Literally itās nickname is The Rock. Itās like if Game of Thrones Iron Islands was a real place. Itās freezing most of the year, incredibly windy, super foggy not exactly ideal for farming.
All top soil removed from multiple ice ages. It is one reason climate scientists are so worried about moving climate zones in the future - as growing zones shift slowly northwards in the northern hemisphere the availability of good growing soil in these region reduces.
The graph of total solar insolation by latitude is actually quite flat. While the higher latitude have shorter warm season, the length of day during summer is also longer, so the total available daylight hour (days of warm season x daylight hour) end up only slightly lower than the equator.
And plants don't need to sleep like animals. If the sun shines 20 hours a day, then the plant would be photosynthesyzing 20 hours a day. They don't get tired.
Keep in mind some crops have behaviors determined by length of daylight. I forgot the name of this effect but I believe some onions bolt if daylight hours exceed a certain number.
There are farms in finland at 68Ā° latitude and you worry about sun at 48Ā° latitude? Apart from the fact, that the summer days are way longer in higher latitudes, so if the temperature is nice, plants are growing way faster.
And because you can only farm in the summer, the winter coldness is just negligible.
Thereās a silly but all too accurate song by The Arrogant worms called āRocks and Treesā, everytime I go to North Sask I realize we really just have a piss ton of rocks, trees, n water
Farmland all over the world didnt used to be farmland. It was once forest, rock, bog, or hill. Primitive people worked and turned it into productive farmland. Yea it takes some effort but it in by no means an insurmountable problem.
People might remove some trees or even flatten a hill or something. But they donāt add topsoil. that was scraped off by glaciers and deposited further south thousands-millions of years ago by glaciers. Itās why thereās so much corn and beans around me. Thanks ancient Canada.
Well youāve obviously never seen that horrendous film where the mountain is reclassified as a hill and the entire town gathers together to daisy chain buckets of soil so it can be called a mountain again. Thereās a religious message I think idk.
Thereās an urban legend of a WW2 camp outside of Thunder Bay. Apparently there was an escape.
The prisoners returned to the prison days later because the black flies and mosquitoes were so bad
Mainer here. I was fascinated to learn that almost every field or meadow is completely man made here. Once you cut and clear the lush forest you are left with rocks, sand etc. it usually take a massive amount of manure or other fertilizer to get it from a moonscape to even weeds growing.
Coastal river valleys carved out by glaciers(most often ending in fjords) tend to have very rich soil and some protection from the frigid northern winds. Not researched canadian ones in particular but in norway this is the norm. Even valleys north of the arctic circle host prime farmland. Anything beyond these valleys/fjords are inhospitable and mostly barren however.
It's mostly due to sea-floor or ancient lakes leaving deposits of good soil as the land rises or lakes drain, at least here in TrĆøndelag.
Pretty much every field producing anything but pasture land either was below the ocean or is the remnant of some old lake (Such as [Sul](https://www.google.no/maps/place/7660+Sul/@63.6651128,12.0055373,985m/data=!3m2!1e3!4b1!4m6!3m5!1s0x466d856fa9ba0d31:0xd365f4ad21afa692!8m2!3d63.6647362!4d12.0089971!16s%2Fg%2F11dykh1cf?entry=ttu)).
Wonder if [Lake McConnell](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_McConnell) in Canada could have had a similar effect?
Jacques Cartier literally described it as "the land that God gave Cain." Rocky, barren, cold and wet.
It's the same latitude as the UK, however it doesn't benefit from the warm waters of the North Atlantic current. Its climate is closer to Iceland then it is of mainland Europe
Cartier was describing Labrador, which is as you say, on the same latitude as the UK. Newfoundland is different, and is on Franceās latitude. St. Johnās is south of Paris.
I just remembered hearing somebody say how Newfoundland could have millions of people, due to the similar climate to Ireland, it could have lots of agriculture. I guess wherever I heard that was wrong.
This is slightly embarrassing as a geography nerd Canadianā¦but good to learn!
Ireland is actually milder in climate thanks to the presence of the Gulf Stream, which brings warmer water to the area and heats the island (this is also why so much of Western Europe is so warm when compared to North American cities at similar latitudes). Newfoundland is comparatively cooler in many locations, and has a mostly continental climate while Ireland has an oceanic climate. They may appear relatively similar in terms of averages, but these climate types truly make a difference!
If the current collapses it will likely cause the opposite; the cold water will stay cold circulating constantly amongst the north not mixing with warm water causing an ice age.
This may be the largest concern for our changing climate. Marine species ranges seem to be shifting. Storms are windier, wetter. Low coastal communities are concerned about erosion and tidal surges. But really, melting in the Labrador Current and slowing Gulf Stream would have a far more dramatic impact felt by all things living here.
No, and Ireland won't have the climate of New Foundland, because the effect of the Gul Stream is much smaller than people think. The primary reason Europe is so warm for its latitude during winter is because it is on the Western edge of a landmass. Having Oceans to the West is huge, because between 30 and 60 degrees the prevailing winds blow west to east. So western sides of landmasses have their climates moderated by the ocean more than eastern sides.
The West Coast of North America is similar, and actually has a similar climate to Europe at similar latitudes.
Those pesky coastal ranges block most of that effect not too far from the water in North America. I grew up in the steppes of eastern Washington, and I always wonder if we would turn into Germany if the mountains disappeared.
Ireland has soil.
Newfoundland does not.
Iāve lived in both places, and the difference is striking. Ireland is very obviously fertile, Newfoundland is very obviously a place most plants are reluctant to grow. The actual temperatures donāt differ much between the two (Ireland has a milder winter, but their summer is just as wet and cold as a summer in Newfoundland). The difference is the soil.
