1333, 3437 CANADA (Ontario) / UNITED STATES (New York) - Niagara Falls

1333

Located on the Niagara River, which drains Lake Erie into Lake Ontario, on the border between Canada and the United States, between the twin cities of Niagara Falls, Ontario, and Niagara Falls, New York, Niagara Falls is in fact an assembly of three waterfalls: the Horseshoe Falls, the American Falls and the Bridal Veil Falls. The Horseshoe Falls (furthest on the postcard 1333) lie mostly on the Canadian side and the American Falls (closest on the postcard 1333) entirely on the American side, separated by Goat Island.

3437

The smaller Bridal Veil Falls are also located on the American side, separated from the other waterfalls by Luna Island. The boundary line was drawn through Horseshoe Falls in 1819, but it has long been in dispute due to natural erosion and construction. The combined falls form the highest flow rate of any waterfall in the world, with a vertical drop of more than 50m. Niagara Falls were formed when glaciers receded at the end of the Wisconsin glaciation (the last ice age), and water from the newly formed Great Lakes carved a path through the Niagara Escarpment en route to the Atlantic Ocean.

0346, 2027, 2227, 2513, 3396, 3412 CANADA (Alberta) / UNITED STATES (Montana) - Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park (UNESCO WHS)

3396 Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park

The Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park is the union of the Waterton Lakes National Park in Canada and the Glacier National Park in the United States. Situated on the border between the two countries and offering outstanding scenery, the park is exceptionally rich in plant and mammal species as well as prairie, forest, and alpine and glacial features. It has a distinctive climate, physiographic setting, mountain-prairie interface, and tri-ocean hydrographical divide.

2027 CANADA - Waterton Lakes National Park -
Prince of Wales Hotel on the shore of Waterton Lake

Waterton Lakes National Park was named after Waterton Lake, in turn after the Victorian naturalist and conservationist Charles Waterton. The park contains 505 km2 of rugged mountains and wilderness, and ranges in elevation from 1,290m at the townsite to 2,910m at Mount Blakiston. Overlooked by the historic Prince of Wales Hotel, Waterton Lake is composed of two bodies of water, connected by a shallow channel known locally as the Bosporus.

2227 CANADA - Waterton Lakes National Park - Crypt Lake

Crypt Lake is a pristine alpine lake occupying a cirque that often has ice into August. Most of the area around the lake is covered in scree and/or snow, and hiking around the circumference of the lake requires approximately 45 minutes. The Crypt Lake Trail is one of the premium hikes in park. Wildlife can be spotted in the mountains towering above including mountain goat and bighorn sheep. The slopes along the Crypt Lake Trail serve as primary bear country. From Crypt Lake it is only a short walk to the edge of Crypt Falls with views over the valley below.

2513 CANADA - Waterton Lakes National Park - Cameron Falls

Located in Montana, Glacier National Park includes parts of three sub-ranges of the Rocky Mountains (Clark, Lewis, and Livingston Range), with at least 150 named mountain peaks over 2,400 m, over 130 named lakes (from a total of 700), more than 1,000 different species of plants and hundreds of species of animals. Of the estimated 150 glaciers which existed in the park in the mid-19th century, only 25 active glaciers remained by 2010, and is estimated that all the glaciers may disappear by 2020 if the current climate patterns persist.

0346 UNITED STATES - Glacier National Park -
Clements Mountain

Clements Mountain (2670m), located in the Lewis Range, which stands tall over Logan Pass and above the Hidden Lake Trail. The peak was named after Walter M. Clements who had worked to set up a treaty between the Native American tribe Blackfeet and the U.S. Government for the purchase of tribal lands east of the continental divide which became part of the park.

3412

Today, Blackfeet Indian Reservation borders the park in the east. Like other peaks in Glacier National Park, Clement Mountain exhibits a classic "Matterhorn" shape. Foreground is dominated by a plateau covered with a species of monkey-flowers, perhaps Lewis' monkeyflower (Mimulus lewisii), which is native to western North America, from Alaska to California and Colorado.

3384 CANADA (British Columbia) - Mount Seymour

Located in Mount Seymour Provincial Park, Mount Seymour is a part of the North Shore Mountains, rising to the north from the shores of Burrard Inlet and Indian Arm to a summit of 1,449 m above the Indian River and Deep Cove neighbourhoods. It is most commonly identified for its ski area of the same name, and as a popular hiking area. It is named in honour of Frederick Seymour, second governor of the Colony of British Columbia. The name is used to refer to the ridge although the main summit is one of several, and is also known as Third Peak.

