While physical and historical geography have traditionally played a central role in the study of Canadian geography, The Regional Geography of Canada gives more weight to the coverage of contemporary economic and social factors which have transformed the spatial fabric of Canada's landscape. The most powerful global event affecting Canada and its regions has been the liberalization of world of world trade, as exemplified by GATT and NAFTA. The text consists of two sections. The first section examines elements and issues that affect the national character of Canada. it begins by discussing the concept of regions, the core/periphery model, and the major physiographic regions of Canada. This is followed by a chapter on Canada's physical geography; a chapter on Canada's history, which includes a discussion of the two dominant visions of Canada; and a chapter examining the basic demographic, economic, and social issues, as well as the national and global forces that affect both Canada and its regions. The second section of The Regional Geography of Canada moves from the national scene to the regional one. This section is divided into six chapters, each focusing on a region: Ontario; Quebec; British Columbia; Western Canada; Atlantic Canada; and, the Territorial North. Each region has a set of physical and human characteristics that distinguish it from the other regions of the country. To emphasize the economic specialty of each region, each chapter has a key topic that discusses a prominent economic activity.