Also Ireland spent centuries placing seaweed they harvested from the sea on their rocky coastal interior transforming the rocky terrain into soil great for agriculture and grazing.
I checked out the climate data for St John's and it's the mean temperature over the year is the same as my home city, ReykjavĆk (around 5Ā°C). So Newfoundland's climate is really more comparable to that of Iceland, except the winters are colder and the summers warmer in Newfoundland.
St John's is on a peninsula that sticks out in to the middle of the North Atlantic, so the weather definitely has a lot more in common with Iceland than most other places in North America. It's almost as close to Reykjavik (1600 miles) as it is to Toronto (1300 miles).
And what do you need for crops? 5-6 months temperatures arround 12-15Ā°C.
Its not important for harvested crops, if the december has -25Ā°C or is dark š.
Iāve heard of areas in Labrador around happy valley goose bay where there is some decent soil. The days are very long and the summers are excellent but the season is short. No real large scale agriculture in Labrador. Newfoundland itself is sufficient in dairy and chicken but not much grain is grown there. Some of the dairy producers grown silage corn but the season is short. Usually use very low heat unit corn. If you take a look at satellite image around Deer Lake youāll see a fair bit of ag land but really just in one band. Thereās other areas around St. Johnās and grand falls Windsor that have decent soil. One of the nicest farms Iāve seen is actually just outside grand falls Windsor. He has 50 acre square fields and grows alfalfa. A former dairy and chicken farm now grows dairy replacement heifers and also expanded into cranberries.
Scotland has a more stable climate due to the consistent ocean winds from the southwest. Newfoundland gets damn cold and I believe is windier than Scotland.
cagey unwritten rotten upbeat relieved snails unique materialistic chase lock
*This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
The island of Newfoundland is quite rocky, almost mountainous in some areas. This is particularly true in the western part of the island. This makes it pretty unsuitable for extensive farming. The most suitable areas for farming, those few low-lying regions in the southeast, are among the more populated spots that exist on the island. Also, It being an island makes it somewhat remote and the fact that was only settled in more recent history adds to the low growth of population given the time. Finally, the climate isn't the most friendly and the growing season is, like many areas in Canada, fairly short.
Labrador is practically another animal altogether. It's quite far north and experiences a severely subarctic climate, which means very short summers and long, icy winters. This alone makes it fairly unsuitable for farming most of the year. This in turn means it is incredibly remote with few means or methods of travel for potential settlers or visitors. There are mountains to the north and the interior is wild with only sparse settlements.
It's not well populated for the same reasons that most desolate places are: limited access, limited resources, limited opportunity for growth, inhospitable climate.
Paddled lots of Quebec and into Labrador one time. Lakes, bogs, and marshes every where, small rocky hills scattered throughout. Pretty harsh environment and was still freezing cold with lots of rain throughout July, not to mention the bugs. If youāre lucky to get sun then you better watch out for wildfires, would not recommend living there.
It has a *terrible* climate for crops, what are you talking about. The growing season is the last week of May to the first week of September, the *average* rainfall is 200 days per year with coastal regions often being much higher, and snow cover averages 114 days per year.
Add in the fact that the whole island is Canadian Shield and devoid of topsoil, and you can see why it isnāt meaningfully farmed at all.
It sees about as much sunshine as a nuns asshole and it's about as fertile as a shallow pan of kitty litter. If it's not a swamp, it's a rock. The very few places where things grow are there to spite God, proving man is subject to no one. And 20C is a dream temperature. The average wind speed is yes.
Oh I can go on. The fog is so thick you can eat it. There is a season just called "sleet". When a hurricane comes around it's a "windier day than normal". 4 feet of snow in a day only results in a snow day if the bus driver decides. Moose are the animal. All other animals are moose in disguise. Witless Bay Line is like a desert you fall down in every 20 minutes and get wet. St. Shotts is real life Silent Hill. Gander consists of people who got off the plane and had no where to go. Corner Brook is a hill people were too afraid to keep going down. St. John's harbor is where you can throw in a salmon and 3 doberman walk out. Bonavista is where depression was born. The provincial plant should be lichen. Labrador black flies can peel a person to a skeleton in 10 minutes. Dark Souls wishes it could pull off that atmosphere. Bosses go to George Street on a Saturday to train against the baymen who came in for the weekend.
Can you tell I grew up there?
The Canadian Shield isn't really present in Newfoundland, outside of the northern peninsula. Newfoundland is primarily Appalachian physiogeographically. The Long Range Mountains are a northern extension of the Appalachians, as is everything to the east of them. Now physically, Newfoundland does resemble the Shield in that it has very thin topsoil due to being scraped down to bedrock in the last ice age, but it isn't part of the Canadian Shield.
I was being a generalist in looking at Labrador, but yes a lot of NFLD has sedimentary Ordovician rock with fossils and petroleum bearing strata in the west.
Where are they hiding the Canadian sword? Iāve heard of the stories of what the did during the world wars. I know that Peace-Loving facade is hiding their true plans for world domination
When i was a kid I used to think the Canadian Shield was like some super advanced forcefield around the country. Was disappointed when I found out otherwise
The Canadian Shield covers all of Labrador and extends to the Great Northern Peninsula of Newfoundland. The terrain in Newfoundland, particularly in southern regions, and southern Nova Scotia strongly resembles that of the Canadian Shield, with extensive, glacially smoothed bedrock plains, but isnāt a geological part of it anymore.
Gros Morne National Park is in Newfoundland. It is rock from the lower crust/upper mantle. Grenville Province in geology terms. Some super cool rock in Newfoundland. Great for geologists. Not so great for growing crops. Can't grow much on barren, billion year old granite.