0861, 1184, 1775, 1947, 2923, 2934 CANADA (Alberta / British Columbia) - Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks (UNESCO WHS)

0861 Banff National Park - Peyto Lake

Posted on 14.11.2013, 16.08.2014, 25.07.2015, 10.10.2015, 01.01.2017, 24.01.2017
Renowned for their scenic splendor, the Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks are comprised of Banff, and Jasper parks in Alberta, and Kootenay, Yoho, Mount Robson, Mount Assiniboine and Hamber parks in British Columbia. Together, they exemplify the outstanding physical features of the Rocky Mountain Biogeographical Province. Classic illustrations of glacial geological processes - including icefields, remnant valley glaciers, canyons and exceptional examples of erosion and deposition - are found throughout the area. The Burgess Shale Cambrian and nearby Precambrian sites contain important information about the earth's evolution.

1947 Banff National Park - Lake Louise

Located at 110-180km west of Calgary, Banff National Park is Canada's oldest national park, established in 1885. Named for an early trail guide and trapper, Peyto Lake is a glacier-fed lake formed in a valley of the Waputik Range, between Caldron Peak, Peyto Peak and Mount Jimmy Simpson, at an elevation of 1,860m. During the summer, significant amounts of glacial rock flour flow into the lake, and these suspended rock particles give the lake a bright, turquoise colour. The lake is fed by the Peyto Creek, which drains water from the Caldron Lake and Peyto Glacier, and flows into the Mistaya River. Lake Louise, named Lake of the Little Fishes by the Stoney Nakota First Nations people, is also a glacial lake within the same park, drained through the 3 km long Louise Creek into the Bow River, and having characteristics similar to Peyto Lake.

1184 Jasper National Park - Athabasca Glacier

 

One of the icefield of Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks is Columbia Icefield, which lies partly in the northwestern tip of Banff National Park and the southern end of Jasper National Park. It is about 325 km² in area, 100 to 365m in depth and receives up to 7m of snowfall per year. The icefield feeds eight major glaciers, including Athabasca Glacier. It currently recedes at a rate of about 5m per year and has receded more than 1.5km in the past 125 years and lost over half of its volume. The glacier moves down from the icefield at a rate of several centimetres per day. Due to its close proximity to the Icefields Parkway, between the Alberta towns of Banff and Jasper, and rather easy accessibility, it is the most visited glacier in North America.

1775 Jasper National Park - Maligne Lake

 

Jasper National Park is the largest national park in the Canadian Rockies, and includes the glaciers of the Columbia Icefield, hot springs, lakes, waterfalls and mountains. Located 44km south of Jasper town, Maligne Lake (from the French word for malignant or wicked) is famed for the colour of its water, the surrounding peaks, the three glaciers visible from the lake and Spirit Island. It is fed and drained by the Maligne River, which enters the lake on its south side, near Mount Unwin and drains the lake to the north. Spirit Island is a tiny tied island, frequently photographed, a view which many people associate with the Canadian Rockies.

2923 Yoho National Park - Emerald Lake

Located in southeastern British Columbia, Yoho National Park was named after a Cree expression of awe and wonder. Emerald Lake is the largest of Yoho's 61 lakes and ponds, as well as one of the park's premier tourist attractions. It is enclosed by mountains of the President Range, as well as Mount Burgess and Wapta Mountain. This basin traps storms, causing frequent rain in summer and heavy snowfalls in winter. This influx of moisture works with the lake's low elevation to produce a unique selection of flora. Due to its high altitude, the lake is frozen from November until June. The vivid turquoise color of the water, caused by powdered limestone, is most spectacular in July as the snow melts from the surrounding mountains.

2934 Yoho National Park -
A fossil of Bathyuriscus rotundatus

 

The Burgess Shale, located in Yoho National Park, has among the world's richest deposits of rare fossils. Bathyuriscus is an extinct genus of Cambrian trilobite. It was a nektobenthic predatory carnivore. The genus Bathyuriscus is endemic to the shallow seas that surrounded Laurentia. Its major characteristics are a large forward-reaching glabella, pointed pleurae or pleurae with very short spines, and a medium pygidium with well-impressed furrows.In Greek, bathys means deep, and oura - tail, so Bathyuriscus means a trilobite with a deep tail. On the other hand, rotundatus comes from the Latin rotundus - round, presumably alluding to the rounded outline of the dorsal shield.

2927 CANADA (Newfoundland and Labrador) - Atlantic puffin colony in Witless Bay Ecological Reserve

The Atlantic puffin (Fratercula arctica), also known as the common puffin, is a species of seabird in the auk family. It is the only puffin native to the Atlantic Ocean, and breeds in Iceland, Norway, Greenland, Newfoundland and many North Atlantic islands. Although it has a large population and a wide range, the species has declined rapidly, resulting in it being rated as vulnerable by the IUCN. This puffin has a black crown and back, pale grey cheek patches and white underparts. Its broad, boldly marked red and black beak and orange legs contrast with its plumage.

