Latest Release (s)

Language

Language is the most important way culture is transmitted. In Canada, there are two official languages, English and French. Their status is entrenched in the country's history, conferring rights and institutional support for Anglophones and Francophones. In addition, over 100 other non-official languages are also spoken in Canada.

Labour Force

Between 2001 and 2006, total employment increased at an annual average rate of 1.7%, the fastest rate increase among the Group of Seven (G7) nations. Italy's growth rate of 1.2% was second followed by France and the United States of America.

Housing

Housing in Canada is not simply a place of shelter from the elements; its importance to Canadians is much broader. It is important to family; it links us to neighbourhoods and the larger communities outside our homes.

Population

Canada is the second largest country in the world in terms of land area (9 984 670 square kilometres), yet it ranks only 39th in terms of population. According to Statistics Canada, Canada's population in 2006 was estimated to be 31 612 897.

Visible Minority Population

The 2006 Census estimated 5.1 million individuals who belonged to a visible minority. The Employment Equity Act defines visible minorities as 'persons, other than Aboriginal peoples, who are non-Caucasian in race or non-white in colour’. This map shows the percentage of visible minorities by census divisions and subdivisions.

Age

The Canadian population is continuing an aging trend that has been going on since earlier this century. This aging is the result of two main factors: a decrease in fertility and an increase in life expectancy. This change in the age structure of the population has effects on everything from the diaper industry to educational services, the job market and shopping patterns.

Family

The Canadian family has been reshaped over the last several decades by social, economic and demographic influences and has become quite varied and complex.

Immigration

Today, immigration in Canada has a far-reaching impact on the country's population growth. It was responsible for two-thirds of our population growth in the period 2001 to 2006. Due to the settlement pattern of the foreign-born in the recent decades, the effect of immigration is mostly felt in Canada's largest urban centres and their surrounding municipalities. The 2006 portrait of the foreign-born population was a diverse one reflecting the waves of immigrants from different regions around the world.

Transportation

The transportation infrastructure in Canada is a network of natural water ways, canals, roads, railways, ports, terminals, airports and pipelines.

Energy

In Canada, there are diverse and reliable sources of energy: oil, natural gas, hydroelectricity, coal, nuclear (uranium), solar, wind, tidal and biomass. Canada is the fifth largest energy producer in the world, after Russia, China, United States and Saudi Arabia, and the eighth largest consumer of energy.

General Reference Map

This is a general reference map of Canada and surrounding countries.

Federal Elections

Canada holds federal general elections for the House of Commons at least once every five years. General elections have been held since Confederation (1867). Each election leads to the formation of a new Parliament. As the Parliaments are numbered since Confederation, so are the elections. The election of 2008 was the 40th Federal Election.

Hydrogeological Regions

Hydrogeological regions are areas in which the properties of sub-surface water, or groundwater, are broadly similar in geology, climate and topography. Hydrogeology is the branch of geology that deals with the distribution and movement of water beneath the earth’s surface. This map shows Canada’s nine hydrogeological regions, as well as a number of factors that affect groundwater properties.

Geography Awareness Week 2009

The Canadian Association of Geographers is hosting the second Geography Awareness Week to demonstrate the importance of geography to Canadians. As part of the event this year, the week has been organized into 5 themes, one for each day of the week. Below is a selection of theme related links from the Atlas of Canada.

Previously Featured

Aboriginal Peoples

The Atlas of Canada has produced a wide range of maps on Aboriginal Peoples. Topics include Aboriginal languages and population today as well as at different time periods, the territory of Nunavut and Indian treaties.

Electric Power Generating Stations

Electric power is generated in Canada using a variety of means including coal, water and nuclear energy.

Exploration 1497 to 1760

The early exploration of Canada has been divided into two phases: 1497 to 1650 and 1651 to 1760. The first phase, 1497 to 1650, is recognized for Maritime exploration and the initial penetration of the Eastern Great Lakes and Hudson Bay. The second phase, 1651 to 1760, is known for the exploration of the Great Lakes Basin, Hudson Bay and a renewed search for a Western and Northwest Passage.

Forests

Canadian forests play a primary role in the ecology, culture and economy of our country.

Freshwater

This set of maps shows the location of all Canadian freshwater resources and their different uses such as domestic, commercial, industrial and recreational.

Health

Health Matters! It is of concern to governments at all levels, to families and to individuals.