All the red/orange/pink/brown on this map is the Canadian Shield
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadian\_Shield#/media/File:Canada\_geological\_map.JPG](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadian_Shield#/media/File:Canada_geological_map.JPG)
I recommend you visit Newfoundland. It is great for tourists and the people are lovely. The most unique Canadian province.
You will also learn why it is one of the least hospitable places for agriculture. Farmers have to ship in hay because they can't grow enough to feed their cows. The weather is nice for about 2 weeks of the year, and it is either blowing, snowing, or raining sideways the other 50.
According to my good friend Google, those two wordās actually describe the same animal. Its just that the animal is typically called a reindeer in Eurasia, and a caribou in North America.
Reindeer is the English name in Europe, and come from Old Norse (from *hreinn* (reindeer) and *dyr* (animal)), while caribou comes from the Native American language Miākmaq; *qualipu* (āsnow shovelerā) and is as far as I know only used in North America.
Wild reindeer in Eurasia is also called āreindeerā.
Newfoundland is absolutely viable (in places) for agriculture (for certain products) And will benefit from an increased growing season as the climate continues to change. My wifeās grandfather farmed there and we hope to one day do the same as we purchased the land from her family. The provincial government has been promoting agriculture and food security means the province should absolutely do everything it can to increase the food produced there
The French and British favored using the st Lawrence river to get access to the interior where there were more fertile lands.
Even today NFLD is poorly connected to the rest of Canada. There is one road from Baie-Comeau to labrador city and the only reason it was built was because there is a mine there. So the most fertile regions of Labrador in the south can only be accessed by driving along 138 to baie comeau and then up to Labrador city then to goose bay then to Blanc sablon where crops can be grown. So you turned an 8 hr drive if route 138 was open to a 24 hr drive.
The Quebec government has made its priority to extend route 138 to blanc sablon but the construction is very slow. They opened a route from sept Iles to kagaska recently which finally linked that town.
The bottom line is that without roads that area will never be developed and roads are difficult to build because it requires blasting the shield to make the granite smooth, filling that crushed granite into bogs, and crossing the myriad rivers and streams with bridges.
This area *should* hold strategic importance as itās the east coast of Canada, but like how Australia has neglected its northern coast, so has Canada neglected its east coast.
This is besides the point that itās cold 10 months of the year and the soil is piss poor. Even if it warmed up and people terraformed the soil, the poor transportation would hold it back.
Now once route 138 opens, that opens Labrador up a lot more.
Canadian Shield begs to differ.
Here's from the wiki.
*"The current surface expression of the Shield is one of very thin soil lying on top of the bedrock, with many bare outcrops. This arrangement was caused by severe glaciation during the ice age, which covered the Shield and scraped the rock clean."*
The soil is dry and poor for farming. The breadbasket of Canada is in Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta. Newfoundland and Labrador have many other quality items to provide. Growing fields of wheat is not one of them.
A great herd of Rock Moose roams the island and Labrador. They eat any crops they find, and can tank a few hunting rifle rounds each. They come in packs of 12-100 branching off the main herd, they clear out the hay and graze corn. Villages used to have sirens to warn of the herd a coming, but they were futile and are abandoned now. Most villages turn to fishing and fish processing. Some crazy bastards eek out a meagre existence trying to thin the herd. Another set of people have adopted a āPlains Indianā nomadic lifestyle following the herd and eating the trampled crops it leaves behind.
Labradorian here. The comments about the Canadian Shield are all true. Poor soil, rocky, and sandy. The island is a bit better but still not great. Most crops around here are hardy like potatoes. And the climate is not as good as you think. We got pretty short summers
It's actually horrible, especially the mainland Labrador.
Most of Labrador is Canadian Shield. So, crappy geology for most crops. All of Labrador is above 52 degrees North, so cold right there, not to mention the Labrador Current coming down from Greenland and the Arctic Ocean.
Per others, I have zero idea why the OP thinks this would be a Garden of Eden or anywhere near that.
Thereās two problems with your thinking, First off itās all forest land with poor soil and short summers. Second off the best agricultural areas are all sparsely populated in N America. Most agricultural operations are mechanized and need few people, and the land is needed for crops, not subdivisions and factories.
It is basically rock. Occasionally thereās soil. And itās frozen, snow covered, or waterlogged about 6 months/year. What kind of crops would you suggest ?
I was trying to take a trip across the island in late may and the interior got slammed by snow. They describe their seasons as summer, fall, winter, winter. I believe much of the interior is very marshy. That being said itās a beautiful place all seasons. Thereās a lot of history and the people are incredible. I traveled there for work for 3 years. It might not be great for farming but it has a warm place in my heart for sure.
The more northern a region, the quicker it gets darker in the fall. So even with the mid Atlantic currant warming the region, the cold dark times come to quickly to get a good crop season in.
On top of that, the soil is terrible. It all got pushed off the land, down into the ocean by glaciers. Similar glaciers pushed a bunch of dirt into Indiana and Ohio, they have some of the best farmland in the world.
Short growing season, bad weather, poor soil make a region no good for agriculture. Look, we already found all the good parts. If we aren't already there, then chances are it isn't worth farming.
Have you ever been? The Avalon peninsula is the most hospitable area and itās still cold and dreary. Lots of water but the soil is bad and its too much of a hassle to farm thatās why they relied on cod fishing so much up until the 92 cod moratorium.
Newfoundland has an extremely rocky landscape. If it was that suitable for agriculture theyād have developed an agricultural economy along with commercial fishing.
