#Nature; #Photo Contest, #Green Peace; #Geography;
Belong in Nature – Photo Contest
Category Archives: Geography
Protest of the Bus Routes – Sault Ste Marie
Canada versus United Kingdom Vs. Australia – brief Comparison
Canada is about 41 times larger than the United Kingdom. Canada has a total area of approximately 9,984,670 square kilometers, while the United Kingdom spans about 243,610 square kilometers. Australia is smaller than Canada, but much bigger than Great Britain. Canada is about 1.3 times larger than Australia, while Australia is about 32 times larger than the United Kingdom. [1, 2, 3]
AREA AND SCALE
- Canada total area: 9,984,670 sq km (second-largest country in the world).
- United Kingdom total area: 243,610 sq km (roughly the size of the Canadian province of Ontario, which is 4.4 times smaller than all of Canada).
- Proportional difference: The UK makes up only about 2.4% of Canada’s total landmass. [1, 2, 3]
POPULATION & DENSITY
Canada population: Roughly 38.2 to 41 million people.
United Kingdom population: Roughly 67.8 million people.
Density contrast: Canada has about 3.85 people per square kilometer, compared to the UK’s much higher density of roughly 280 people per square kilometer. [1, 2, 3, 4]
Canada: Spans about 9.98 million square kilometers (second-largest globally) with cold, harsh winters and varied temperate-to-humid summers. [1, 2, 3, 4]
Australia: Covers roughly 7.69 million square kilometers (sixth-largest globally) with a vast arid interior and warm, sunny coastal climates. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
Great Britain: A much smaller island nation of about 242,000 square kilometers featuring a temperate maritime climate with frequent overcast and rainy conditions. [1]
DEMOGRAPHICS &CULTURE:
Canada: Population of roughly 39 million; culturally blends British, French (especially in Québec), and strong North American influences. [1, 2, 3]
Australia: Population of about 26 million; characterized by a laid-back, outdoor-focused lifestyle with a heavy emphasis on sports and high multicultural integration.
Great Britain: Population of roughly 67 million; dense, historic, and culturally traditional yet deeply diverse, marked by rich arts, theater, and proximity to continental Europe.
ECONOMY &QUALITY OF LIFE:
Canada: Strong universal social safety net and abundant natural resources, though currently grappling with high housing costs in major metropolitan hubs.
Australia: High GDP per capita and high ranking in global happiness reports, benefiting from strong wage growth and wealth equality alongside high urban living expenses.
Great Britain: Mature, service-oriented economy centered around London, facing tighter labor markets and high population density challenges relative to its land size.
Canada, the United Kingdom, and Australia share a common cultural heritage, yet their religious landscapes reveal distinct trends driven by secularization and immigration. The key comparative metrics from recent national censuses show that Christianity remains the largest affiliation in all three nations, though it has fallen below absolute majorities in the UK and Australia, with “no religion” surging rapidly. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
RELIGIOUS DEMOGRAPHICS (National Census Data)
- Canada (2021 Census): Christian at 53.3% (down from historical majorities), No Religion at 34.6%, Islam at 4.9%, Hinduism at 2.3%, and Sikhism at 2.1%.
- United Kingdom (2021/2022 Censuses): Christian at 46.5%, No Religion at 37.8%, Islam at 6.0%, Hinduism at 1.6%, and Sikhism at 0.8%.
- Australia (2021 Census): Christian at 43.9%, No Religion at 38.9%, Islam at 3.2%, Hinduism at 2.7%, and Buddhism at 2.4%. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5] https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2021/rt-td/ethno-religion-eng.cfm
#Canada; #Uk, #Australia; #Comparison; #brief area, population, religion, demographics;
Forest Fires * Ontario
As forest fires continue to ravage Northwestern Ontario, communities are being evacuated, and the smoke is impacting areas hundreds of kilometres away.
As of last night, there were 185 wildland fires in Northern Ontario. The majority are in Northwestern Ontario, where there are 148 active fires, including 69 that aren’t under control.
Communities have been evacuated, and roads are closed in impacted areas.
The communities that have been evacuated, according to OPP, are Armstrong, Collins First Nation, Gakijiwanong Anishinaabe Nation (Lac La Croix First Nation), Gull Bay First Nation, Lac des Mille Lacs First Nation, and Whitesand First Nation. A fire has devastated Namaygoosisagagun First Nation, a remote community located west of Armstrong and northwest of Lake Nipigon.
In the past couple of days, over a handful of fires in the northwest have seen significant growth, including fires merging in some areas.
