Showing posts with label Canadian Provinces. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Canadian Provinces. Show all posts

Monday, August 21, 2017

Yukon


We just learned about the Canadian territory of Nunavut.

Another Canadian territory is Yukon.

This territory has the smallest number of people of any province or territory, with only about 36,000 people in the whole territory.

It is up in the north west part of Canada, and borders with Alaska.


(from: wikipedia - yukon)

The Yukon flag is green for the forests, white for snow and blue for the lakes and rivers.
In the middle is the coat of arms, above a wreath of fireweed which is the flower of Yukon.


(from: wikipedia - flag of yukon)

The coat of arms has red mountains with gold discs, for the mountains in the area and the rich gold minerals in the area.
Above that is the red and white cross for England, with a disc in the middle showing a "vair" which is squirrel fur.
Above the shield is an Alaskan Malamute dog standing on snow.


(from: wikipedia - coat of arms of yukon)

The most popular job in Yukon is mining.
In 1897 there was a big rush of people called the Klondike Gold Rush, where people went into northern Canada looking for gold or other precious materials like silver or copper.

(from: wikipedia - klondike gold rush)

The highest mountain in Canada is Mount Logan, in Yukon.


(from: wikipedia - mount logan)

The lowest temperature ever in North America was at a town called Snag, where it got down to -81 F.

(from: wikipedia - yukon)


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Monday, August 14, 2017

Nunavut


We just learned about the Canadian Territory of the Northwest Territories.

Another Canadian Territory is Nunavut.

This is the newest territory in Canada, and was separated from the Northwest Territories in 1999.
It is the largest territory, and the northernmost.


(from: wikipedia - nunavut map)

The flag of Nunavut has gold on the left and white on the right, with a red inuksk in the middle, and a blue star in the upper right hand corner.
The blue and gold are for the riches of land, sea and sky, and the red is for Canada.
The inuksuk is a stone monument that was used by the First Nation Canadian people long ago to guide travelers.
The blue star is for the north star.


(from: wikipedia - flag of nunavut)

The coat of arms of Nunavut has a blue and gold round shield in the middle and pictures of the sun, the north star, a stone lamp, and an inuksuk.

Above that is an igloo for the old life of the native people.
There is a caribou on the left, and a narwhal on the right for the natural life and survival.
Below them are plants, arctic poppies, dwarf fireweed, arctic heather, and an iceberg.
The words at the bottom are say "Our Land, Our Strength" in the Nunavut Sannginivut language.

(from: wikipedia - coat of arms of nunavut)

The first English travelers to ever meet an Inuit person were in 1576 in Nunavut.

(from: wikipedia - nunavut)

The northernmost city in Canada is called Alert. It is about 500 miles from the North Pole.
There are only 62 people living there!

(from: wikipedia - alert, nunavut)

The place in Canada with the lowest average temperature is called Eureka.

(from: wikipedia - eureka, nunavut)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Himalayas

Monday, August 7, 2017

Northwest Territories


We just learned about Prince Edward Island.

Canada has provinces and territories, which are a lot like the provinces.

One of the provinces is Northwest Territories which is in the northern part of Canada.

The name for this territory in the native Inuktitut means "beautiful land."
This is a very cold territory, with temperatures getting as low as -40 F.
The territory used to be almost all of Canada, but then it was divided up more and more into the other provinces.


(from: wikipedia - northwest territories)

The flag is blue with a white stripe in the middle.
The white is for snow and ice, and the blue is for water.
In the middle is the coat of arms of the Northwest Territories.

(from: wikipedia - flag of northwest territories)

The crest has two golden narwhals on top with a compass rose in the middle.
Below them is a white strip with a wavy blue line in the middle that is for the Northwest Passage.
Below that on the left is a green background for the forest and gold rectangles for the gold mines.
On the right is red for the tundra, and a white fox for the fur hunting.


(from: wikipedia - coat of arms of the northwest territories)

The Great Slave Lake is in Northwest Territories, and it is the deepest lake in North America.


(from: wikipedia - great slave lake)

There is an ice road on the Great Slave Lake that is used when the lake freezes over.


(from: wikipedia - northwest territories)

There are many mines in the Northwest Territories, like the Diavik Diamond mine in Lac de Gras.

(from: wikipedia - diavik diamond mine)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Shisapangma

Monday, July 31, 2017

Prince Edward Island


We just learned about the Canadian Province of Newfoundland and Labrador.

