope
The most common definition follows both the geographic logic that the entire area of western Ontario belongs to western Canada and the regional division of the Canadian Senate . Especially the coastal region of British Columbia around Vancouver , often referred to as Pacific Canada , is only part of the region. Due to the location on the water and the separation from the rest of western Canada by the Rocky Mountains , a very different culture and political attitude has developed there, which has more in common with the northwestern states of the USA, Washington and Oregon , than with the rest of western Canada.
Demographics
The population of all of Western Canada is about ten million, of which 4.3 million live in British Columbia, 3.3 million in Alberta, just under one million in Saskatchewan and 1.2 million in Manitoba. So they have about 30% of the population of Canada and together a little more than the province of Québec, albeit significantly less than Ontario.
Cities
2005 population estimate of major metropolitan regions:
- Vancouver : 2,208,300
- Calgary : 1,038,700
- Edmonton : 1,016,000
- Winnipeg : 706,900
- Victoria : 334,700
- Saskatoon : 235,800
- Regina : 199,000
- Kelowna : 165.221
- Abbotsford : 162,800
geography
Western British Columbia lies directly on the Pacific , while Alberta and Saskatchewan have no coast at all and Manitoba only has a very small stretch of coastline on Hudson Bay .
Due to the influence of the Pacific, the British Columbian coast has an oceanic climate with relatively wet winters and dry summers. There you can enjoy the mildest winters in Canada with temperatures that rarely fall below freezing point.
Alberta benefits from the Rocky Mountains , through the Föhnwind the Chinooks gotten enough heat to the outside to make stay even in winter yet possible, so that there winter sports very popular. Due to the dependence of the weather on the wind, this can change quickly, so that there are high temperatures in January and February, as well as in exceptional cases it can snow in July or August.
Saskatchewan and Manitoba have continental climates with very cold winters and hot summers. The temperature in the provinces can drop to −40 ° C in winter, the average maximum temperatures in the cold months are between −10 ° C and −15 ° C. In summer, however, the thermometer can rise to over +35 ° C.
West Canada is geographically divided into five major landscapes:
- Pacific coast: It lies in the west and is characterized by steep mountains that slope towards the sea. There are many rainforests in this region. The Rocky Mountains , Columbia, Skeena, Cassiar and Coast Mountains are also located here .
- Prairie: Wide areas of grass and wheat fields mark the landscape here. It extends from the Rockies (Alberta) via Saskatchewan to Manitoba.
- Canadian Shield : This is where you will find numerous rivers, lakes, forests, the oldest rock formations on earth and a third of the world's freshwater resources.
- Arctic: Canada's Arctic is characterized by massive mountain ranges, huge rivers, an endless tundra and even eternal ice.
The highest mountain is Mount Logan in the Yukon Territory (5971 m), the longest river the Mackenzie River (4216 km) and the largest lake is the Great Bear Lake (31,915 km²).
Political importance
Politically, "The West" was often equated with the Conservative Party and then brought into opposition to liberalism in central Canada (the provinces of Ontario and Québec). Of the 104 members (British Columbia 42, Alberta 34, Saskatchewan and Manitoba each 14) in the lower house from the western provinces, 54 currently belong to the Conservative Party (out of 99 nationwide), 20 to the New Democratic Party , 29 to the Liberals (out of 138 nationwide) ) and one member of the Greens . In the past, the ratio was even more pronounced, as the conservatives were able to win even larger shares of seats in the West (2008 = 83 seats; 2011 = 72 seats). The region has 24 seats in the Senate; however, since senators are appointed by the prime minister, their distribution has no bearing on the preferences of the population.
Politicians from this region are particularly preoccupied with a reform of the Senate, since in relation to the population of western Canada there are far underrepresented and the eastern maritime provinces are far overrepresented. Politicians from Canada favor a Senate that is directly elected (as opposed to previous appointments), in which every province has the same number of senators regardless of population size and which should work more effectively and legitimately exercise political power. The perceived disadvantage at the federal level has also led to loud criticism from established politicians, just as secessionist efforts have spread again and again.
Economy and tourism
British Columbia's main economic sector is forestry. This is followed by the main sources of income tourism, mining and agriculture.
Alberta is characterized by the oil center near Calgary and Edmonton. In addition, Athabasca's oil sands with 2.5 trillion barrels are among the largest oil reserves in the world.
In Saskatchewan and Manitoba there is a wealth of mineral resources. These include nickel, copper, zinc, gold and uranium. Saskatchewan also has the largest potash deposits in the world and is Canada's most important wheat producer.
The Yukon and Northwest Territories are also rich in natural resources such as lead, zinc, iron, gold and diamonds. Another important source of income is the fur trade, as well as oil and natural gas.
See also
Web links
Remarks
- ↑ Statistics Canada April 1, 2005 estimates
- ↑ Statistics Canada - Population of census metropolitan areas (2001 Census boundaries) ( Memento of the original dated December 11, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ a b c Kurt J. Ohlhoff: Canada - The West - Alaska . Ed .: DuMont Reiseverlag, Ostfildern. 3. Edition. DuMont Reiseverlag, Ostfildern 2016, ISBN 978-3-7701-7822-3 , p. 26 .
- ↑ Results of the general election 2015 (accessed on January 31, 2015)
- ↑ Map with the results of the general election 2008 (accessed on January 31, 2015)
- ↑ Map with the results of the general election 2011 (accessed on January 31, 2015)