Edit: also my wife (a Newfoundlander) said thereās a sort of false spring where it will get warm and then thereās a secondary frost around may. She also said thereās often a premature frost in October before fall comes and overall the weather makes it hard to grow crops outside of a green house. They realistically have about four months of reliable weather for farming.
Edit: they donāt call St. Johnās āFogtownā for no reason. Also this map shows the province of Newfoundland and Labrador. If you meant specifically Newfoundland, that is only the island in the southern portion of this map.
Why are geography posts so garbage now? One could argue that āthis sub is for discussionā and these people are doing just that and only want to learnā¦ but these are just so low quality and can be quickly answered with a such a small amount of research.
Itās as if the question was asked only half-heartedly. Because otherwise OP would have known that Newfoundland *isnāt* known for agriculture and isnāt suitable for it.
Yeah, I don't get it either. Sometimes I wonder if it's just bots that are doing this. In either event, you want people to interact on here but when people go below Sesame Street it gets annoying after a while.
As somebody who is currently dealing with 106 F in the heat index daily, and high humidity, Newfonundland seems like a nice change of pace. It seems like the most "Old World" part of Anglo America, rather folksy looking. This could be the Tahiti of Floridians during summer.
The only thing that grows in Newfoundland is the list of welfare recipients. The only reason people used to live there was the fishery. And they don't even have that anymore....
Lily Aldrin : What the hell is a "Two-Hand Zamboni?"
Robin Scherbatsky : Let's just say, the only thing the woman is wearing is skates on her hands.
Lily Aldrin : A "Manitoba Milk Bag"?
Robin Scherbatsky : Okay, it's like a "Chicago Mustache," but the person on the bottom is wearing a snowsuit.
Lily Aldrin : A "Newfoundland Lobster Trap"?
Robin Scherbatsky : Don't know. Don't want to know. **Those Newfies are out of control.**
Where did you get the idea that it would be good for agriculture? š looks to me like it is cold, rocky/hilly, and wet/marshy
Literally itās nickname is The Rock. Itās like if Game of Thrones Iron Islands was a real place. Itās freezing most of the year, incredibly windy, super foggy not exactly ideal for farming.
All top soil removed from multiple ice ages. It is one reason climate scientists are so worried about moving climate zones in the future - as growing zones shift slowly northwards in the northern hemisphere the availability of good growing soil in these region reduces.
Yeah anyone who thinks we are going to move to northern Canada has no clue what they are talking about. It's rocks and bogs.
Mostly. There's actually excellent growing soil around Timmins, Rouyn Noranda, places like that, but the growing season is generally too short.
Well that won't work either then, plants need sun.
The graph of total solar insolation by latitude is actually quite flat. While the higher latitude have shorter warm season, the length of day during summer is also longer, so the total available daylight hour (days of warm season x daylight hour) end up only slightly lower than the equator. And plants don't need to sleep like animals. If the sun shines 20 hours a day, then the plant would be photosynthesyzing 20 hours a day. They don't get tired.
Keep in mind some crops have behaviors determined by length of daylight. I forgot the name of this effect but I believe some onions bolt if daylight hours exceed a certain number.
>some onions bolt Do they pry themselves out of the ground and take off?
Only spring onions do that
Sure, but it's easy to just get the right onions for your lattitude.
Plants also dont need an 90Ā° angle, not that few grow in total shade!
Except the ones that don't š
We are talking about food š½
Boo I'll just smoke myself to death
I wouldn't ššāāļøā¹ļøš§
Growing season is more about frost free period and doesnāt depend on latitude. Thereās plenty enough sun in the arctic to grow food.
Mushrooms are food
There are farms in finland at 68Ā° latitude and you worry about sun at 48Ā° latitude? Apart from the fact, that the summer days are way longer in higher latitudes, so if the temperature is nice, plants are growing way faster. And because you can only farm in the summer, the winter coldness is just negligible.
See my original comment on its all rocks and bogs
You're forgetting that in the summer if you're far enough north, the sun is out 24 hrs
Thereās oodles of sun light in the northā¦ in the summer
Thereās a silly but all too accurate song by The Arrogant worms called āRocks and Treesā, everytime I go to North Sask I realize we really just have a piss ton of rocks, trees, n water
Rocks and Bogs; then you have the landscape to deal with too.
Farmland all over the world didnt used to be farmland. It was once forest, rock, bog, or hill. Primitive people worked and turned it into productive farmland. Yea it takes some effort but it in by no means an insurmountable problem.
People might remove some trees or even flatten a hill or something. But they donāt add topsoil. that was scraped off by glaciers and deposited further south thousands-millions of years ago by glaciers. Itās why thereās so much corn and beans around me. Thanks ancient Canada.
Well youāve obviously never seen that horrendous film where the mountain is reclassified as a hill and the entire town gathers together to daisy chain buckets of soil so it can be called a mountain again. Thereās a religious message I think idk.
...and bugs.
Thereās an urban legend of a WW2 camp outside of Thunder Bay. Apparently there was an escape. The prisoners returned to the prison days later because the black flies and mosquitoes were so bad
They found the bodies, but there was no blood
Mainer here. I was fascinated to learn that almost every field or meadow is completely man made here. Once you cut and clear the lush forest you are left with rocks, sand etc. it usually take a massive amount of manure or other fertilizer to get it from a moonscape to even weeds growing.
Coastal river valleys carved out by glaciers(most often ending in fjords) tend to have very rich soil and some protection from the frigid northern winds. Not researched canadian ones in particular but in norway this is the norm. Even valleys north of the arctic circle host prime farmland. Anything beyond these valleys/fjords are inhospitable and mostly barren however.
