Canada is known for its scenery and diversity of culture. But it may come as a surprise that 90% of Canada is uninhabited. Most of the land in Canada is owned by the government, and it can be bought cheap. So, are we packing our bags and moving to Canada yet?
Why is Canada Uninhabitable?
It is the second-largest country globally in terms of total area and slightly larger than The United States but has only 11% of its southern counterpart’s population. According to Vox, the native land is unfit for human habitation. In addition to this, the world’s largest uninhabited island is located in Nunavut’s Baffin Ray in Canada.
Reports suggest that the province is geographically large, but 38 million residents are found in concentrated areas.
As per the report, William Lewis Morton, a Canadian Historian, believes this was because of the mild weather in southern Canada, and it is more suitable for agriculture. Morton, in the report, says, “Intensive commercial agriculture gave rise to a dense network of villages, towns, and cities.”
The nation’s population is very concentrated, so people live in small areas. Most of the areas are on the farther west, in Quebec, or the densely populated stretch in Ontario near the Great Lakes.
Area specifications in Canada that make it uninhabitable
Toronto’s metropolitan area makes up for the Canadian population. Around 6.1 million people live in that particular region. Even the Montreal metropolitan area is included, and they have approximately 4 million people living in the region. Other relatively large population areas are in Ontario, which is similar to London, Kitchener. Ottawa, the capital, takes up a huge chunk of the remaining population, with roughly 18 million people in the nation’s capital.
According to William Lewis Morton, the best arable land is in Canada’s south, which doesn’t surprise considering the cold weather farther north. Canada’s population is very close to the US, and around 90% live within the 100 miles of the US border. Back when Canada began to industrialise, planners made sense of where people already were, and everything was built in those areas.
Due to geography and climate, Canada is inhospitable to people as we go up further north. Most people prefer staying in large cities which are near the US border, the neighbouring nation. The habitable areas mostly span within a thin belt running from west to east, where you can find lush green forests and deserts – the best of both worlds.
Canada's Uninhabitable Landacape – A Geographic Overview
Canada’s west coast is also called the Cordilla region. This region is defined by the Coastal Range Mountains on the Canada borer with the Pacific Ocean. Towards the east are the Rocky Mountains, which act as a natural border between Alberta and British Columbia.
The flat central prairies of nation include Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta. This is the agricultural centre of the country. It has vast fertile lands and open flat field, which are most conducive for agriculture.
Then, the vast, northwestern part of Canada contains the three territories: Yukon, Nunavut and the Northwest Territories. This region has dry, barren, and mostly uninhabited areas. This is largely because it has long, cold winters with heavy.
Know more about Canada!
Canada measures 4,600 km from North to South and 5,500 km from East to West. It occupies more than half of the northern hemisphere. The motto “from sea to sea” is accurate as it reaches up north and touches the Arctic Ocean. Because it is so vast, the country stretches across six time zones! Isn’t that surprising? There is an abundance of forests, rivers, lakes, and beautiful and serene mountains, hills, and plains.
Later, the best land for grains usually sprung up in the west. After towns were established in the west, the development of new towns elsewhere seems to be of no reason. With modern and quick transportation, the shifting of location was no longer needed. In eastern Canada, a similar situation had occurred. Waterways mostly determined where communities would exist for resource extraction, and most communities set their staying arrangements in stone.
A lot of Uninhabiable Land
Therefore, a lot of uninhabited land is up for grabs if anyone wants to make a new town in ‘America’s Hat’ . It is also most of the crown land, which means that they are owned by provincial and federal governments. So, a predetermined amount comes up for sale, which is usually very low. That means the land is easily up for grabs and who knows, a new town could exist.
But the question is whether, with modern technology and attempts at reducing long distances between cities, why would anyone go for an uninhabited canada to settle in? Would you?