Anishnabek Nation says a fast-moving fire went through the community, extensively damaging or destroying homes and community buildings.
https://www.sootoday.com/local-news/nearly-200-fires-burning-in-northern-ontario-12550286
Lauca National Park – Chile
Flagcounter – Web Map
This Flagcounter – can be embedded to your Website for Visitor Maps;
https://s05.flagcounter.com/index.html
#Flag Counter; #Countries, #Visitor map, Web – page; #Embed;
Keep Environmental Protections
Keep environmental protections
Canada faces a choice: Build new fossil fuel pipelines that deepen the climate crisis, damage ecosystems, endanger communities and enrich oil and gas billionaires, or build a truly resilient, people- and nature-centred future powered by renewables.
In November 2025, Prime Minister Mark Carney made a damaging deal with Alberta to fast-track a new diluted bitumen oil pipeline to B.C.’s coast while rolling back key environmental protections. This pipeline would lock Canada into deeper dependence on a declining, high-polluting industry and put North Pacific ecosystems and coastal First Nations at risk from increased tanker traffic and catastrophic oil spills.
There’s still time to stop this pipeline ploy and choose a fossil-fuel free future. Alberta intends to submit its pipeline proposal to the federal government’s Major Projects Office by July 1, 2026.
https://davidsuzuki.org/action/reject-albertas-pipeline-ploy
Act now! Message Carney and ask him to reject Alberta’s pipeline ploy.
People throughout Canada are facing more frequent and intense climate disasters and are struggling to put food on the table during a cost-of-living-crisis. Meanwhile, politicians are pandering to wealthy fossil fuel companies and giving them tax breaks.
There are better ways to strengthen Canada — such as building out an east-west electricity grid powered by affordable renewable energy, which would lower household energy bills. Real nation-building projects will advance climate objectives, protect nature, uphold Indigenous rights and create long-term prosperity.
Together we can choose a better path.
#Environmental Protextions; #Canada; Block #fossil fueel new pipeline;
Drax stop burning wood Pellets – saving forests
Drax to stop burning B.C. wood pellets for U.K. energy: A significant milestone for the climate
March 12, 2026
səl̓ílwətaʔɬ (Tsleil-Waututh), xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam) and Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish) Territories (Vancouver, B.C.) — International energy giant Drax has begun to phase out burning forest biomass from British Columbia at its power station in the United Kingdom. As reported by The Guardian, Drax will stop burning “controversial” wood from forests in Canada at its North Yorkshire power station within the next year.
This is a significant milestone. It demonstrates that burning forest biomass to generate energy at utility-scale is untenable and sends a warning signal to all governments and investors currently supporting the global biomass industry: this dirty form of energy is a weak economic proposition.
B.C.’s failure to properly protect old growth and enact a biodiversity law have been exposed on the international stage. As other countries examine their wood pellet supply chains, the facts are clear – there is no sustainable way to source biomass for export from forests in B.C.
This move by Drax follows years of political controversy and public outcry in the U.K. over the company’s Canadian sourcing practices. Most recently, a Stand.earth investigation confirmed that Drax purchased whole logs cut from old growth forests in 2024, and very likely in 2025. This conclusive finding adds to an existing body of evidence in reports, documentaries, and whistleblower testimony.
However, the broader problems with the biomass export industry in Canada continue. While the company will no longer burn biomass from B.C. in the U.K., Drax continues to hold a near-monopoly on wood pellet production in the province, and is likely to continue sourcing from old growth and primary forests to supply customers in Asian and European countries.
#Saving Forest; #stop; #burning wood pellets; #British Columbia; #Canada,
Native Canadians – or Genocide Narratives
Native people of Canada – or First Nations people – represent 5 percent of Canadian people (with different rates within different provinces)- with a rate of population growth; however – what exactly happened with the other 95 percent?!Excluding the Land possession – Doesn’t this sound like Genocide to anyone with a brain the size of a mustard grain?!
According to the 2021 Census, there were 1.8 million Indigenous people, representing 5.0% of the total Canadian population, up from 4.9% in 2016.
Genocide is the intentional destruction of a particular group through killing, serious physical or mental harm, preventing births and/or forcibly transferring children to another group. The term has been applied to the experiences of Indigenous peoples in Canada, particularly in the final reports of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (see also Residential Schools) and the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls inquiry.
National Indigenous History Month and National Indigenous Peoples Day are opportunities to learn more about the unique cultures, traditions and experiences of First Nations people, Métis, and Inuit. This is also a time to honour the history, achievements, and resilience of Indigenous peoples, who have been living on this land since time immemorial and whose presence continues to impact the evolution of the country. Using 2021 Census of Population data, let’s shed some light on these populations (https://thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/genocide-and-indigenous-peoples-in-canada)
Forced Living in Reserves without the Right to Leave – Historical Facts
- From 1885 into the 1940s, a pass system controlled Indigenous people’s movement, requiring those living on reserve to get written permission from an “Indian agent” (government officials) when needed to leave their community.
