Name: ___________________

The Cordillera
Region

Location and Landforms

The Cordillera region is one of the most diverse and beautiful

regions in Canada. The word cordillera means chain of
mountains in Spanish. The Cordillera region is found in parts of
Alberta, Northwest Territories and most of the Yukon
Territory and British Columbia.
This region contains islands, mountain ranges, fast rivers,
valleys and lowlands. The Cordillera region also contains deltas.
A delta is a broad, flat area of land.
Draw a snapshot of what you might see if you were in the
Cordillera region:

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The Cordillera
Region
History
Compared to other regions, the Cordillera region is small but it
holds over 100 different First Nation groups! The first First
Nation people who lived in the Cordillera region included the
Haida and Nootka. These people lived off the land by fishing,
hunting and gathering.
The First Nation Peoples of this time were very clever and
found ways to adapt to their environment and build what
they needed to survive. They were able to develop fishing
methods that allowed them to catch more fish, as well as build
large, complex homes to house many people.
The mountains of the Cordillera region made it difficult for
explorers to reach this area but they did manage to begin
exploring the region in the late 1700s. Explorers such as
Alexander Mackenzie, David Thompson, Simon Fraser and
George Mercer Dawson all journeyed throughout the Cordillera
region to learn about the people, land and opportunities for
trading.
Though some of the First Nations people worked for the
explorers as scouts or guides, many of the people were
unhappy as the explorers crept in and began taking over land
and over hunting the animals.
As time went on, more and more people wanted to start a
new life in the Cordillera region. In the late 1800s, the Canadian
Pacific Railway was being built in this region and the large
mountains were making it difficult for workers to build the
railway. They were also short many workers for this large
job, so the Canadian Pacific Railway hired workers from China.
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The Cordillera
Region

History

The brave men who came from China faced difficult and
grueling work. The men from China were paid less than the
European workers and thousands of the Chinese men died as
they were expected to do the most dangerous jobs in the
railway building.
As soon as the railway was finished, the Chinese were no
longer welcome in Canada. Despite how they had been treated
building the railroad, many of these men still wanted to start a
new life in Canada and bring their families to this new country.
The Chinese immigrants were excited and looking for a new
beginning in Canada.
To stop more Chinese people from coming, the Canadian
government required Chinese immigrants to pay a head tax.
This meant that each immigrant who entered Canada had to
pay a fee to the Canadian government. As time went on, the
Canadian government kept raising the fee. It was raised all the
way up to $500. This was the amount of money a Chinese
worker would make in two years!
Despite the treatment of the Chinese immigrants, many
people from all over the world still wanted to come to Canada.
In the early 1900, thousands of Sikhs came to Vancouver from
India. Like the Chinese, they had heard about wonderful
opportunities in Canada and wanted to make money for their
families.
Like the Chinese before them, many of the Sikhs were
treated poorly and paid unfairly once they came to Canada.
Despite this, they worked hard and built communities in the
Cordillera region.
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The Cordillera
Region
Natural Resources
The natural resources found in the Cordillera region play an
important role in the lives of the people who live there. Trees,
fish, water, minerals, soil, and animals all help make the Cordillera
region an excellent place to live.
Spruce, pine and fir are just some of the trees that are
found in the Cordillera region and used in logging. These trees
are also used in pulp and paper mills. The Cordillera region helps
make Canada the number one exporter of forestry products
in the entire world!
Since the Cordillera is a coastal region, fish and water are both
natural resources found there. Water provides
hydroelectricity to cities as well as creates jobs for people in
the community. The most popular fish in this region is salmon
and these tasty fish are exported all over the world.
Coal is an abundant resource in this area, along with lead, zinc,
gold, silver and copper. Metals and diamonds have also been
found in the Cordillera region.
The largest concentration of wolves live in the Cordillera
region. This region is also home to goats, bears, eagles, moose,
caribou, hares and coyotes. Farmers in this region keep cows,
horses and elk.
Good soil in a small area of the region is a natural resource
that allows farmers to grow peaches, plums, cherries, apples,
corn, cranberries, wheat, corn and herbs in the valleys. This
area is known for the amazing fruit that grows there.

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The Cordillera
Region
Climate
The climate of the Cordillera region is considered to be mild.
Depending on if you are more north or south, the people of
the region will experience warmer or cooler temperatures.
Winters can get as cold as -25 degrees Celsius, though the
average can be up to -10 Celsius. The summer can be warm,
even incredibly hot with temperatures reaching up to 39
degrees Celsius!

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Jobs

The Cordillera
Region

The jobs are as diverse as the people of this region. People

work as loggers, fishermen, miners, oil/gas workers, farmers
and in the tourism industry. Vancouver has become a popular
city for movies to be made in, as it is beautiful with many
interesting views and cheaper to be made in Canada than the
United States.

Would you want to live in this region? Why or

why not?
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