cordillera: a chain of mountains
delta: a flat, broad land formed by where a river would drain into a large body of water
The Cordillera is located on the west coast of Canada and includes British Columbia, the Yukon, southwest Alberta and part of the North West Territories. The climate of the Cordillera’s coast is mild, wet and rarely has snow that stays. The interior of the Cordillera is usually colder and dryer with larger amounts of snow. In the summer, it is warmer and there is less rain. The landscape of the Cordillera has long chains of high rugged mountains. This includes the Rocky Mountains and the Coastal Mountains. Parts of this region are covered with forests.
The natural resources of the Cordillera are forestry (this is the biggest industry in the region), agriculture, mining (iron, lead, zinc, silver, copper and nickel) and fisheries (the west coast is famous for salmon).
Most of the people in the Cordillera live in extreme south lowlands [Vancouver] and southern plateau due to the warmer climate.
The Cordillera has two main climate areas:
1.) The Southwest coastal plains-
has mild, wet winters and warm summers when it does snow, the snow usually happens to melt away fairly quickly.
the mild weather has resulted in long growing seasons
The Western slope of the coast mountains get more of the precipitation which includes rain and snow. The Eastern side on the other hand the climate is a lot drier.
2.) Mountains and Interior plains-
The mountains have cold winters and cool summers.
Northern places such as the Yukon and North West Territories, the summers are short and cool, even though the days are long and sunny. Winters are the somewhat opposite have long and cold days which have few hours of daylight.
The precipitation in the north is fairly light 200-400mm because its the "rain shadow" of the Alaska mountain range.
As the land rises above sea level the air gets cooler, which is why some mountaintops stay snowy all year round
Higher the Latitude the cooler the temperatures will get.
Population is greater in areas that have a moderate climate.
The southern interior which has a warm and sunny climate, allows many people to make a living in farming, however little farming is done in the Yukon and Northwest Territories where the climate is more cold and dry.
In places with lots of snow people can enjoy some of the best skiing in the world, and places where climate is moderate people can enjoy hiking and biking all year round.
Peoples of the Ocean and waterways:
the rich supply of fish and sea mammals provide food which also provides jobs in the regions fishing and tourism industries.
water gave people a way to travel throughout the region which was very important and useful considering the mountainous region was fairly difficult to travel through by land.
the ocean provides routes to other parts of the world, which developed the large fishing industry here.
Mountain People:
prevented European explorers and fur traders from getting to the Cordillera.
Also made it difficult to build railways and roads.
Steep mountain slopes are not good for farming or building.
and avalanches are always a danger in the Cordillera.
Coastal Areas:
Sea gulls, puffins, bald eagles and oyster catchers just happen to be some of the many birds in the Cordillera.
Mountain goats are found on the mountain slopes of the coast.
Northern sea lions and fur seals warm themselves on the rocks, as do dolphins and whales.
Some fish in the coastal areas include Halibut, sturgeon, herring, eulachon and salmon.
Eastern and central interior areas:
Brown and black bears live in the forests of the eastern and central interior, and grizzlies live in the mountains along with some less forested areas.
There are more Grizzly bears in the Cordillera than anywhere else in the world.
Mountain lions, lynx, bobcats, bighorn sheep, marmots, ducks, owls and woodpeckers are some of the many animals that live in this area.
Northern Areas:
moose, wolves, arctic foxes, snowy owls and bald eagles are some of the animals that are located in this area.
Large herds of barren-ground caribou come through the area every year.
The word comes from the Chinook language ad it means, "to give". A Potlatch is a celebration for many First Nations who live in the Cordillera region. It brings people together to sing, dance, eat and share important stories.
A Potlatch is not just a party. A Potlatch is a magnificent and planned party. It's a really big deal. Planning for a Potlatch might take an entire year, or even longer! Today, as in olden times, each person invited to a Potlatch receives a present. This present can be as simple as a pencil or as complicated as a carving. At any particular Potlatch, everyone receives the same present.
Head Tax
A tax put into place by the government that required immigrants to pay a fee to enter a country.
Prospectors
People who searched for valuable gold or minerals.
The Gold Rush
A time when many, many people moved to a specific area in an attempt to find gold.