Chapter One

Regions of Canada
Overview
The purpose of this chapter is to introduce students to the study of Canadas regional geography. To this end, Bone begins by outlining what regional geographers study and how they go about it. He also introduces the conceptual framework around which the book is structured: the core/periphery model. This introductory chapter is particularly important for students in survey courses who have little or no background in geography. Geographic Regions At the root of regional geography is the need to break large areas of the earths surface into smaller units, or regions, which make sense both to geographers and to the people who live in the areas being studied. Bone outlines various reasons for taking a regional approach, including the convenience of working with areas smaller than an entire country, and the fact that spatial variations in cultural and environmental phenomena across a territory as large as Canada necessitate larger-scale (smaller-area) study. It is crucial to impress upon students that any regional scheme is an intellectual creationdesigned for a specific purpose. Different criteria will produce different regional schemes, and there are many other ways in which a course on Canadian geography might have been constructed. The regions around which Bone has chosen to structure this book reflect the diversity of Canadas physical and human geographies. Regionalism is introduced as a powerful influence over Canadian affairs. Canadas Geographic Regions Six regions of Canada are identified in Figure 1.2 (p. 7). Each region is defined by territorial, provincial, and/or international boundaries. In three instances (Ontario, Qubec, and British Columbia) a single province constitutes a region. Three other regionsAtlantic Canada, Western Canada, and the Territorial North are comprised of more than one province or territory. Bone justifies this regional scheme on pp. 6-8 by reasoning that it is readily understood, it reflects the political landscape of Canada, it facilitates the use of statistical data, it fits

with perceptions of the country, and it is based on the countrys physical geography. The validity of this reasoning depends, as noted above, on the specific purpose or intent underlying the scheme. A critical issue in Bones scheme is the treatment of Ontario and Qubec as regions. An alternative division could treat the southernmost parts of these two provinces as a region (the Industrial Heartland) while the more northern areas are viewed as belonging to the Near North or Canadian Shield region. Regardless of the type of scheme applied, each region is a dynamic entity both internally and in terms of its relations with other regions.

Learning Objectives
To define geography and regional geography To outline and justify a rationale for dividing Canada into six regions To outline the theoretical framework, i.e., the core/periphery model, within which the regions are to be studied To introduce the four faultlines that characterize Canadian society To introduce the concept power of place

Challenge Questions
1. From a geographers perspective, what is the basis of the statement that Canada is a country of regions?
2. Does the Friedmann version of the core/periphery model correspond to

Canadas six regions as defined by Bone?

3. Is the term region, as it is used in this text, static or dynamic? 4. Does Hrouxvilles code of standards fit into one of the four faultlines?

5. Can you envisage another faultline? What would it be? 6. What is the difference between power of place and sense of place?
7. Do you agree with John Manleys statement that we have to be . . . a little

bit less religious about the issue of sovereignty and be a little more practical about it? Why or why not?

Key Terms
Boombust cycle: A rapid increase in economic activity in a resource-

oriented economy, quickly followed by a downturn associated with a contraction in the business cycle.

Capitalist world-systems theory: The division of the world economy into

three spatial units which are interrelated; the three spatial units are the core, the periphery, and the semi-peripheries (based on levels of development).
Continentalism: Policies that promote economic ties with the United

States. This view is generally held by both Ottawa and Washington.

Core/periphery: A theoretical concept based on the dual spatial structure

of the capitalist world and the mutually beneficial relationship between its two parts, which are known as the core and the periphery. While both parts are dependent on each other, the core (industrial heartland) dominates the economic relationship with its periphery (resource hinterland) and thereby benefits the most from this relationship. The core/periphery model can be applied at several geographical levels, including international, national, and regional
Core: An abstract area or real place where economic power, population,

and wealth are concentrated; sometimes described as an industrial core, heartland, or metropolitan centre.
Dispute settlement provisions: Binding arbitration to resolve trade

disputes as built into the FTA and NAFTA. occurs due to an increase in output.

Economies of scale: A reduction in the unit costs of production that Fault lines: A term that describes the application of a geological

phenomenon to the economic, social, and political cracks that divide regions and people.
Globalization: An economic, political, and/or social process that leads to

a single world market and has wide-ranging impacts on environment, cultures, political systems, and economic development. materials, foodstuffs, goods, and services produced by a country or province in a particular year.

Gross domestic product (GDP): An estimate of the total value of all

 Harmonization: A political process leading to a common set of policies

and programs for two or more countries.

Heartland: A geographic area in which a nations industry, population,

and political power are concentrated; also known as a core.

Hinterland: A geographic area based on resource development that

supplies the heartland with many of its primary products; also known as the periphery.
Hobsons choice: The choice between taking either what is offered or

nothing

Just-in-time principle: A manufacturing system in which component

parts are delivered from suppliers at the exact time required by manufacturers.

NAFTA: In January 1994, Canada, the United States, and Mexico

launched the North American Free Trade Agreement and formed the worlds largest free trade area. The Agreement has increased trade among the three countries and rearranged the location of labour-intensive manufacturing firms to Mexico where wages are much lower than in the United States or Canada.
Nation: A territory that is politically independent; a group of people with

similar cultural characteristics and a shared historical experience that make them self-consciously aware of their uniqueness as a group.
NORAD: In September 1957, Canada and the United States agreed to

create the North American Air Defence Command (NORAD). NORAD is a binational command headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and centralizes operational control of continental air defenses against outside threats. In March 1981, the name was changed to North American Aerospace Defence Command but the acronym NORAD is still used.
Periphery: The weakly developed area surrounding an industrial core,

also known as a hinterland.

Placelessness: The opposite of sense of place; sameness, uniformity,

lack of distinguishing features of landscape.

Pluralistic society: Societies where small groups within the larger society

are permitted to maintain their unique cultural identities; multiculturalism.

 Primary products: Goods derived from agriculture, fishing, logging,

mining, and trapping; non-processed products.

Region: An area of the earths surface defined by its distinctive human or

natural characteristics. Boundaries between regions are often transition zones where the main characteristics of one region merge into those of a neighbouring region. Geographers use the concept of regions to study parts of the world.
Regional consciousness: Identification with a place or region, including

the feeling of belonging to that space

Regional geography: The study of the geography of regions and the

interplay between physical and human geography, which results in an understanding of human society, its physical geographical underpinnings, and a sense of place.
Regional identify: A persons association with a region or place: their

sense of belonging to that place. political/cultural parts.

Regionalism: The division of countries into different natural Sense of place: The special and often intense feelings that people have

for the region in which they live. These feelings are derived from a variety of experiences; some are due to natural factors such as climate, while others are due to cultural factors such as language. Whatever its origin, a sense of place is a powerful psychological bond between people and their region.
Shariah law: Islamic religious law based on the Koran Staples thesis: The idea that the history of Canada, especially its

regional, economic, and institutional development, was linked to the discovery, utilization, and export of key resources from Canadas vast frontier. Harold Innis devised this thesis in the early 1930s and his ideas continue to influence Canadian scholars.
Super cycle theory: Theory based on: (1) that demand will exceed

supply, thereby keeping prices high; and (2) that in a global economic downturn, demand from industrializing countries will keep price decreases to a minimum.
Value added production: Manufacturing that increases the value of

primary (staple) goods.

Visible minority: Non-Caucasian person