document_title: The Carolinas

question_text: when did north carolina split from south carolina

text: The Carolinas

text: History[edit]

text: The territory (together with a part of Florida) was declared as Spanish territory by Ponce de Leon in 1512, but the first Europeans that paid the territory a visit never cared to name it. Nor was it colonized by any Spaniards; it was largely just proclaimed for a future that never came. But as French settlers arrived in 1562, they were soon thrown out by the Spaniards. However it was during this brief time that the "Carolina" first was named, and the name referred to King Charles IX of France. The territory was thereafter left to native Americans until King Charles II of England, after the English Restoration, in 1660 he gave all land between the 34th and 36th parallels to eight Englishmen. The territory was named after the English king instead, which however had no impact on the spelling. In 1729 British politicians regretted this gift and redeemed the heirs of the first eight British inhabitants. Now the Carolinas became divided into North Carolina and South Carolina, which both became British colonies. Both the new colonies were among the thirteen first states of the United States.[1]

text: Sir Robert Heath (1575–1649) was an English judge and politician who was also a member of the English House of Commons from 1621 to 1625. Sir Robert Heath was granted charter over the lands between latitudes 31° and 36° north, from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean. Heath's patent required he plant a colony but that was never fully realized.

text: The 1663 charter granted the Lords Proprietor title to all of the land from the southern border of the Colony of Virginia at 36 degrees north to 31 degrees north (along the coast of present-day Georgia). In 1665, the charter was revised slightly, with the northerly boundary extended to 36 degrees 30 minutes north to include the lands of the Albemarle Settlements along the Albemarle Sound who had left the Colony of Virginia. Likewise, the southern boundary was moved south to 29 degrees north, just south of present-day Daytona Beach, Florida, which had the effect of including the existing Spanish settlement at St. Augustine. The charter also granted all the land, between these northerly and southerly bounds, from the Atlantic Ocean, westward to the shores of the Pacific Ocean.

text: The Charter of 1663 chartered the territory as an English Proprietary colony assigning rights to eight English Noblemen. These noblemen are known as the Lords Proprietors of Carolina forming the Province of Carolina.

text:
George Monck, 1st Duke of Albemarle (1608–1670)
Edward Hyde, 1st Earl of Clarendon (1609–1674)
John Berkeley, 1st Baron Berkeley of Stratton (1607–1678)
William Craven, 1st Earl of Craven (1608–1697)
Sir George Carteret (c.1610–1680)
Sir William Berkeley (1606–1677)
Sir John Colleton, 1st Baronet (1608–1666)
Anthony Ashley Cooper, 1st Earl of Shaftesbury (1621–1683).

text: Between 1663 and 1729 there were many disagreements relating to defense, governance and the difference between the two differing agrarian styles employed by the inhabitants of the Colony of Virginia and that practiced by the planters arriving to Charles Town from the West Indies and Barbados.

text: In 1729 the Province of Carolina was divided when the descendants of seven of the eight Lords Proprietors sold their shares back to the Crown. Only the heirs of Sir George Carteret retained their original rights to what would become the Granville District. Both the Province of North Carolina and the Province of South Carolina became British Crown Colonies in 1729.[2]

text: Culture[edit]

text: The culture of the Carolinas is a distinct subset of larger Southern culture. Notably, the coastal Carolina region was settled by Europeans over a century before the inland regions of the South,[3] and was influenced by the culture of the Caribbean, especially Barbados; many of the early governors during the unified period were Barbadians.[4] Though the two states both form part of the South, there are historically a number of differences in the settlement patterns, political development, and economic growth of the two states. For example, during the Civil War, South Carolina was the first Southern state to secede from the Union,[5] while North Carolina was the last state to secede. When NC did secede, it did so largely because North Carolinians refused to give the Federal Government men to fight against their sister state, or allow them to pass through North Carolina to make war on South Carolina. North Carolinians ultimately voted instead in all 100 counties to raise an army, join the Confederacy, and go to war.[6] During the war, South Carolina was generally one of the strongest supporters of the Confederacy. The war began in Charleston, South Carolina; where Citadel Cadets fired the opening shots at the Union Ship Star of The West.[7] North Carolina was also a key Confederate state, raising and giving more soldiers to The Confederacy than any other southern state.[8] At Gettysburg, one in four Confederate soldiers was from North Carolina, despite the fact that some North Carolinians (especially in the western part of the state) refused to support the Confederacy.[9] North Carolina's Civil War governor, Zebulon Vance, was an outspoken critic of Confederate President Jefferson Davis and frequently refused to obey Davis's orders for reinforcements and supplies; Vance insisted the soldiers and supplies would be needed for North Carolina's Confederate effort. However, during the seven day's battles, North Carolina did send large numbers of troops for the general aid of the South as a whole.[10] During the war, the Carolinas were both instrumental in keeping The Confederacy alive, because of their deepwater ports in Wilmington, NC and Charleston, SC. These two cities were key in supplying southern armies with weapons, clothing, and ammunition; and producing food & provisions for southern civilians.[11][12]