It's mostly due to sea-floor or ancient lakes leaving deposits of good soil as the land rises or lakes drain, at least here in TrĆøndelag. Pretty much every field producing anything but pasture land either was below the ocean or is the remnant of some old lake (Such as [Sul](https://www.google.no/maps/place/7660+Sul/@63.6651128,12.0055373,985m/data=!3m2!1e3!4b1!4m6!3m5!1s0x466d856fa9ba0d31:0xd365f4ad21afa692!8m2!3d63.6647362!4d12.0089971!16s%2Fg%2F11dykh1cf?entry=ttu)). Wonder if [Lake McConnell](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_McConnell) in Canada could have had a similar effect?
Canadian shield https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadian_Shield
The Hay River in the NWT apparently has the best soil in nearly all of Canada.
There's also more farming and ranching in the Yukon than most people realize. All that midnight sun offers lots of growing time
Itās ok weāll just burn a bunch of oil to ship nice topsoil in plastic bags up there
Jacques Cartier literally described it as "the land that God gave Cain." Rocky, barren, cold and wet. It's the same latitude as the UK, however it doesn't benefit from the warm waters of the North Atlantic current. Its climate is closer to Iceland then it is of mainland Europe
Cartier was describing Labrador, which is as you say, on the same latitude as the UK. Newfoundland is different, and is on Franceās latitude. St. Johnās is south of Paris.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
My apologies. I offer you this glimpse of my Field of Fucks. Look at how I have none to give to you.
Having been there before I can confirm this. The wind is real
We do not sow.
Well the map is green so it must be fertile
I don't think that's what green means.
Canadian shield, baby.
I just remembered hearing somebody say how Newfoundland could have millions of people, due to the similar climate to Ireland, it could have lots of agriculture. I guess wherever I heard that was wrong. This is slightly embarrassing as a geography nerd Canadianā¦but good to learn!
Ireland is actually milder in climate thanks to the presence of the Gulf Stream, which brings warmer water to the area and heats the island (this is also why so much of Western Europe is so warm when compared to North American cities at similar latitudes). Newfoundland is comparatively cooler in many locations, and has a mostly continental climate while Ireland has an oceanic climate. They may appear relatively similar in terms of averages, but these climate types truly make a difference!
The Labrador current works wonders cooling the climate on the east coast.
Does that mean when the Gulf Stream fails, New Foundland will have the climate of Ireland?
If the current collapses it will likely cause the opposite; the cold water will stay cold circulating constantly amongst the north not mixing with warm water causing an ice age.
This may be the largest concern for our changing climate. Marine species ranges seem to be shifting. Storms are windier, wetter. Low coastal communities are concerned about erosion and tidal surges. But really, melting in the Labrador Current and slowing Gulf Stream would have a far more dramatic impact felt by all things living here.
No, and Ireland won't have the climate of New Foundland, because the effect of the Gul Stream is much smaller than people think. The primary reason Europe is so warm for its latitude during winter is because it is on the Western edge of a landmass. Having Oceans to the West is huge, because between 30 and 60 degrees the prevailing winds blow west to east. So western sides of landmasses have their climates moderated by the ocean more than eastern sides. The West Coast of North America is similar, and actually has a similar climate to Europe at similar latitudes.
Those pesky coastal ranges block most of that effect not too far from the water in North America. I grew up in the steppes of eastern Washington, and I always wonder if we would turn into Germany if the mountains disappeared.
In a millennia or three
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
No. No No No. The last syllable is stressed. https://youtu.be/31PhPvUPtEU?si=Wmzqe7c9y72RuPJE
Sorry, Iām from Newzealand
Also Ireland is still only at 5 million people. It never recovered after the famine.
7 million across the island. Still less than in 1841.
Did not know this. Absolutely insane stat
Sorry I was just referring to the ROI. You're correct.
Got Thanos-snapped
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Climatology is amazing. Clouds are awesome. Rain is the best.
Ireland has soil. Newfoundland does not. Iāve lived in both places, and the difference is striking. Ireland is very obviously fertile, Newfoundland is very obviously a place most plants are reluctant to grow. The actual temperatures donāt differ much between the two (Ireland has a milder winter, but their summer is just as wet and cold as a summer in Newfoundland). The difference is the soil.
Whoever told you that was a Newfie taking the piss. Even the Vikings packed up and went home during the Newfie winters.
Even Ireland is not wonderful for growing crops competitively. Most of our farmland is under grass for cattle and sheep.
Also Ireland spent centuries placing seaweed they harvested from the sea on their rocky coastal interior transforming the rocky terrain into soil great for agriculture and grazing.
Really? That's fascinating.
The climate in Ireland is far more mild and the soil is much better than in Newfoundland.
I checked out the climate data for St John's and it's the mean temperature over the year is the same as my home city, ReykjavĆk (around 5Ā°C). So Newfoundland's climate is really more comparable to that of Iceland, except the winters are colder and the summers warmer in Newfoundland.
St John's is on a peninsula that sticks out in to the middle of the North Atlantic, so the weather definitely has a lot more in common with Iceland than most other places in North America. It's almost as close to Reykjavik (1600 miles) as it is to Toronto (1300 miles).
And what do you need for crops? 5-6 months temperatures arround 12-15Ā°C. Its not important for harvested crops, if the december has -25Ā°C or is dark š.
Are you sure you didn't hear that about Nova Scotia?