Reserves Today
Reserves are still vital land bases for Indigenous people across Canada, which continue to be classified as federal land but as self-governed by Indigenous people of their community.
Some reserves have the most concerning conditions in Canada, such as isolated communities with high poverty rates, substance addiction, suicide, unemployment, and mortality.
It is widely acknowledged that the cultural genocide and social disruption over generations by displacements, discriminatory legislation, and political neglect results in long-term hardships and hinder the re-establishment of social networks and stable communities.
UnSafe Driking Water – Boil Water Adisories
https://www.sac-isc.gc.ca/eng/1614387410146/1614387435325;
https://www.sac-isc.gc.ca/eng/1614387410146/1614387435325
More than 1.8 million Indigenous people
According to the 2021 Census, there were 1.8 million Indigenous people, representing 5.0% of the total Canadian population, up from 4.9% in 2016.
However, this growth was not as fast as in previous years. For example, from 2011 to 2016, the Indigenous population grew by 18.9%, more than double the 2021 growth rate.
For the first time, the Census enumerated more than 1 million (1,048,405) First Nations people living in Canada.
The Language Issues:
English and French are the two “Offiicial” languages of Canada, enjoying equal status, rights, and privileges in all federal government institutions, parliament, and courts. Established by the Official Languages Act (1969) and the Charter of Rights and Freedoms (1982), this policy guarantees Canadians the right to receive federal services in either language
Isn’t it Strange that No Native Languages are official Languages – also Colonization Effect – and again every person may speak their Language – and I guess we use English for convenience; but then again technically speaking Canada should have a goverment language – which may happen to be English – due to colonization – and no official language as technically speaking – Canada and US have majority immigrant populations – so the majority of populations in major urban centers speak a Different language at home.
#Canada ; #genocide; #history; #Colonization; #boiling water advisories; #sucide rates; #poverty; #forced Sterilizations, #Language Issues and #History;
Canada’s Forest Regions
The forests of Canada are located within eight different regions:
| Forest region | Location | Predominant tree species |
|---|---|---|
| Acadian | Maritimes | red spruce, balsam fir, yellow birch |
| Boreal | Northern Canada | white spruce, black spruce, balsam fir, jack pine, white birch, trembling aspen, tamarack, willow |
| Carolinian (Deciduous) | southwestern Ontario | beech, maple, black walnut, hickory, oak |
| Coast | British Columbia | western redcedar, western hemlock, Sitka spruce, Douglas-fir |
| Columbia | British Columbia | western redcedar, western hemlock, Douglas-fir |
| Great Lakes–St Lawrence | central Canada | red pine, eastern white pine, eastern hemlock, yellow birch, maple, oak |
| Montane | British Columbia and Alberta | Douglas-fir, lodgepole pine, ponderosa pine, trembling aspen |
| Subalpine | British Columbia and Alberta | Engelmann spruce, subalpine fir, lodgepole pine |
- An ecozone is an area of Earth’s surface representing large, very generalized ecological units. Each ecozone is characterized by a unique interplay of geologic, climatic, vegetative, wildlife and human activity factors.
- Canada has 20 ecozones: 15 terrestrial and 5 marine. The 15 terrestrial ecozones are further divided into 53 ecoprovinces, and those in turn are subdivided into 194 ecoregions.
- Ecozones, ecoprovinces and ecoregions are useful units for reporting and planning purposes at, respectively, the national, provincial and regional levels.
Ecozones are the broadest classification type for forests
- Acadian Forest RegionLocated in Quebec as well as the Maritime Provinces in Eastern Canada, and extends into the United States.
- Boreal Forest RegionThe largest forest region in Canada. It is located in the north and contains about one-third of the world’s circumpolar boreal forests (also sometimes referred to as a snow forest).
- Coast Forest RegionLocated on the west coast, this region is home to almost entirely coniferous trees such as the Douglas-fir, Sitka spruce, western hemlock, and western red cedar.
- Columbia Forest RegionThis region is located between the Rocky Mountains and the central plateau in British Columbia.
- Deciduous Forest RegionThis Canadian forest region is located between Lake Huron, Lake Ontario, and Lake Erie in southwestern Ontario.
- Great Lakes – St. Lawrence Forest– This region is the second-largest forest region and is located from southeastern Manitoba to the Gaspé Peninsula.
- Montane Forest Region – Located in the west of Canada, this region covers parts of the Kootenays, the central plateau of British Columbia, and a number of valleys close to Alberta’s border.
- Subalpine Forest Region– This region is located in British Columbia and Alberta.