text: Politics[edit]

text: During most of the 20th century, South Carolina was a bastion of the "solid Democratic South" with almost no Republican officeholders, and the state frequently elected politicians who were outspoken supporters of racial segregation. North Carolina, while mostly Democratic, contained a large Republican minority – the state voted Republican in the presidential election of 1928 and elected several Republican congressmen, governors, and senators from 1868–1928 – and North Carolina was widely known as one of the more progressive Southern states on the issue of segregation and civil rights. In 1947, the journalist John Gunther wrote, "that North Carolina is by a good deal the most progressive Southern state will, I imagine, be agreed to by almost everybody."[13] On the other hand, he described South Carolina as "one of the poorest American states, and probably one of the balkiest."[13] In describing the differences between the two states, Gunther noted that, in 1947, divorce in North Carolina "may be granted simply on the ground of absence of cohabitation; South Carolina is the one American state in which divorce is not possible."[13] North Carolina's nickname for many years was "a vale of humility between two mountains of conceit"; the "mountains" were Virginia and South Carolina.[13]

text: Despite North Carolina being a swing state, and South Carolina being a red one, they are technically the country's two most politically similar states, according to a comparison of the states along a range of 19 variables performed by the statistician Nate Silver in 2008.[14]

text: Economy[edit]

text: Traditionally, like much of the South, the Carolinas have been agricultural.[15] However, the predominance of certain crops has influenced the regional economy:[citation needed]

text: Like other [Southern] states, until after World War II North Carolina remained primarily a region of small farms and factories heavily dependent on just a few labor-intensive crops, relying on sharecropping and tenancy, especially for black laborers. The Carolinas are distinct for their economic dependence on tobacco as well as on cotton and rice, and for their many small-scale furniture, textile, and tobacco factories.[16]

text: These small industries gave the Carolinas, in particular NC, a more significant industrial base than most Southern states, but as increased mechanization in the textiles, apparel, and furniture industries combined with the decline of the tobacco industry,[17] many rural and small urban communities suffered.[18] However, during the 1990s, both states began to experience growth in the technological and banking sectors, bringing jobs and population growth.[19] These changes, as with earlier industrialization, were more pronounced in North Carolina, and SC has experienced a slower rate of economic growth for several years.[20]

text: Professional sports[edit]

text:
Club
League
Sport
City
Stadium
Established
Championships

Carolina Panthers
NFL
Football
Charlotte, North Carolina
Bank of America Stadium
1995
2 Super Bowl Appearances/Conference titles, 6 Division titles (1-NFC West, 5-NFC South)

Carolina Hurricanes
NHL
Hockey
Raleigh, North Carolina
PNC Arena
1997
1 Stanley Cup, 2 Conference Titles, 3 Division titles

Charlotte Hornets
NBA
Basketball
Charlotte, North Carolina
Spectrum Center
1988
none

North Carolina Courage
NWSL
Soccer
Cary, North Carolina
Sahlen's Stadium at WakeMed Soccer Park
2017
1 NWSL Shield (best regular-season record)

Charlotte Hounds
MLL
Lacrosse
Charlotte, North Carolina
American Legion Memorial Stadium
2011
none

text: The Carolinas have three professional sports teams in the Big Four major leagues: the Carolina Panthers of the NFL, the Charlotte Hornets of the NBA, and the Carolina Hurricanes of the NHL. Supported by both states, the three teams are all based in NC, two in Charlotte and the third in Raleigh. All of the sports teams are fairly recent additions; the oldest team, the NFL's Panthers, was established in 1995, while the youngest, the Hornets, was added to the NBA in 2004 as the Charlotte Bobcats, although a prior NBA team also named the Hornets played in Charlotte from 1988 before leaving for New Orleans in 2002. The Bobcats were renamed the Hornets in May 2014, one season after the former New Orleans Hornets decided to rebrand themselves as the Pelicans. At that time, the Hornets also regained sole ownership of the pre-relocation history of the original Charlotte Hornets. The Hurricanes formed in 1971 as the New England Whalers of the World Hockey Association. After the NHL-WHA merger in 1979, they joined the NHL as the Hartford Whalers until 1997 when they relocated to Raleigh, North Carolina. Currently, the Hurricanes are the most successful after their 2006 Stanley Cup championship marked the first professional sports title for the region.