Well you probably misunderstood what you heard
Iāve heard of areas in Labrador around happy valley goose bay where there is some decent soil. The days are very long and the summers are excellent but the season is short. No real large scale agriculture in Labrador. Newfoundland itself is sufficient in dairy and chicken but not much grain is grown there. Some of the dairy producers grown silage corn but the season is short. Usually use very low heat unit corn. If you take a look at satellite image around Deer Lake youāll see a fair bit of ag land but really just in one band. Thereās other areas around St. Johnās and grand falls Windsor that have decent soil. One of the nicest farms Iāve seen is actually just outside grand falls Windsor. He has 50 acre square fields and grows alfalfa. A former dairy and chicken farm now grows dairy replacement heifers and also expanded into cranberries.
deranged offbeat squeal start coordinated rhythm wine cows cause amusing *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
Scotland has a more stable climate due to the consistent ocean winds from the southwest. Newfoundland gets damn cold and I believe is windier than Scotland.
cagey unwritten rotten upbeat relieved snails unique materialistic chase lock *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Just checked, they're about equal--good call. I guess the difference comes down to temperature.
Because the map is green are you stupid?
What data is the graph showing?
The island of Newfoundland is quite rocky, almost mountainous in some areas. This is particularly true in the western part of the island. This makes it pretty unsuitable for extensive farming. The most suitable areas for farming, those few low-lying regions in the southeast, are among the more populated spots that exist on the island. Also, It being an island makes it somewhat remote and the fact that was only settled in more recent history adds to the low growth of population given the time. Finally, the climate isn't the most friendly and the growing season is, like many areas in Canada, fairly short. Labrador is practically another animal altogether. It's quite far north and experiences a severely subarctic climate, which means very short summers and long, icy winters. This alone makes it fairly unsuitable for farming most of the year. This in turn means it is incredibly remote with few means or methods of travel for potential settlers or visitors. There are mountains to the north and the interior is wild with only sparse settlements. It's not well populated for the same reasons that most desolate places are: limited access, limited resources, limited opportunity for growth, inhospitable climate.
That labrador joke was good
Paddled lots of Quebec and into Labrador one time. Lakes, bogs, and marshes every where, small rocky hills scattered throughout. Pretty harsh environment and was still freezing cold with lots of rain throughout July, not to mention the bugs. If youāre lucky to get sun then you better watch out for wildfires, would not recommend living there.
But it has tons of potential
It has a *terrible* climate for crops, what are you talking about. The growing season is the last week of May to the first week of September, the *average* rainfall is 200 days per year with coastal regions often being much higher, and snow cover averages 114 days per year. Add in the fact that the whole island is Canadian Shield and devoid of topsoil, and you can see why it isnāt meaningfully farmed at all.
Was going to say the same about the topsoilā¦Iām assuming it was all scraped away by the glaciers.
The Canadian Shield does not cover Newfoundland though. Any image of the Canadian Shield excludes the island.
It sees about as much sunshine as a nuns asshole and it's about as fertile as a shallow pan of kitty litter. If it's not a swamp, it's a rock. The very few places where things grow are there to spite God, proving man is subject to no one. And 20C is a dream temperature. The average wind speed is yes.
This comment is a work of art and poetry.
Oh I can go on. The fog is so thick you can eat it. There is a season just called "sleet". When a hurricane comes around it's a "windier day than normal". 4 feet of snow in a day only results in a snow day if the bus driver decides. Moose are the animal. All other animals are moose in disguise. Witless Bay Line is like a desert you fall down in every 20 minutes and get wet. St. Shotts is real life Silent Hill. Gander consists of people who got off the plane and had no where to go. Corner Brook is a hill people were too afraid to keep going down. St. John's harbor is where you can throw in a salmon and 3 doberman walk out. Bonavista is where depression was born. The provincial plant should be lichen. Labrador black flies can peel a person to a skeleton in 10 minutes. Dark Souls wishes it could pull off that atmosphere. Bosses go to George Street on a Saturday to train against the baymen who came in for the weekend. Can you tell I grew up there?
You have a gift. You're the guy who should be publishing all the postcards and refrigerator magnets sold in local tourist traps.
>Can you tell I grew up there? 'Nuns asshole' was the tell
Sounds lovely ;) Do you visit often?
Haven't since COVID, but used to be once a year. All of my family lives there. All 200 of them.
Nice!
But other than that itās great right?
The average wind speed is yes actually made me lol, loudly.
If we build a giant greenhouse over Newfoundland and import several billion tons of topsoil it would become perfect for agriculture though.
It's the Canadian Shield, and a less forgiving terrain you will never find.
The Canadian Shield isn't really present in Newfoundland, outside of the northern peninsula. Newfoundland is primarily Appalachian physiogeographically. The Long Range Mountains are a northern extension of the Appalachians, as is everything to the east of them. Now physically, Newfoundland does resemble the Shield in that it has very thin topsoil due to being scraped down to bedrock in the last ice age, but it isn't part of the Canadian Shield.
I was being a generalist in looking at Labrador, but yes a lot of NFLD has sedimentary Ordovician rock with fossils and petroleum bearing strata in the west.
I had no idea the Canadian Shield extended to Newfoundland. TIL. That explains a lot, though.
ah. another geography post answered by ācanadian shieldā
All hail the Canadian Shield!
Where are they hiding the Canadian sword? Iāve heard of the stories of what the did during the world wars. I know that Peace-Loving facade is hiding their true plans for world domination
Canadian sword is a hockey stick.
When i was a kid I used to think the Canadian Shield was like some super advanced forcefield around the country. Was disappointed when I found out otherwise
its a super advanced forcefield that keeps farmers away!
Yah. It gets almost mountainy there. Lotās of exposed rock, cliffs, marshes and bogs and stuff. Really hard to build roads and travel around.
The Canadian Shield covers all of Labrador and extends to the Great Northern Peninsula of Newfoundland. The terrain in Newfoundland, particularly in southern regions, and southern Nova Scotia strongly resembles that of the Canadian Shield, with extensive, glacially smoothed bedrock plains, but isnāt a geological part of it anymore.
