Short Notes On Canada Natural Resources

What Are Canada's Natural Resources?

Natural resources form an integral part of nation's economy as they are

exploited to provide employment as well as financial gain. Some natural
resources are more economically viable than others with several such as
petroleum being of great economic benefit. Canada is a North American
country with one of the largest economies in the world. Canada's
economy has earned it a place in some global organizations such as the
G8. The country has some of the vast natural resources that are of great
importance to the country's economy.

What Are Canada's Natural Resources?

Petroleum
One of Canada's most vital economic resource is petroleum as the
Canadian petroleum reserves are estimated to be the third largest in the
whole world. The vast oil reserves have placed Canada among the
world's leading producers as well as exporters of oil. The history of the
country’s oil industry can be traced back to 1858 when James Williams
dug the first oil well. Much of Canada's oil production are in the
provinces of Newfoundland and Labrador, Alberta, and Saskatchewan.
Canada's major oil-producing region is Alberta as in 2015 it accounted
for approximately 80% of the oil produced in Canada. Canada exports
vast quantities of its oil with one of its major export destinations being
the US. The country has an average annual production of 68,800,000
tons of petroleum

Coal

Coal is another of Canada's most essential natural resource as the

nation's coal reserves are considered to be the world's fifth largest.
Canada's coal mines are primarily located in the western region of the
country with some of the greatest coal-producing provinces being
British Columbia and Alberta. Research by Pricewaterhouse Cooper
indicates that the coal industry contributed $5.2 billion from 2001 to
2010. Coal is a significant source of employment since in 2010 nearly
42,000 people were employed in the industry. The same research also
indicated that in 2011 the Canadian coal industry was worth
approximately $7 billion which was a significant increase from 2001
when the industry was valued at $1.6 billion. The country has an average
annual production of 30,000,000 tons of coal.

Iron Ore
One of the first minerals to be extracted within Canada's borders was
iron ore with iron working being the nation's earliest industry. Iron
mining is one of the chief industries in Canada as according to the
Canadian government, the country ranked eighth in the global
production of iron ore in 2016. Canada's output of 47,000,000 tons was
2.1% of the world's total production. Canada's iron ore reserves are the
seventh largest in the world at approximately 6,000,000,000 tons. The
primary iron ore producing provinces in Canada are Newfoundland and
Quebec. Canada exports vast quantities of iron to countries like Germany
and the US.

Potash

One of Canada's significant resources is potash as Canada ranks first in

the production and extraction of the mineral accounting for 29% of the
global production of the mineral. The province of Saskatchewan is
Canada's leading potash producer. Canada has exported Potash for a
long time with records and in 2016, the country produced 17.9 million
tons compared to 18.8 tons in 2015.

The Environmental Impact Of Mining In Canada

Mining in Canada poses a significant threat to the environment due to

many reasons. One of the largest effects of mining are chemicals draining
into water bodies which alter the water's chemical composition. The
Canadian government has put in place several measures to regulate the
mining industry and protect the environment.
What Are Canada's Natural Resources?

Rank Resource Annual Production (Estimated Tonnes Unless Specified)

1 Petroleum 68,800,000

2 Coal 30,000,000

3 Iron Ore 25,000,000

4 Potash 17,900,000

5 Timber 4,000,000

6 Nickel 2,000,000

7 Fish 931,042

8 Copper 707,605

9 Zinc 322,000

10 Lead 12,000

11 Molybdenum 3,000

12 Silver 12.7 million ounces

13 Diamonds 11.1 million carats