text: In 1991, Charlotte was the host city of the 1991 NBA All-Star Game, which was held at the now demolished Charlotte Coliseum. On May 24, 2017, Charlotte was awarded to be the host city of the 2019 NBA All-Star Game. The game is set to be held on February 17, 2019 at the Spectrum Center, home of the Charlotte Hornets. The game is expected to be one of the biggest sporting events to ever come to Charlotte. Bank of America Stadium currently hosts three major sporting events, the Belk Bowl, the Belk Kickoff Game and the ACC Championship Game. Charlotte Motor Speedway hosts three major NASCAR events, the Coca-Cola 600, the Monster Energy NASCAR All-Star Race, and the Bank of America 500.

text: The Carolinas are home to a number of NBA superstars, such as Chris Paul, James Worthy, John Wall, and Michael Jordan (from NC) and Kevin Garnett, Jermaine O'Neal, Ray Allen, and Raymond Felton (from SC). Six of these players are All Stars, four are NBA champions, and John Wall and James Worthy were the Number 1 draft picks in the 2010 NBA draft and 1982 NBA draft, respectively. A disproportional number of basketball players come from the Carolinas, on par with such big cities as New York City and Los Angeles. While the Hornets do little to generate buzz in the Carolinas, they are home to three of the most successful collegiate men's basketball teams in the NCAA, the North Carolina Tar Heels, North Carolina State Wolfpack and the Duke Blue Devils. All three schools are fierce rivals who have combined to win 13 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championships (UNC has 6, Duke has 5, North Carolina State has 2).

text: Boundary between the states[edit]

text: Plotting the boundary[edit]

text: According to the Prefatory Notes to Volume 5 of the Colonial Records of North Carolina, the process of determining the boundary between North and South Carolina began in 1720 "when the purpose to erect a third Province in Carolina, with Savannah for its northern boundary"[21] began. On 8 January 1730[22] an agreement between the two colonies said for the border "to begin 30 miles southwest of the Cape Fear river, and to be run at that parallel distance the whole course of said river;" The next June Governor Robert Johnson of South Carolina said the border should start 30 miles southwest of the source of the Cape Fear "due west as far as the South Sea", unless the "Waccamaw river lyes [sic] within 30 miles of the Cape Fear river,"[21] which would make the Waccamaw the boundary. North Carolina agreed to this until the discovery that the Cape Fear headwaters were very close to Virginia, which would not have "permitted any extension on the part of North Carolina to the westward."[21] In 1732, Governor George Burrington of North Carolina stated in Timothy's Southern Gazette that territory north of the Waccamaw was in North Carolina, to which Johnson replied that South Carolina claimed the land. Johnson also said that when the two met before the Board of Trade in London two years earlier, Burrington had "insisted that the Waccamaw should be the boundary from its mouth to its head,"[21] while South Carolina agreed the border should be located 30 miles from the mouth, not the source. Johnson said this was "only a mistake in wording it."[21]

text: Both Carolinas selected commissioners to survey the line between them. The plan called for the line to run northwest to 35 degrees latitude, unless the Pee Dee River was reached first, in which case it would run along the Pee Dee to 35 degrees north. Then the line would run west to Catawba town, though if the town were north of the line, the line was to run around Catawba to keep it in South Carolina.[21]

text: In May 1735, the surveyors went from the Cape Fear westward thirty miles along the coast. Then they turned northwest and marked the location with stakes. The surveyors agreed to meet again on September 18. However, only the North Carolina team returned at that time, extending the line northwest 70 miles. The South Carolina team arrived in October and only followed the previous line for 40 miles because they had not been paid. A deputy surveyor marked where the Pee Dee crossed the 35th parallel. An extension of the line in 1737 ran 22 miles to a stake in a meadow.[21] However, the stake placed at the endpoint of the survey was 12 miles too far south.[23]