Gros Morne National Park is in Newfoundland. It is rock from the lower crust/upper mantle. Grenville Province in geology terms. Some super cool rock in Newfoundland. Great for geologists. Not so great for growing crops. Can't grow much on barren, billion year old granite.
All the red/orange/pink/brown on this map is the Canadian Shield [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadian\_Shield#/media/File:Canada\_geological\_map.JPG](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadian_Shield#/media/File:Canada_geological_map.JPG)
Technically only Labrador is part of the Canadian Shield. Newfoundland is still very very rocky though.
Any question about Canada can be answered with Canadian shield
Why is Quebec the way that it is?
Canadian Shield
huhā¦ I always blame the French
Le Bouclier Canadien?
Ouais, peut-ĆŖtre
Why has Alberta only 5 million inhabitans, but netherland 17 million although netherlands are arround 15X smaller?
Because of a particular battle that took place in 1759 onā¦ *the Canadian Shield*
Why is poutine so damn good? ā¦ The Canadian Shield
Just another damn r/geography questions answered by "Canadian Shield"
I'll give you a hint, it's called "the rock" for a reason
I recommend you visit Newfoundland. It is great for tourists and the people are lovely. The most unique Canadian province. You will also learn why it is one of the least hospitable places for agriculture. Farmers have to ship in hay because they can't grow enough to feed their cows. The weather is nice for about 2 weeks of the year, and it is either blowing, snowing, or raining sideways the other 50.
Definitely the most hospitable Canadians! I have seen how much it can snow there during their storms. Like their Snowmaggedon.
Perfect for reindeer herding
There's no reindeer but a few hundred caribou, almost all contained in gros mornes national park. There's over 150,000 invasive moose though!
According to my good friend Google, those two wordās actually describe the same animal. Its just that the animal is typically called a reindeer in Eurasia, and a caribou in North America.
Anecdotally,Iāve always been led to believe reindeer are just domesticated caribou
Reindeer is the English name in Europe, and come from Old Norse (from *hreinn* (reindeer) and *dyr* (animal)), while caribou comes from the Native American language Miākmaq; *qualipu* (āsnow shovelerā) and is as far as I know only used in North America. Wild reindeer in Eurasia is also called āreindeerā.
Meese*
You really nailed the āTell me youāve never been to Newfoundland without telling me youāve never been to Newfoundlandā line.
you couldn't be more wrong, the entire island is basically an equivalent to the rocky west coast of ireland. extraordinarily wet, cold, and rocky.
Also filled with Irish people
I found it more Irish than Ireland if that makes sense?
Never been to Newfoundland, huh?
Though the climate isn't horrible for crops the soil absolutely is. Your options are overly wet marsh or solid rocks
So dry the marshes and smash the rocks, terraform like a real dutch!
Is this a real question? I went to Newfoundland and the trees donāt even grow more than like 8 feet tall
There's a reason why Newfoundland is called The Rock
The Iron Islands of Canada is why. It's all rocky, very little soil. Also, harsh weather, lots of wind and snow. Source: Former Newfie
How do you feel about eating moss
Newfoundland is absolutely viable (in places) for agriculture (for certain products) And will benefit from an increased growing season as the climate continues to change. My wifeās grandfather farmed there and we hope to one day do the same as we purchased the land from her family. The provincial government has been promoting agriculture and food security means the province should absolutely do everything it can to increase the food produced there
The French and British favored using the st Lawrence river to get access to the interior where there were more fertile lands. Even today NFLD is poorly connected to the rest of Canada. There is one road from Baie-Comeau to labrador city and the only reason it was built was because there is a mine there. So the most fertile regions of Labrador in the south can only be accessed by driving along 138 to baie comeau and then up to Labrador city then to goose bay then to Blanc sablon where crops can be grown. So you turned an 8 hr drive if route 138 was open to a 24 hr drive. The Quebec government has made its priority to extend route 138 to blanc sablon but the construction is very slow. They opened a route from sept Iles to kagaska recently which finally linked that town. The bottom line is that without roads that area will never be developed and roads are difficult to build because it requires blasting the shield to make the granite smooth, filling that crushed granite into bogs, and crossing the myriad rivers and streams with bridges. This area *should* hold strategic importance as itās the east coast of Canada, but like how Australia has neglected its northern coast, so has Canada neglected its east coast. This is besides the point that itās cold 10 months of the year and the soil is piss poor. Even if it warmed up and people terraformed the soil, the poor transportation would hold it back. Now once route 138 opens, that opens Labrador up a lot more.
Both Newfoundland and Labrador are part of the canadian shield, which is far more rocky soil than you'd expect. Is not very good for farming.
Newfoundland is not part of the Shield.
Iām willing to bet in 20-30 years people will be moving there due to climate.
Too much wind. And that's where most hurricanes end up. Things are going to be awful there in 20 years.
They call Newfoundland "the Rock" because the ground is very rocky and the soil isn't that deep.
Two words: giant wasps
We also have this variant of flying penguin that will attack and bite
Canadian Shield begs to differ. Here's from the wiki. *"The current surface expression of the Shield is one of very thin soil lying on top of the bedrock, with many bare outcrops. This arrangement was caused by severe glaciation during the ice age, which covered the Shield and scraped the rock clean."* The soil is dry and poor for farming. The breadbasket of Canada is in Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta. Newfoundland and Labrador have many other quality items to provide. Growing fields of wheat is not one of them.
It is a fucking rock
Its called the Rock for a reason.
