Editing Geography of Canada (section)

==Natural resources==
{{see also|Economy of Canada}}

Canada's abundance of [[natural resource]]s is reflected in their continued importance in the [[economy of Canada]]. Major resource-based industries are [[Fishery|fisheries]], [[forestry]], agriculture, [[petroleum product]]s and mining.<ref name="Statistics Canada 2022">{{cite web | title=The Daily — Canada's natural resource wealth, 2021 (preliminary data) | website=Statistics Canada | date=2022-11-14 | url=https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quotidien/221114/dq221114d-eng.htm | access-date=2023-04-29}}</ref>

The fisheries industry has historically been one of Canada's strongest. Unmatched [[cod]] stocks on the [[Grand Banks]] of Newfoundland launched this industry in the 16th century. Today these stocks are nearly depleted, and their conservation has become a preoccupation of the [[Atlantic Provinces]]. On the West Coast, [[tuna]] stocks are now restricted. The less depleted (but still greatly diminished) [[salmon]] population continues to drive a strong fisheries industry. Canada claims {{convert|12|nmi|km|order=flip|abbr=on}} of territorial sea, a contiguous zone of {{convert|24|nmi|km|order=flip|abbr=on}}, an [[exclusive economic zone]] of {{convert|5599077|km2|mi2|abbr=on}} with {{convert|200|nmi|km|order=flip|abbr=on}} and a continental shelf of {{convert|200|nmi|km|order=flip|abbr=on}} or to the edge of the continental margin.

Five per cent of Canada's land area is arable, none of which is for permanent crops. Three per cent of Canada's land area is covered by permanent pastures. Canada has {{convert|7,200|km2|mi2|abbr=out}} of irrigated land (1993 estimate). Agricultural regions in Canada include the Canadian Prairies, the [[Lower Mainland]] and various regions within the [[British Columbia Interior|Interior of British Columbia]], the [[St. Lawrence Basin]] and the Canadian [[Maritimes]]. Main crops in Canada include [[flax]], [[oat]]s, wheat, maize, [[barley]], [[sugar beet]]s and [[rye]] in the prairies; flax and maize in [[Western Ontario]]; Oats and potatoes in the Maritimes. [[Fruit]] and vegetables are grown primarily in the [[Annapolis Valley]] of Nova Scotia, [[Southwestern Ontario]], the [[Golden Horseshoe]] region of Ontario, along the south coast of [[Georgian Bay]] and in the [[Okanagan]] Valley of British Columbia. Cattle and [[domestic sheep|sheep]] are raised in the valleys and plateaus of British Columbia. Cattle, sheep and [[Hog (swine)|hog]]s are raised on the prairies, cattle and hogs in Western Ontario, sheep and hogs in Quebec, and sheep in the Maritimes. There are significant dairy regions in central Nova Scotia, southern New Brunswick, the St. Lawrence Valley, [[northeastern Ontario]], southwestern Ontario, the [[Red River of the North|Red River]] valley of Manitoba and the valleys in the [[British Columbia Interior]], on [[Vancouver Island]] and in the [[Lower Mainland]].
[[Image:Canada geological map-WCSB.JPG|thumb|upright=1.4|The bulk of oil and gas production occurs in the [[Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin]] (mostly light green), which stretches from southwestern [[Manitoba]] to northeastern [[British Columbia]].]]

Fossil fuels are a more recently developed resource in Canada, with [[petroleum|oil]] and [[Natural gas|gas]] being extracted from deposits in the [[Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin]] since the mid-1900s. While Canada's [[crude oil]] deposits are fewer, technological developments in recent decades have opened up oil production in Alberta's [[Oil Sands]] to the point where Canada now has some of the largest reserves of oil in the world. In other forms, Canadian industry has a long history of extracting large coal and natural gas reserves.

Canada's mineral resources are diverse and extensive. Across the Canadian Shield and in the north there are large iron, [[nickel]], [[zinc]], copper, gold, lead, [[molybdenum]], and [[uranium]] reserves. Large diamond concentrations have been recently developed in the Arctic, making Canada one of the world's largest producers. Throughout the Shield there are many mining towns extracting these minerals. The largest, and best known, is [[Greater Sudbury|Sudbury]], Ontario. Sudbury is an exception to the normal process of forming minerals in the Shield since there is significant evidence that the [[Sudbury Basin]] is an ancient [[meteorite]] [[impact crater]]. The nearby, but less known [[Temagami Magnetic Anomaly]] has striking similarities to the Sudbury Basin. Its magnetic anomalies are very similar to the Sudbury Basin, and so it could be a second metal-rich impact crater.<ref name="GH">{{cite web |website=Geological Survey of Canada |url=http://gdcinfo.agg.nrcan.gc.ca/app/3Dimaging/temagami_e.html |title=3-D Magnetic Imaging using Conjugate Gradients: Temagami anomaly |publisher=Natural Resources Canada |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090711184237/http://gdcinfo.agg.nrcan.gc.ca/app/3Dimaging/temagami_e.html |archive-date=11 July 2009 |access-date=13 March 2008}}</ref> The Shield is also covered by vast boreal forests that support an important logging industry.

Canada's many rivers have afforded extensive development of hydroelectric power. Extensively developed in British Columbia, Ontario, Quebec and Labrador, the many dams have long provided a clean, dependable source of energy.