Canada occupies a strategic location in the world. As you work through this activity, you will discover that Canada’s geographic location is important and is one reason why Canada is able to play such an important role in the organizations to which it belongs.

1. Follow these instructions carefully:

a. Go to the Atlas of Canada Web site atlas.gc.ca and click on the English button.
b. In the Explore Our Maps menu in the left hand side, place your cursor over Reference Maps and click on International in the pop-out menu that appears.
c. Click on the link to The World – Countries Map and view it as a JPEG.
d. Use the World – Countries Map to answer the questions that follow.

2. Describe the relative location of Canada in the world.

______________________________________________________

______________________________________________________

______________________________________________________

______________________________________________________

3. On which continent is Canada located?

______________________________________________________

4. Who are Canada’s neighbours to the North, East, South and West?

North: _____________________________

East: _____________________________

South: _____________________________

West: _____________________________

Use the International Reference Maps on the Atlas of Canada Web site to complete the following activities for each international organization. This time view each map in PDF. Although the maps take longer to load, you can use the Zoom In tool in Acrobat Reader to find the names of specific countries. In order to answer some of the questions, you may need to use the Read more about this map feature. This will appear as an option on the same screen as View this map as a JPEG or PDF.

1. NATO

a. Using the information from the first worksheet, what does NATO stand for?

_________________________________________________

b. Based on the name of this organization, list three countries besides Canada who might be member countries. Verify your choices by viewing the map.

_________________________________________________

_________________________________________________

_________________________________________________

c. What is the main purpose of NATO? Read more about this map will assist you in finding the answer.

_________________________________________________

_________________________________________________

_________________________________________________

2. The Commonwealth

a. What does the name The Commonwealth suggest about member countries?

_________________________________________________

_________________________________________________

b. You will notice that The Commonwealth consists of countries that are more developed economically (MDC) and less developed economically (LDC). Identify one Commonwealth country that is more developed economically and one Commonwealth country that is less developed economically.

_________________________________________________

_________________________________________________

_________________________________________________

c. Name one country that would compete against Canada in the Commonwealth Games and one that would compete against Canada in the Olympic Games but not the Commonwealth Games.

_________________________________________________

_________________________________________________

3. The Francophonie

a. What does the name Francophonie suggest to you about member countries?

_________________________________________________

_________________________________________________

_________________________________________________

_________________________________________________

b. Why do you think these countries belong to The Francophonie? (Hint: What is the historical connection that these countries have to France?)

_________________________________________________

_________________________________________________

_________________________________________________

_________________________________________________

c. View the Francophonie map and use Acrobat’s Zoom In tool (magnifying glass with the + sign) to zoom in and identify two countries that have contributed significantly to Canada’s immigrant population.

_________________________________________________

_________________________________________________

4. Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC)

a. What does the name APEC suggest about the geographic location of member countries?

_________________________________________________

_________________________________________________

_________________________________________________

b. In looking at the map, what would be the advantages to Canada in belonging to this organization? If you need a hint, use Read more about this map.

_________________________________________________

_________________________________________________

_________________________________________________

_________________________________________________

5. The Organization of American States (OAS)

a. Identify the two continents where member countries of the OAS are located.

_________________________________________________

_________________________________________________

b. Based on your own knowledge, try to identify the main languages spoken by people in the OAS.

_________________________________________________

_________________________________________________

_________________________________________________

_________________________________________________

c. This is not a well-known organization in the general public. Use Read more about this map to determine its origin and state whether you believe that it is important for Canada to continue to belong to the OAS. Be sure to defend your position.

_________________________________________________

_________________________________________________

_________________________________________________

_________________________________________________

6. Group of 8 (G8)

a. Name the eight countries which belong to the G8.

_________________________________________________

_________________________________________________

_________________________________________________

_________________________________________________

b. Whenever this organization holds a conference, it is always widely protested and the cost of security is high. After looking at where these eight countries are located in the world and reading about the map, list possible reasons why this organization attracts so many protestors.

_________________________________________________

_________________________________________________

_________________________________________________

_________________________________________________