Using the Atlas of Canada online (atlas.gc.ca), along with the information covered in the Canadian Geography 1202 course (Newfoundland and Labrador), students are to apply their knowledge of climate regions to locate cities described only by their temperature and precipitation data.

1. Find a Base Map. Using the Atlas of Canada Web site, you are to print a Canadian relief map, on which you can locate various cities listed.
[ Steps: Explore Our Maps » Reference Maps » Canada » Relief Map]

2. Locate Cities on the Map. Using the Advanced Search (and the search for the location of a place on a map option) on the Atlas of Canada Web site, locate and label the following cities on the relief map that you’ve printed:

a. Vancouver, British Columbia
b. Lethbridge, Alberta
c. Kugluktuk, Nunavut
d. Winnipeg, Manitoba
e. Churchill, Manitoba
f. St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador

3. Describe the climate of each city. In the Map Archives of the Atlas of Canada Web site you will find the maps Climatic Regions: Thornthwaite [moisture regions] Map and Climatic Regions: Thornthwaite [thermal regions] Map. This will help you to further determine the temperature and precipitation conditions in the six cities indicated.
[Steps: Explore Our Maps » Map Archives » 5th Edition, 1978 to 1995, The National Atlas of Canada » Environment » Climate » Climatic Regions: Thornthwaite [moisture regions] Map and Climatic Regions: Thornthwaite [thermal regions] Map]

a. On a printed copy of each of the Thornthwaite maps, students label each of the cities and towns listed above.
b. Using the chart below, identify and briefly describe the region on each map of which the city or town is a part.

[D]
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Thermal and Moisture Regions for Various Sites

4. Analyse climate data for the unidentified cities/towns below. The abbreviations used in the tables are as follows:

• J – January
• F – February
• M – March
• A – April
• M – May
• J – June
• J – July
• A – August
• S – September
• O – October
• N – November
• D – December
• °C – degrees celcius
• mm – milimetres

[D]
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Climate Data for Various Sites

5. From the previous data find or calculate the following information for each site:

[D]
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Climate Information for Each Site

6. Identify the places by doing the following:

a. Study the data you have collected in the previous chart.
b. Review the factors you have learned that might affect climate of a local area (that is, latitude, air masses, altitude, landforms and nearness to water).
c. Based on their climate characteristics, match the cities from steps 2 and 3 with sites 1 to 6 from step 4. Justify and explain your selections using the factors that might affect climate (that is, latitude, air masses, altitude, landforms and nearness to water). Record your matches and justifications in the form that follows.

[D]
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Name of City