The Canadian ecumene - inhabited and uninhabited areas

The various types of ecumene in Canada are mapped and described in this study for the purpose of presenting a realistic picture of occupied and unoccupied land. The study was prepared from census data, recent largescale topographie maps, airphoto interpretation and published works. On the basis of total area and population, the density of population is 4.5 persons per square mile. However, as the basis of occupied land, or ecumene, the real density is 36.6 per square mile. Most of this occupied land comprises a strip along the southern border of the country where the farmed land and population centres are located. To the north of this zone the ecumene comprises connective strings or patches that are related to the development of natural resources. Future development possibilities within the sparsely settled zones of Northern Canada are likely to occur where rich minerai and fuel deposits exist, particularly where they are in conjunction with other natural resources.