Geography
Geography is concerned with the nature and significance of the patterns, places and landscapes that make up the earth’s surface. Geographers attempt to answer questions by understanding the interaction and interconnection among human and physical phenomena (human and physical geography) that give places their distinctive character.
Geographers help us look at the landscape in many different ways. Think of an atlas with transparent overlays. One overlay might show
At Statistics Canada, geographers analyse economic and social data from a geographer’s point of view. They provide a spatial context, via unique statistical codes, to provide a framework for organizing the vast amount of data Statistics Canada produces.
Sorting Canada by geographic area
One major coding structure for sorting data geographically is the Standard Geographical Classification (SGC), which Statistics Canada developed to denote a hierarchy of three related geographic areas: provinces and territories, census divisions (counties, regional municipalities) and census subdivisions (municipalities).
By using unique geographic coding, researchers can track not only how many people live in
At the top level of this classification hierarchy are the provinces and territories. Each is assigned a unique two-digit code. For example,
Census divisions and subdivisions
The next geographic unit down is the census division, defined as a grouping of neighbouring municipalities. Census divisions are relatively stable geographic areas, which makes it easier to follow trends over time. In
A census division’s designation may correspond to a county, a regional district or a regional municipality. In
The smallest geographic area in the Standard Geographical Classification is the census subdivision. Generally, a census subdivision is a single municipality or its equivalent, such as an Indian reserve. In 2001, there were 5,600 census subdivisions in
Census subdivisions can change, however, due to municipal restructuring. For example, the City of
Putting that all together, these create a unique seven-digit identifier for every geographic location across the country. Completing the above examples, that gives an SGC identifier of 2449057 for the
Roads and boundaries
Geographers also look at
Statistics
Used together, these two files yield a very detailed portrait of all parts of the country. This can be a powerful tool for geographers and other researchers.
Mapping our population
Geographers use the term ecumene—from the Greek meaning inhabited space—to refer to land where people have made their home, and to all work areas that are considered occupied.
Different types of ecumenes—industrial, environmental, forestry—have unique characteristics. For example, an agricultural ecumene shows land where people engage in some form of farming. Geographers overlay data onto agricultural ecumenes in order to create maps of any kind of agricultural activity down to small geographic areas.
A population ecumene is based on blocks that have a minimum population density of 0.4 persons per square kilometre. In cities, this usually corresponds with a city block. Geographers use population ecumenes and other geographic boundaries such as provincial/territorial and census division boundaries to create thematic maps that more accurately depict the spatial distribution of data from the Census of Population
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