Portal:Canada

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CANADA: The vast extent of Canada necessarily involves a wide range of climatic conditions. Except on and near the ocean coasts, the general characteristic of the climate of Canada as compared with that of Europe is that the summer is shorter, warmer, and has less moisture, and the winter longer and somewhat colder than in corresponding European latitudes.

On the Pacific coast, owing to the Japanese current, the climate is identical in temperature with that of the British Isles, which lie in the same latitude. The influence of this warm current on the Pacific coast extends eastward across the western and into the central provinces, so that the winter climate of the western part of the central provinces is considerably milder than that of the eastern part. On the Atlantic coast, and inland, the climate is colder than in corresponding latitudes of Europe, because of the Arctic current which flows southward along the coast.

The important physical features of Canada are its mountains, lakes, rivers, forests and prairies and the great inland sea of Hudson Bay. The Rocky Mountains extend from the United States boundary northward to the Arctic Ocean. They bound the central plains on the west, and are the highest of the several parallel mountain ranges of the western province. They contain immense deposits, and in the parallel ranges between the Rockies and the Pacific coast are to be found the precious metals in great abundance, especially gold. The Laurentian Range of hills extends from the Atlantic coast, at the Strait of Belle Isle, westerly and northerly, a distance of 2,300 miles, to the east end of Great Bear Lake near the Arctic coast. In the east the Laurentian Range divides the waters flowing south into the St. Lawrence from those flowing north into Hudson Bay, and in the northwest it divides those flowing westward into Mackenzie River from those flowing eastward into Hudson Bay. But midway between the St. Lawrence and Mackenzie water-systems, the joint waters of the Red and Saskatchewan Rivers break northward through the Laurentian Range by way of Nelson River into Hudson Bay. The Laurentian Range carries iron in great abundance, but no coal. Silver, nickel, cobalt and many other valuable metals are also found, although the region has as yet been very little explored.

The Laurentian district is remarkable for its numerous lakes, and especially for the succession of great lakes, which, forming part of three separate river systems, lie almost continuously along its southern side all the way from the Atlantic to the Arctic. The many streams and rivers which have their origin in the Laurentian Range afford unlimited opportunities for the creation of water power, and more than replace the lack of coal for all purposes for which power is required. The St. Lawrence and its tributary, the Ottawa, are the great rivers of eastern Canada; the Red and Saskatchewan of central Canada; the Fraser and Columbia of western Canada; and the Mackenzie and the Yukon of northern Canada. The St. Lawrence, Mackenzie and Yukon are among the largest rivers in the world.

The forests of Canada are one of the greatest sources of the national wealth. Maritime, eastern and western Canada were entirely covered by forest, of which only a small proportion has as yet been displaced by settlement and cultivation. The northern part of central Canada is also very considerably forested.

The prairies, which comprise the southerly portion of the central provinces, lie in an irregular triangle formed by the 29th parallel and the United States boundary on the south; the Rockies on the west; and the Laurentian Range on the northwest. They are watered in the southeastern part by the Red River, in the south and west by the Saskatchewan, and in the northwest by the Athabasca and Peace Rivers, branches of the Mackenzie.Adapted from The New Student's Reference Work, 1914

For more information...Canada / Canada (french)

  

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The Victoria Cross of Canada (Post-nominal letters "VC") is a military award for extraordinary valour and devotion to duty while facing a hostile force. It can be awarded to members of the Canadian Forces of any rank in any service, and to allies serving under or with Canadian military command; it is the highest honour in the Canadian honours system, placed before all other orders, decorations and medals, including the Order of Canada, in the Order of Precedence. Whereas in many other Commonwealth countries, the Victoria Cross can only be awarded for actions against the enemy in a wartime setting, the Canadian government has a broader definition of the term "enemy," and so the Victoria Cross can be awarded for action against armed mutineers, pirates or other such hostile forces without war being officially declared. The recipient is entitled to an annuity of CAD$3,000 a year.

The Canadian medal is based on the original Victoria Cross, instituted in 1856, although the Canadian version has several small changes in its appearance. It is presented to the recipient by the Monarch or the Governor General of Canada. It can be awarded more than once, but no one has received the award since its creation in 1993.

  

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White-breasted Nuthatch

White-breasted Nuthatch in Algonquin Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada. This image is not upside-down.

Sittelle à poitrine blanche dans le parc provincial Algonquin, dans l'Ontario. Cette image est à l'endroit.

Author: Mdf

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Politics BCABSKMBONQCNBNSPEINLYTNTNU
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Jake the Snake
Joseph Jacques Omer "Jake the Snake" Plante (January 17, 1929February 27, 1986) was a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender. He grew up in Shawinigan Falls, Quebec, and began to play hockey in 1932. Because he suffered from asthma, his skating ability was restricted; thus, he began playing the goaltender position. Plante started to play organized hockey at age 12, and his first professional game was at age 18. He played for the Montreal Canadiens from 1953 to 1963; during his tenure, the team won the Stanley Cup six times, including five consecutive wins.

Plante first retired in 1965, but was persuaded to return to the NHL to play for the expansion St. Louis Blues in 1968. He was later traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1970, and to the Boston Bruins in 1973. He joined the World Hockey Association, first as coach and general manager for the Quebec Nordiques in 1973–74; he then played goal for the Edmonton Oilers in 1974–75, ending his professional career with that team.

Plante is considered one of the most important innovators in hockey. Most notably, Plante was the first NHL goaltender to wear a goalie mask in regulation play on a regular basis. With the assistance of other experts, he developed and tested many versions of the goalie mask, including the forerunner of today's mask/helmet combination. Plante was the first goaltender to regularly play the puck outside his crease in support of his team's defencemen, and often instructed his teammates from behind the play, as the goaltender usually has the best view of the game.

Plante was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1978, was chosen as the goaltender of the Canadiens' "dream team" in 1985, and was inducted into the Quebec Sports Pantheon in 1994. The Montreal Canadiens retired Plante's jersey, #1, the following year.

Plante was the eldest of 11 children. In 1949, he married Jacqueline Gagné; they had two sons, Michel and Richard. In 1970, Plante met his second wife, Raymonde Udrisard, with whom he eventually moved to Switzerland. He died in Geneva, on February 27, 1986, shortly after he had been diagnosed with untreatable stomach cancer. He was buried in Sierre.

  

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Articles: List of articles about Canada.

Provinces and territories: AB - BC - MB - NB - NL - NT - NS - NU - ON - PE - QC - SK - YT

Cities: Calgary - Edmonton - Halifax - Montreal - Ottawa - Quebec City - Toronto - Vancouver - Winnipeg - (full list)

Stubs: Canada stubs - Canadian geography stubs - Canadian government stubs - Canadian people stubs

  

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