Sources:
#Canada, #Forest Types, #Ecozones,
Protect Canada’s Forests
| If you found out that at least $200 million of public funding went towards a single major corporation and its subsidiaries over the last few years, would you have questions about its operations? What if I told you they also managed 22 million hectares of forest across Canada [1]? Furthermore, what if they had global ties to a corporation with a documented track record of environmental and human rights violations [2]? Our brand new reports highlight the concerning lack of transparency and accountability surrounding the company that has been establishing itself as a logging giant across Canada for the last two decades: Domtar, formerly known as Paper Excellence and Resolute. Forests are living, breathing systems that sustain life, not just resources to be commodified. And now, with the Carney government giving natural resource lobbyists (those hired to speak on behalf of industry behind closed doors) so much access, pushing for transparency and accountability has never been more important [3]. |
| These new reports trace Domtar’s extensive lobbying activity during a critical four-year period, when the company (operating under different names) was facing growing public scrutiny, attempting to silence us through legal action, and approaching a federal investigation [4, 5, 6]. Despite clear rebranding and a carefully crafted “green” image [7], serious transparency gaps remain. Domtar’s sole owner, Jackson Wijaya, has still not appeared before the House of Commons Committee—even after being formally requested to do so [8]. Canadians are being left in the dark about who truly controls the largest forestry company in the country [9] and what that control means for the future of forests and communities. What the reports reveal is deeply concerning: The research shows that as Domtar ramped up lobbying ahead of federal scrutiny, it received over $200 million in public funding while facing environmental penalties and mill closures—raising serious questions about transparency and public benefit. This all reveals a stark imbalance: vast amounts of political access and public money flowing to one company, with too little transparency in return—at a moment when Canada’s forests are already under intense pressure from industrial logging, old growth logging, biodiversity loss, and a rapidly changing climate [10, 11, 12]. |
| That’s why we’re calling on Domtar’s owner, Jackson Wijaya, to appear before the House of Commons Committee and fully cooperate with its work. Canadians deserve clear, public answers about who controls Domtar, what the company’s long-term plans are, and what its expansion means for the future of forests and forest-based communities across Canada. Will you now add your name to demand transparency and accountability from the logging giant that’s been taking over forests across Canada? |
https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/paper-excellence-pulp-china-1.6772654
#Protect, #Canada, #Forests, #Logging, #PaperExcellence
Muslims in Siberia
MUSLIMS IN SIBERIA
In this documentary, you’ll see:
❄ The 1000-year-old tradition of Siberian Muslims ❄ How to pray in -50°C ❄ The reality of melting snow and performing ablution ❄ Long fasts of 19–21 hours ❄ The lives of Tatar and Bashkir Muslims ❄ The practice of Islam in Russia and Siberia This isn’t just a documentary, it’s a story of faith’s warmth and patience.
“The Muslim population of Siberia represented an ethnically heterogeneous community, which included Tatars, as well as immigrants from Central and Central Asia, the Caucasus and other regions. Such polyethnicity and proximity to the Asian region, as one of the centers of Muslim culture, contributed to building contacts between Muslims of Siberia and Central Asia. Expansion of the territorial borders of the Russian Empire in the second half of the 19th century. and the government’s special interest in Central Asia has influenced the development of relations between the Muslim population of the two neighboring regions. The purpose of this study was to identify the main areas of interaction between the Muslim population of Siberia and Central Asia in the second half of the 19th – early 20th century, as well as to estimate the role of the state in regulating this process. Based on archival material, the author found that one of the areas of interaction of the Muslim population was organizing spiritual life. Despite the fact that the government, in an effort to extend its influence to the Asian region, provided support to the Muslim population in the second half of the 19th century, the same building codes were applied to the construction of religious buildings for Bukharans, as for all other Muslims. The closest contacts between the Muslims of Siberia and the Bukharians were built within the framework of pilgrimage trips, since often the way to Mecca for them lay through the territories of Central Asia. In addition, there were holy places in the region, which the Muslims of Siberia aspired to. This fact was of particular concern to the Government. The reforms initiated in the country aimed at limitation of the rights of the Muslim population have reduced the migration flow from the Asian region to Siberia. “
Discover the world’s research
MUSLIMS IN ALASKA
In this powerful documentary, we explore the hidden life of Muslims in Alaska, where nature itself becomes a test of faith. Alaska is known for its extreme weather, but few people know that in some parts of Alaska, there are 6 months of daylight and 6 months of darkness. For Muslims living there, daily prayers, fasting in Ramadan, and raising children with Islamic values become a real challenge. How do Muslims pray when the sun does not set? How do they fast during Ramadan in Alaska? How do Muslim families survive isolation, cold, and religious minority pressure? This video reveals the real struggles, faith, and resilience of Alaska Muslims — from prayer in freezing temperatures to maintaining Islamic identity in a non-Muslim society. This is not just a story about Alaska. It is a story about faith, patience, and belief under extreme conditions. 👉 Watch till the end to understand how Islam survives in one of the harshest places on Earth.
#Muslims Life, #North, #Alaska, Siberia, #Muslim Lifestyle Northern Climates;