Another Canadian province is Prince Edward Island, also called PEI.

The province is known mostly for it's farming, and makes about 25% of the country's potatoes.
It is made up of one big island and 231 smaller islands.


(from: wikipedia - prince edward island)

The flag of PEI has the English lion on it for Prince Edward, and an island with three small oak saplings for the three counties of PEI, and a big oak tree for Great Britain.


(from: wikipedia - flag of prince edward island)

The coat of arms of PEI has a shield with lion for England, over the oak saplings for the island counties and the large oak for Great Britain.
Above the shield is a blue jay holding a sprig of red oak.
On either side are silver foxes, which were farmed for their fur in PEI, and they are also thought to be very wise.
One fox is wearing a fishing net, and the other one is wearing potato blossoms.
Below the shield is a blue Mi'kmag star for the sun, with roses for England, lilies for France, thistles for Scotland, shamrocks for Ireland and Lady's Slippers for PEI.
The motto is Parva sub ingenti which means "the small under the protection of the great".


(from: wikipedia - coat of arms of prince edward island)

The land of PEI is known for its natural beauty, red dirt and red rock.



(from: wikipedia - prince edward island)

There is an 8 mile long bridge connecting PEI to New Brunswick.
It is the longest bridge over icy waters.


(from: wikipedia - confederation bridge)

Charlottetown is the largest city in PEI, known for it's harbor and fishing.


(from: wikipedia - charlottetown)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Gasherbrum II

Monday, July 24, 2017

Newfoundland and Labrador


We just learned about the Canadian province is New Brunswick.

Another Canadian province is Newfoundland and Labrador.
This is the province in the most north and east part of the province.

The Newfoundland part of the province gets its name from the Portuguese explorers, and the Labrador gets its name from the Portuguese explorer João Fernandes Lavrador.


(from: wikipedia - newfoundland and labrador)

The flag of this province is blue, white, red and yellow, and is shaped like the union jack flag of Great Britain.
On the left side, the blue is for the sea, and the white is for the snow and ice.
On the right side, the red white is for the struggle of the people, and the gold is for their confidence in the future.


(from: wikipedia - flag of newfoundland and labrador)

The coat of arms of this province has a caribou at the top, above a shield with the lion and unicorn for England and Scotland.
On the left and right of the shield are Beothuk people, who are the indigenous people of Newfoundland.
At the bottom is the motto Quaerite prime Regnum Dei, which is from the Bible Matthew 6:33, "Seek ye first the kingdom of God."


(from: wikipedia - coat of arms of newfoundland and labrador)

St. John's is a big city in Newfoundland, where they have the oldest annual regatta in North America.
It also has Cabot Tower, where the first wireless message was sent across the Atlantic Ocean.
And there is a row of colorful houses that is nicknamed Jelly Bean Row.


(from: wikipedia - st. john's, newfoundland and labrador)

Long ago when the Norse people came into Newfoundland, they lived in what are called Sod Houses, meaning that they lived underneath dirt houses covered in grass.


(from: wikipedia - l'anse aux meadows)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Broad Peak

Monday, July 17, 2017

New Brunswick


We just learned about the Canadian province of Nova Scotia.

Another Canadian Province is New Brunswick.
It is on the east coast of Canada, right by Nova Scotia.


(from: wikipedia - new brunswick)

The flag of New Brunswick has a gold lion on a red background, above a picture of a viking ship with a yellow background, sailing on blue and white striped water.

(from: wikipedia - flag of new brunswick)

The coat of arms of New Brunswick has a leaping fish called a salmon, sitting on a golden helmet with maple leaves and St. Edward's crown. These are all pictures meaning royalty.
Below that is a shield with the flag of New Brunswick on it.
Under the shield are purple violets, and a fern called the fiddlehead.
Next to the shield are white tailed deer wearing collars made of beads from the Maliseet native people, and they have badges for both the United Kingdom and France.

The motto at the bottom is "Spem reduxit" which means "It has restored hope".


(from: wikipedia - coat of arms of new brunswick)

There is a small island in New Brunswick called Miscou Island that has a three story light house, built in 1856.

(from: wikipedia - miscou island lighthouse)

One group of French settlers in Canada are known as the Acadians.
Many Acadians were forced to leave Canada and go live in the southern part of the United States, but some Acadians still live in New Brunswick.
They have holidays to remember the Acadian people, and they wave around noisemakers called tintamarre during parades.