text: In 1764, a second extension ran 62 miles westward. In 1772, after making adjustments to keep the Catawba Indians in South Carolina, "extended in a due west course from the confluence of the north and south forks of the Catawba River to Tryon Mountain."[21] However, this extension was based on the erroneous position of the 1737 stake, removing 422,000 acres from South Carolina.[23] Joseph Caldwell, president of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, found that the line west of the Pee Dee did not run along the 35th parallel, but 12 miles to the south. However, the western part of the line ran far enough to the north to make up for the difference.[21] West of this point the border was shifted to run north of the 35th parallel so that the total areas of the states would return to what was intended, although the accuracy of this part of the survey was marred by a magnetic anomaly in the Charlotte, North Carolina area.[23]

text: North Carolina did not agree to the line of 1772 until 1813.[21] A 1905 survey determined the border between Scotland County, North Carolina and Marlboro County, South Carolina. A 1928 survey decided the border between Horry County, South Carolina and Brunswick and Columbus counties in North Carolina.[24]

text: Recent history[edit]

text: In the mid-1990s, Duke Energy determined that the border between the Carolinas needed to be re-surveyed, as the company was selling and donating land in the Jocassee Gorge area, which included parts of both states.[23] Also, with more people living outside cities, the precise boundaries of fire, tax, and school district lines needed to be known. This was especially a problem in the mountains, where people had previously lived in valleys, not on the ridges where the border was. A 15-year plan to re-establish the boundary began, using maps from the 1813–1815 survey and GPS technology. A few stone markers still read, "NC/SC 1815 AD"[25] but other locations were marked with trees which no longer stand.[23]

text: South Carolina had recently been involved in a costly legal battle with Georgia over a small number of islands in the Savannah River, and wanted to avoid the expense of a lawsuit regarding the North Carolina border, so the two states agreed in 1993 to cooperate in resurveying the border. The effort included using colonial-era maps to reconstruct the positions of trees making the border that had long since died, and tracking down the original positions of stone markers that had been moved.[23]

text: After 18 years and $980,000, it was predicted that the process of determining the border between the Carolinas would be complete in 2012.[24] Financial problems delayed the last survey until October 2012, meaning the results were not expected to be known until Spring 2013.[26] It was found that a gas station and 30 homes could change states. Lake Wylie Mini Market[27][28][29][30][31][32] has been located in South Carolina, along U.S. Route 321, and the move to North Carolina would result in higher gas taxes and change laws on beer and fireworks.[33] The state legislatures involved expect to pass laws alleviating the concerns those changing states would face.[26]

text: The Joint Boundary Commission met in February 2014 in Monroe, North Carolina to determine what actions still needed to be taken. The persons living in 50 homes that changed states would have to get driver's licenses and register to vote in their new states. Legislative action could allow people to keep utilities, avoid back taxes to the new state, and continue in the same schools. Lake Wylie Minimarket could be grandfathered, or Congress could change the defined border at the store's location, though the commission intended to avoid such an action.[34] As of August 2014, the states were expected to pass legislation to mitigate many of the negative impacts to affected landowners.[23]

text: On June 1, 2016, the South Carolina House of Representatives passed a bill setting the border. North Carolina's Senate also passed a bill, which also had to clear the House. North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory signed his state's bill in June. Three families who actually lived in North Carolina had South Carolina addresses, and 16 South Carolina residents had believed they lived in North Carolina.[35][36] On December 9, 2016, McCrory announced that he signed a four-page executive order formally defining the border between the two states based on the 20 years of work.[36]

text: Major population centers[edit]

text: Combined Statistical Areas[edit]

text:
The most populous Combined Statistical Areas of the Carolinas

Rank
CSA
Population (2017)
Population (2010)
Change
Constituent CBSA

7000100000000000000♠1
Charlotte-Concord, NC-SC Combined Statistical Area
2,684,121
2,375,675
7001129835099498040♠+12.98%
Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC Metropolitan Statistical Area
Shelby, NC Micropolitan Statistical Area
Albemarle, NC Micropolitan Statistical Area

7000200000000000000♠2
Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill, NC Combined Statistical Area
2,199,459
1,912,729
7001149906233449690♠+14.99%
Raleigh, NC Metropolitan Statistical Area
Durham-Chapel Hill, NC Metropolitan Statistical Area
Dunn, NC Micropolitan Statistical Area
Oxford, NC Micropolitan Statistical Area
Sanford, NC Micropolitan Statistical Area
Henderson, NC Micropolitan Statistical Area