2587, 2588, 2921 CANADA - First Nations

2587 First Nations (1)

Posted on 01.06.2016, 28.12.2016
The First Nations are the various Aboriginal Canadians who are neither Inuit nor Métis. There are currently 634 recognized First Nations governments or bands spread across Canada, roughly half of which are in the provinces of Ontario and British Columbia. Although not without conflict or slavery, Euro-Canadians' early interactions with First Nations, Métis, and Inuit populations were less combative compared to the often violent battles between colonists and native peoples in the United States. In 2011, there were more than 1.3 million people in Canada who identified as being of First Nations heritage.

2588 First Nations (2)

First Nations can be grouped into cultural areas based on their ancestors' primary lifeway, or occupation, at the time of European contact. These culture areas correspond closely with the six main physical and ecological regions of Canada. Within each of these six areas, First Nations had very similar cultures, largely shaped by a common environment.  Even if today Aboriginal people live outside their ancestral homes, the traditional cultures of their ancestors still exert a strong influence on their culture, from spirituality to political attitudes.

2921 First Nations (3)

The six groups were: Woodland First Nations (in dense forest in the East); Iroquoian First Nations (in the southernmost area, a fertile land suitable for planting corn, beans and squash); Plains First Nations (on the grasslands of the Prairies); Plateau First Nations (from semi-desert conditions in the south to high mountains in the north); Pacific Coast First Nations (who had access to abundant salmon and shellfish); and the First Nations of the Mackenzie and Yukon River Basins (whose harsh environment consisted of dark forests, barren lands and the swampy terrain.

2834 CANADA (Quebec) - Architecture of Montreal

Historically the commercial capital of Canada, Montreal was surpassed in population and economic strength by Toronto only in the 1970s, and this is reflected in buildings inherited, that today provides an invaluable insight into the city's history, especially in the downtown area and the Old Port area. Therefore Montreal is an old, but a very modern city, and the modern buildings are situated right next to some of the oldest and most fascinating structures.

2785 CANADA (Alberta) - The map of the province

Alberta is a western province of Canada, one of the three prairie provinces, and is bounded by the provinces of British Columbia to the west and Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Territories to the north, and the U.S. state of Montana to the south. Alberta's capital, Edmonton, is near the geographic centre of the province and is the primary supply and service hub for Canada's crude oil, oil sands and other northern resource industries. About 290km south of the capital is Calgary, the largest city in Alberta.

2642 CANADA (Quebec) - The Cardinals Palace in Quebec City in 1930's

In 1843, Joseph Signay (1778-1850), the third archbishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Quebec, acquired two properties in order to build a new episcopal palace. The plans are prepared by the architect Thomas Baillairgé (1791-1859). Built in 1844 and 1845, the building in stone has three floors and a roof topped ridges with a lantern overlooking a classical pediment spirit. A columned portico underlines the entrance.

2618 CANADA (Quebec) - Victorian homes on Saint Louis Square in Montreal

Located in Plateau Mont Royal, one of the 19 boroughs of Montreal, at northeast of downtown, characterized by brightly coloured houses, cafés, book shops, and a laissez-faire attitude, Saint-Louis Square was considered by The Project for Public Spaces "the closest thing to a European neighborhood square you'll find this side of the Atlantic." Created in 1876 on the site of the city's former reservoir, was named for two businessmen, brothers Emmanuel and Jean-Baptiste Saint-Louis.

2610 CANADA (Quebec) - Mont-Tremblant

Located in the Laurentian mountains, approximately 130km northwest of Montreal and 140km northeast of Ottawa, Mont-Tremblant is most famous for its ski resort, the Mont-Tremblant Ski Resort, which is 5km from the village proper, at the foot of a mountain called Mont Tremblant (derived from local Algonquins who referred to it as the "trembling mountain"). It is surrounded by lush boreal forest and breathtaking views, standing at 875m altitude.

0011, 2584 CANADA (Ontario) - Downtown Toronto

2584 Downtown Toronto seen from the Western Channel,
with CN Tower and Rogers Centre

 

Posted on 13.10.2011, 29.05.2016

Located entirely within the former municipality of Old Toronto, Downtown Toronto is approximately bounded by Bloor Street to the north, Lake Ontario to the south, the Don River to the east, and Bathurst Street to the west. The area is made up of the city's largest concentration of skyscrapers and businesses. Toronto has a prominent skyline and, as of 2015, has the third most skyscrapers in North America exceeding 200m in height, behind New York City and Chicago, respectively.

0011 Downtown Toronto in evening

In the 1970s, Toronto experienced major economic growth and surpassed Montreal to become the largest city in Canada. Many international and domestic businesses relocated to Toronto and created massive new skyscrapers in downtown. The area's First Canadian Place is the tallest building in Canada at height of 298m. The CN Tower, once the tallest free-standing structure in the world, remains the tallest such structure in the Americas, standing at 553.33m. Other notable buildings include Scotia Plaza, TD Centre, Commerce Court, the Royal Bank Plaza, The Bay's flagship store, and the Fairmont Royal York Hotel.