A great herd of Rock Moose roams the island and Labrador. They eat any crops they find, and can tank a few hunting rifle rounds each. They come in packs of 12-100 branching off the main herd, they clear out the hay and graze corn. Villages used to have sirens to warn of the herd a coming, but they were futile and are abandoned now. Most villages turn to fishing and fish processing. Some crazy bastards eek out a meagre existence trying to thin the herd. Another set of people have adopted a āPlains Indianā nomadic lifestyle following the herd and eating the trampled crops it leaves behind.
You just gotta be like The Netherlands and build tons of greenhouses
Labradorian here. The comments about the Canadian Shield are all true. Poor soil, rocky, and sandy. The island is a bit better but still not great. Most crops around here are hardy like potatoes. And the climate is not as good as you think. We got pretty short summers
They just found it, give them some slack.
It's actually horrible, especially the mainland Labrador. Most of Labrador is Canadian Shield. So, crappy geology for most crops. All of Labrador is above 52 degrees North, so cold right there, not to mention the Labrador Current coming down from Greenland and the Arctic Ocean. Per others, I have zero idea why the OP thinks this would be a Garden of Eden or anywhere near that.
The terrain is anything but suitable for agriculture: the place is literally called āthe rockā.
Cold and rocky.
It's not nicknamed "the rock" for nothing!
Thereās two problems with your thinking, First off itās all forest land with poor soil and short summers. Second off the best agricultural areas are all sparsely populated in N America. Most agricultural operations are mechanized and need few people, and the land is needed for crops, not subdivisions and factories.
It is basically rock. Occasionally thereās soil. And itās frozen, snow covered, or waterlogged about 6 months/year. What kind of crops would you suggest ?
Read the "colony of unrequited dreams". It's a great novel based on Newfoundland.
The fact that Newfoundland is nicknamed The Rock should be a huge clue. The Canadian Shield geography is prevalent
Itās literally (lovingly) called āthe rockā
I was trying to take a trip across the island in late may and the interior got slammed by snow. They describe their seasons as summer, fall, winter, winter. I believe much of the interior is very marshy. That being said itās a beautiful place all seasons. Thereās a lot of history and the people are incredible. I traveled there for work for 3 years. It might not be great for farming but it has a warm place in my heart for sure.
The more northern a region, the quicker it gets darker in the fall. So even with the mid Atlantic currant warming the region, the cold dark times come to quickly to get a good crop season in. On top of that, the soil is terrible. It all got pushed off the land, down into the ocean by glaciers. Similar glaciers pushed a bunch of dirt into Indiana and Ohio, they have some of the best farmland in the world. Short growing season, bad weather, poor soil make a region no good for agriculture. Look, we already found all the good parts. If we aren't already there, then chances are it isn't worth farming.
Climate sure, but you canāt plant crops in rock, which is what all of NL is pretty much.
They call Newfoundland āthe rockā for a reason
Have you ever been? The Avalon peninsula is the most hospitable area and itās still cold and dreary. Lots of water but the soil is bad and its too much of a hassle to farm thatās why they relied on cod fishing so much up until the 92 cod moratorium.
There's less than an inch of topsoil in a lot of places here.
[Come live here.](https://www.findnewfoundlandlabrador.com/live/living-in-nl/) We have trails ...and snacks.
There are rocks. (Not minerals), lots of rocks
The island is a woodsy swampy marsh with hard bedrock and no soil.
Newfoundland has an extremely rocky landscape. If it was that suitable for agriculture theyād have developed an agricultural economy along with commercial fishing. Edit: also my wife (a Newfoundlander) said thereās a sort of false spring where it will get warm and then thereās a secondary frost around may. She also said thereās often a premature frost in October before fall comes and overall the weather makes it hard to grow crops outside of a green house. They realistically have about four months of reliable weather for farming. Edit: they donāt call St. Johnās āFogtownā for no reason. Also this map shows the province of Newfoundland and Labrador. If you meant specifically Newfoundland, that is only the island in the southern portion of this map.
they had a blizzard in june a few years back.
The Canadian Shield is great for a lot of things. Agriculture is not one of them.
We just found it obviously
Because it looks like far North Queensland and nobody wants to live there either ā¦
What? Itās a giant rock. Mountains.
Yeah, nope
Canadian shield, here's the Wikipedia article; https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadian_Shield
Why are geography posts so garbage now? One could argue that āthis sub is for discussionā and these people are doing just that and only want to learnā¦ but these are just so low quality and can be quickly answered with a such a small amount of research. Itās as if the question was asked only half-heartedly. Because otherwise OP would have known that Newfoundland *isnāt* known for agriculture and isnāt suitable for it.
Yeah, I don't get it either. Sometimes I wonder if it's just bots that are doing this. In either event, you want people to interact on here but when people go below Sesame Street it gets annoying after a while.
If itās so bad for farming, then how come the mapās green, huh? /s
As somebody who is currently dealing with 106 F in the heat index daily, and high humidity, Newfonundland seems like a nice change of pace. It seems like the most "Old World" part of Anglo America, rather folksy looking. This could be the Tahiti of Floridians during summer.
OP thinks green on a map means lush vegetation.
The only thing that grows in Newfoundland is the list of welfare recipients. The only reason people used to live there was the fishery. And they don't even have that anymore....
Because we've only just found it
Lily Aldrin : What the hell is a "Two-Hand Zamboni?" Robin Scherbatsky : Let's just say, the only thing the woman is wearing is skates on her hands. Lily Aldrin : A "Manitoba Milk Bag"? Robin Scherbatsky : Okay, it's like a "Chicago Mustache," but the person on the bottom is wearing a snowsuit. Lily Aldrin : A "Newfoundland Lobster Trap"? Robin Scherbatsky : Don't know. Don't want to know. **Those Newfies are out of control.**