7000300000000000000♠3
Greensboro–Winston-Salem–High Point, NC Combined Statistical Area
1,663,532
1,589,200
7000467732192298010♠+4.68%
Greensboro-High Point, NC Metropolitan Statistical Area
Winston-Salem, NC Metropolitan Statistical Area
Burlington, NC Metropolitan Statistical Area
Mount Airy, NC Micropolitan Statistical Area

7000400000000000000♠4
Greenville-Spartanburg-Anderson, SC Combined Statistical Area
1,459,766
1,362,073
7000717237622359450♠+7.17%
Greenville-Anderson-Mauldin, SC Metropolitan Statistical Area
Spartanburg, SC Metropolitan Statistical Area
Greenwood, SC Micropolitan Statistical Area
Seneca, SC Micropolitan Statistical Area
Gaffney, SC Micropolitan Statistical Area

7000500000000000000♠5
Columbia-Orangeburg-Newberry, SC Combined Statistical Area
950,997
897,607
7000594803739275650♠+5.95%
Columbia, SC Metropolitan Statistical Area
Orangeburg, SC Micropolitan Statistical Area
Newberry, SC Micropolitan Statistical Area

7000600000000000000♠6
Fayetteville-Lumberton-Laurinburg, NC Combined Statistical Area
554,361
536,708
7000328912555803160♠+3.29%
Fayetteville, NC Metropolitan Statistical Area
Lumberton, NC Micropolitan Statistical Area
Laurinburg, NC Micropolitan Statistical Area

7000700000000000000♠7
Myrtle Beach-Conway, SC-NC Combined Statistical Area
525,772
436,880
7001203470060428490♠+20.35%
Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, SC-NC Metropolitan Statistical Area
Georgetown, SC Micropolitan Statistical Area

7000800000000000000♠8
Hickory-Lenoir, NC Combined Statistical Area
411,693
410,493
6999292331416126460♠+0.29%
Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC Metropolitan Statistical Area
Marion, NC Micropolitan Statistical Area

7000900000000000000♠9
Greenville-Washington, NC Combined Statistical Area
226,130
215,907
7000473490901175040♠+4.73%
Greenville, NC Metropolitan Statistical Area
Washington, NC Micropolitan Statistical Area

7001100000000000000♠10
New Bern-Morehead City, NC Combined Statistical Area
193,745
193,271
6999245251486255050♠+0.25%
New Bern, NC Metropolitan Statistical Area
Morehead City, NC Micropolitan Statistical Area

text: Metropolitan Statistical Areas[edit]

text:
The most populous Metropolitan Statistical Areas of the Carolinas

Rank
MSA
Population (2017)
Population (2010)
Change
Encompassing CSA

7000100000000000000♠1
Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC Metropolitan Statistical Area
2,525,305
2,217,012
7001139057885117450♠+13.91%
Charlotte-Concord, NC-SC Combined Statistical Area

7000200000000000000♠2
Raleigh, NC Metropolitan Statistical Area
1,335,079
1,130,490
7001180973737052070♠+18.10%
Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill, NC Combined Statistical Area

7000300000000000000♠3
Greenville-Anderson-Mauldin, SC Metropolitan Statistical Area
895,923
824,112
7000871374279224179♠+8.71%
Greenville-Spartanburg-Anderson, SC Combined Statistical Area

7000400000000000000♠4
Columbia, SC Metropolitan Statistical Area
825,033
767,598
7000748243221061020♠+7.48%
Columbia-Orangeburg-Newberry, SC Combined Statistical Area

7000500000000000000♠5
Charleston-North Charleston, SC Metropolitan Statistical Area
775,831
664,607
7001167353037208460♠+16.74%

7000600000000000000♠6
Greensboro-High Point, NC Metropolitan Statistical Area
761,184
723,801
7000516481740146810♠+5.16%
Greensboro–Winston-Salem–High Point, NC Combined Statistical Area

7000700000000000000♠7
Winston-Salem, NC Metropolitan Statistical Area
667,733
640,595
7000423637399605050♠+4.24%
Greensboro–Winston-Salem–High Point, NC Combined Statistical Area

text: Urban areas[edit]

text:
The most populous Urban Areas of the Carolinas

Rank
Urban Area
Population (2010)
Population (2000)
Change
Land Area
(sq mi)

7000100000000000000♠1
Charlotte, NC-SC
1,249,442
758,927
7001646326985335880♠+64.63%
741.5

