most of northern Canada has no widespread use.

Answer 1

This is because the farther north you go, soil quality deteriorates and the less vegetation there is to support human and animal life. Your source for this needs to be a special map called "The Plant Hardiness Zones of Canada." . It divides Canada into 10 zones. These ten zones indicate the areas where various trees, shrubs and flowers are most likely to survive. These zones are calculated based on average climatic conditions and altitude of each area. The harshest zone is 0 and the mildest is 9. Each major zone is then divided into subzones a and b (for example 3a and 3b) where anything that is a zone A is harsher than a zone B, and so on.

In addition the ground in this area is wet most of the year, if not always, and the overall geography is a wild mess of islands, peninsulas and non-contiguous fingers and bits of land that are not easily connected, and therefore cannot be navigated to without extreme difficulty by land vehicle or ship.

Answer 2

"Occupying nearly 40 per cent of Canada's total landmass, the North is an iconic yet mysterious part of Canada. Though its igloos, icebergs, polar bears, seal hunters and Northern Lights are some of the country's best-known symbols, it remains a region few Canadians will ever visit." Google