Unit 1

Confederation and Western Canada

Lesson 2

How has the map of Canada changed?

Look through the different maps from 1713-2001 and answer the questions below.

Historical Map Questions

  1. List the major changes you noticed as you looked through the different maps? (Borders, Names, Capital Cities)


  1. What might have caused these changes to the map of Canada?


  1. Who might reside in the various areas of the map of Canada in 1862? What occupations do you think they might hold?


  1. In 1862, if you wanted to visit different parts of British North America, what methods of transportation might you use?


  1. In your opinion when does the map of Canada start to look familiar? What makes the map recognizable as the map of Canada?

Compare the historical maps to the map of Indigenous peoples at the time of European contact. Why might it be important to study and understand traditional Indigenous maps of Canada?

Indigenous people were the first inhabitants of North America and lived on the land a long time before the European settlers came.

Over the years, the Indigenous peoples of Canada have changed into distinct groups. By the time the Europeans began to arrive there were a number of different nations from the Beothuk of Newfoundland to the Haida of the west coast and the Inuit of the far north. Each had their own culture, language, and lifestyle.

European contact brought a lot of drastic and irreversible changes to the indigenous world including loss of culture and language. Recently, however, Indigenous self-awareness and assertiveness have begun to revive their various cultures and increase their demands for self-government.

In 2016, around 1,670,000 individuals in Canada self-identified as Indigenous people, corresponding to 4.9% of the total population. Among the three groups, First Nations are the largest (at 60% out of total), followed by MĂ©tis (36%) and the Inuit population (4%).


1862 Map of Canada

Use the provided blank map of Canada to create the map of Canada in 1862. This map will help you visualize the physical location of the various British North American colonies.