7000200000000000000♠2
Raleigh, NC
884,891
541,527
7001634066260777390♠+63.41%
518.1

7000300000000000000♠3
Columbia, SC
549,777
420,537
7001307321353412420♠+30.73%
380.0

7000400000000000000♠4
Charleston-North Charleston, SC
548,404
423,410
7001295207954464940♠+29.52%
293.4

7000500000000000000♠5
Greenville, SC
400,492
302,194
7001325281110809610♠+32.53%
320.3

7000600000000000000♠6
Winston-Salem, NC
391,024
299,290
7001306505396104110♠+30.65%
322.6

7000700000000000000♠7
Durham, NC
347,602
287,796
7001207806918789700♠+20.78%
181.7

7000800000000000000♠8
Greensboro, NC
311,810
267,884
7001163973958877720♠+16.40%
185.2

text: Counties[edit]

text:
The most populous Counties of the Carolinas

Rank
County
Population (2017)[37]
Population (2010)
Change
Area
(sq mi)
Primary City

7000100000000000000♠1
Mecklenburg County, North Carolina
1,076,837
919,628
7001170948470468490♠+17.09%
546
Charlotte

7000200000000000000♠2
Wake County, North Carolina
1,072,203
900,993
7001190023673879820♠+19.00%
857
Raleigh

7000300000000000000♠3
Guilford County, North Carolina
526,953
488,406
7000789240918416240♠+7.89%
658
Greensboro

7000400000000000000♠4
Greenville County, South Carolina
506,837
451,225
7001123246717269650♠+12.32%
795
Greenville

7000500000000000000♠5
Richland County, South Carolina
411,592
384,504
7000704492020889250♠+7.04%
772
Columbia

7000600000000000000♠6
Charleston County, South Carolina
401,438
350,209
7001146281220642530♠+14.63%
1,358
Charleston

text: Cities[edit]

text:
The major Cities of the Carolinas

Rank
City
Population (2016)
Population (2010)
Change
Area
(sq mi)

7000100000000000000♠1
Charlotte, North Carolina
842,051
731,424
7001151248796867480♠+15.12%
297.7

7000200000000000000♠2
Raleigh, North Carolina
458,880
403,892
7001136145306170960♠+13.61%
144.8

7000300000000000000♠3
Greensboro, North Carolina
287,027
269,666
7000643796399991100♠+6.44%
131.2

7000400000000000000♠4
Charleston, South Carolina
134,385
120,083
7001119100955172670♠+11.91%
127.5

7000500000000000000♠5
Columbia, South Carolina
134,309
129,272
7000389643542298410♠+3.90%
134.9

7000600000000000000♠6
Greenville, South Carolina
67,453
58,409
7001154839151500620♠+15.48%
28.8


document_title: Assassin's Creed (film)

question_text: who played the female assassin in assassin's creed

question_tokens: who played the female assassin in assassin 's creed

root

text: Assassin's Creed (film)

text: Plot[edit]

text: In 1492 Andalusia, during the Granada War, Aguilar de Nerha is accepted into the Assassins Brotherhood. He is assigned to protect Prince Ahmed de Granada from the Knights Templar. In 1986, adolescent Callum "Cal" Lynch finds his mother killed by his father, Joseph, a modern-day Assassin. Gunmen led by Alan Rikkin, CEO of the Templars' Abstergo Foundation, arrive to capture Joseph, who convinces his son to escape.

tag: p

text: In 2016, Cal is sentenced to death for murdering a pimp, but his execution is faked by the Abstergo Foundation, which then takes him to their research facility in Madrid. He is told that the Templars are searching for the Apple of Eden, in order to eliminate violence by using the Apple's code to control humanity's free will. Sofia, Alan's daughter and the head scientist, reveals that Cal is a descendant of Aguilar, the last person confirmed to be in possession of the Apple. She puts Cal in the Animus, a machine which allows him to relive (and the scientists to observe) Aguilar's genetic memories, so that Abstergo can learn what he did with the Apple.

text: In 15th century Spain, Aguilar/Callum and his partner Maria are deployed to rescue Ahmed, who has been kidnapped by the Templar Grand Master Tomas de Torquemada, to coerce Ahmed's father, Sultan Muhammad XII, to surrender the Apple. Aguilar and Maria intercept the Templars, but are overpowered and captured by Torquemada's enforcer, Ojeda. Cal is quickly pulled out of the Animus by Sofia.