(from: wikipedia - tintamarre)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Gasherbrum I

Monday, July 10, 2017

Nova Scotia


We just learned about the Canadian province of Saskatchewan.

Another Canadian province is Nova Scotia which means "New Scotland".

This is an island province on the east coast of Canada, right on the ocean.


(from: wikipedia - nova scotia)

The flag of Nova Scotia is a white flag with a blue cross on it.
This is supposed to look like the flag of Scotland, which is a blue flag with a white cross on it.
In the middle of the Nova Scotia flag is a gold shield with a red lion, which is the royal arms of Scotland.

(from: wikipedia - flag of nova scotia)

The coat of arms of Nova Scotia has two hands on it that are shaking hands, one of the hands has a metal gauntlet.
Part of Nova Scotia's history was making peace with the Native Mi'Kmaq people that lived there.
By the hands are leaves from a thistle and a laurel, meaning strong defense but also peace.

The coat of arms also has the province flag, a unicorn for Scotland, and a Mi'kmaq First Nation native.
The motto is "Munit haec et altera vincit" which means "One hand defends and the other conquers"

(from: wikipedia - coat of arms of nova scotia)

Because it is an island province, fishing is one of the most important jobs there, and they are one of the largest catcher of lobsters in the world.

(from: wikipedia - halifax, nova scotia)

Cape Breton is a small island that is part of Nova Scotia.

(from: wikipedia - cape breton island)

Sable Island is nother very small island in Nova Scotia, and it is only 150 miles long!
On this island are about 500 wild horses, that just run free on the island where nobody lives.

(from: wikipedia - sable island)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Annapurna Massif

Monday, July 3, 2017

Saskatchewan


We just learned about the Canadian province of Manitoba.

The next most populated Canadian province is Saskatchewan.

Saskatchewan is in the southern middle part of Canada, just west of Manitoba.
The name comes from an old cree name for the river, meaning "swift flowing river".
This province gets more sunshine than any other province, and has the record for the hottest temperature in all of Canada, at 113 degrees F.


(from: wikipedia - saskatchewan)

The flag of Saskatchewan has the coat of arms in the upper left, and the province flower of the western red lily in the bottom right.
The upper green half is for the forests, and the bottom gold half is for the prairie wheat fields.

(from: wikipedia - flag of saskatchewan)

The coat of arms for Saskatchewan has a lion for England, some wheat for the farms, Canada's national animal the beaver, a western red lily for the province, a white tailed deer, and a maple leaf.

The province motto is "Multis e gentibus vires" which means "from many peoples, strength"

(from: wikipedia - coat of arms of saskatchewan)

A famous Native American named Sitting Bull moved to Saskatchewan after the famous Battle of Little Bighorn, and had a family there for a while.

(from: wikipedia - sitting bull)

Hockey is the most popular sport in Saskatchewan, and many famous hockey players came from there, including Gordie Howe.

(from: wikipedia - gordie howe)

Moose Jaw is one of the largest cities in Saskatchewan, where they have a giant statue of Mac the Moose.

(from: wikipedia - mac the moose)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Nanga Parbat

Monday, June 26, 2017

Manitoba


We just learned about the province of Alberta.

The next biggest province in Canada is Manitoba.

It is in the southern part, right in the middle, above North Dakota and Minnesota.


(from: wikipedia - manitoba)

The flag for the province is the flag called the red ensign, with the coat of arms also on it.
The red ensign is a flag used by the United Kingdom, and has the flag of Great Britain in the corner on top of a red background.

Long ago the flag for all of Canada looked like the Red Ensign, but then in 1965 Canada changed their national flag to be the maple leaf.
The people of Manitoba wanted to keep the red ensign as a flag to show that they still liked the United Kingdom, so they made it the flag of their province.


(from: wikipedia - flag of manitoba)

The seal of the province shows that many people came from Britain, and also some things from local Canada.
At the top is the cross of St. George for England, and the bottom has the bison on a rock with a green background for the nature of Canada.


(from: wikipedia - coat of arms of manitoba)

The arctic temperatures in Manitoba are perfect for many polar bears to live there.

(from: wikipedia - polar bear)

Winnipeg the capital of Manitoba, has a museum called the Canadian Museum for Human Rights.


(from: wikipedia - canadian museum for human rights)

There is an old fort in Churchill called the Prince of Wales Fort

(from: wikipedia - prince of wales fort)


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