Map Archives

The Map Archives of Canada consists of 943 maps of the previously printed 1st edition of the Atlas published in 1906, the 2nd edition in 1915, the 3rd edition in 1957, the 4th edition in 1972 and finally, the 5th edition published 1995.

Natural Hazards

Over the years, Canada has been the setting for many natural disasters that have directly or indirectly affected most of the population at least once in their lifetime. Natural disasters have a wide variety of causes. Some are climate-related and others are caused specifically by geological events. One catastrophe can create a situation leading to another disaster.

North America Framework Data

Over the past year the Atlas programs in Canada, the United States and Mexico have partnered with the Commission for Environmental Co-operation, an organization funded by the three countries, signatory to the North American Free Trade Agreement, to compile a new digital base map of North America at the 1:10 million scale.

Quality of Life

‘Quality of life’ is a term used to measure well-being. Well-being describes how well people feel about their environment, and collectively these feelings can be thought of as quality of life. To assess quality of life, indicators are used to represent the most important aspects of a person’s life. The indicator data were compiled, transformed and analyzed to generate three quality of life maps for the physical, social and economic environment(s), and then combined in a fourth map to show the overall quality of life in Canada for 1996.

Quizzes

Test your knowledge of Canada's geography and history by trying one of these quizzes made to challenge any level of user from novice to expert. The Canada quiz is an interactive module with user selected questions from eight categories: The People; The Land; A Land of Superlatives; Shapes of Canada; Economy; Ecology; Pre-Confederation Canadian History and Post-Confederation Canadian History.

Reference Maps

Reference maps include international, national and regional maps in addition to basic black and white outline maps that show capital city locations and/or names.

Resource Reliant Communities

Canada is a country rich in natural resources, but what does that mean to the communties that rely on those resources?

Sea Ice

In the winter, sea ice is usually present in coastal waters of Canada except for those of British Columbia where warm ocean currents from the south prevent the formation of sea ice. In the summer, sea ice in Canadian waters is limited to the northern regions. The freezing and thawing of sea ice is of great importance to people as it affects things such as shipping routes.

The Service Industries

It is likely that you, or someone in your family, works in one of the service industries. To find out more about the Service Industries in 1996 refer to the maps in this series, organized into five themes: The Market Place, Specialization in Commercial Services, Specialization in Public Services, Growth in Services, 1986 to 1996 and Commercial Land Use.

The Territorial Evolution of Canada

To gain a solid understanding of the evolution of Canada from 1867 to 1999 come look at the numerous maps, texts, graphs, pictures and animations that the Atlas offers on this topic.

Agriculture

Only 2.4% of Canadians live and work on farms, or about 727 000 people in 2001. The Census of Agriculture is the most comprehensive measurement available in Canada of what crops are being grown and animals being raised, and where. The six maps in this series show at a glance aspects of Canada’s agriculture from the latest census, as published in Canadian Agriculture at a Glance, Census of Agriculture, Statistics Canada (Catalogue No. 96.325.XPB).

Plant Hardiness Zones

Plant Hardiness Zones map outlines the different zones in Canada where various types of trees, shrubs and flowers will most likely survive based on the average climatic conditions of each area.

Population

The Census counted 30 007 094 people on May 15, 2001, compared with 28 846 761 on May 14, 1996. Canada registered a population growth rate of 4% between 1996 and 2001, an increase of about 1.16 million people. These three maps showing 2001 population variables are published in collaboration with Statistics Canada. The Atlas of Canada with Statistic Canada, have worked jointly, to produce a series of maps about Canada, which utilize the mapping and geographic expertise domain to the Atlas of Canada and the subject matter expertise of Statistics Canada scientists.

Toporama – Topographic Maps

One of the Atlas of Canada’s special 100th Anniversary projects is offering topographical maps for all of Canada. These new maps are the next generation of the Centre for Topographic Information’s very successful Toporama product.

Snow Cover

Snow cover is the term used to describe the accumulation of snow on the ground from snowfall. Snow cover is encountered over most of the middle and high latitudes of the northern hemisphere during the winter season, and over many mountainous regions of the world for extended periods.

Online Survey

Please tell us what you think. Here at The Atlas of Canada, we are continually trying to improve our Website so that it satisfies your needs and is user-friendly. The comments and feedback received, from this survey, are part of an ongoing program of activities used to help us develop and build a better Website.

New Map of the North Circumpolar Region

This recently revised bilingual map is part of the Atlas of Canada Reference Map Series.