text: Cal encounters other Assassin descendants held captive at the facility, most of whom are suspicious of his motives, with the exception of Moussa, the descendant of an 18th-century Haitian Assassin named Baptiste and a key leader. Cal begins experiencing hallucinations, dubbed "the Bleeding Effect", of both Aguilar and Joseph. Cal and Sofia build a rapport during their sessions; she confides that her mother was likewise murdered by an Assassin, sharing his hatred of the Brotherhood of which his father is a member.

text: Back in the Animus, Aguilar and Maria are scheduled for execution but he manages to free them, leading to a rooftop chase in which they escape through an Assassin "Leap of Faith". Cal's mind reacts violently to the session and he is temporarily paralyzed. When Cal learns that his father is also at the facility, he confronts Joseph over his mother's death. Joseph informs him that the Bleeding Effect will allow modern Cal to possess Aguilar's combat abilities. He also learns that his mother was an Assassin, and she chose to die by Joseph's hand rather than be forced into the Animus. Unconvinced, Cal vows to destroy the Assassins by finding the Apple. Meanwhile, Alan is pressured by a Templar Elder, Ellen Kaye, to shut down the multibillion-dollar Animus Project because they have already "won... people no longer care about their civil liberties... they're content to follow", leading Sofia to question her father's true intentions.

text: Reaffirmed by his encounter with his father, Cal willingly enters the Animus once again, whereupon Aguilar and Maria ambush a meeting between Muhammad and Torquemada. They succeed in killing the Templars and retrieving the Apple, though Ojeda captures Maria in order to force Aguilar to surrender it. Instead, Maria chooses death, and stabs herself on Ojeda's blade. Aguilar kills him and escapes through another Leap, the force of which causes the Animus to violently malfunction. Aguilar gives the Apple to Christopher Columbus, who promises to take it to his grave. When Moussa and the modern Assassin prisoners start a riot in order to escape, Alan orders the facility purged. Abstergo security kills Joseph and most of the other prisoners.

text: Cal stands in the Animus chamber and is met with the projections of a number of his Assassin ancestors, including Aguilar, Arno Dorian, Joseph and his mother. Persuaded by his mother, Cal embraces his Assassins' Creed and, having fully assimilated Aguilar’s memories and abilities, joins Moussa and two other surviving Assassins in escaping the facility.

text: Having retrieved the Apple from Columbus' burial vault, Alan and his followers converge at a ceremony in a Templar sanctuary in London to celebrate their triumph. Inside the sanctuary, a disillusioned Sofia meets with Cal, who has come to take the Apple, and she reluctantly allows him to act. Cal retrieves the Apple, but kills Alan to do it. While Sofia vows revenge against Cal, the Assassins depart, vowing to once again protect the Apple from the Templars.

text: Cast[edit]

text:
Michael Fassbender as Callum "Cal" Lynch and Aguilar de Nerha:[8]
An original character created for the film, Lynch is a descendant of the Assassins, with genetic links to Aguilar, an Assassin in 15th century Spain.[9][10] Cal has been running his whole life, ever since he was forced to witness his mother's murder as a child. But living on society's fringes has also kept him shrouded from the secrets of his ancestry. Awaiting execution on death row, Cal is captured and brought to the Abstergo facility (Abstergo Foundation in Madrid, Spain), where he may soon come to understand his place in the world, and control the power burning inside of him.[8] Fassbender described Cal by saying "He doesn’t have a lineage he can feel a belonging to... he's a bit of a lost soul. He’s always been drifting in and out of correctional facilities," and conversely described Aguilar as "very much somebody that belongs to the Creed. He has a cause, he’s sort of been following that cause. He belongs to it."[11] Angus Brown portrays a young Cal.
Marion Cotillard as Dr. Sofia Rikkin:[8]
The daughter of Alan Rikkin and the leading scientist of the Animus project at Abstergo Foundation.[12][13][14][15] Sofia is a brilliant scientist determined to use science to eradicate humanity's violent impulses and create a harmonious world. She might not see the dark underside of the modern-day Templars' causes, and her allegiance is yet to be tested.[8] Marion Cotillard described Sofia's relationship with her father as "twisted." Their relationship is distant, and she tries everything to make him proud," she explains. "But at the same time, she starts to understand that they're not really on the same page. The most important thing for her is not to impress her father. It's to achieve what she started." [16]
Jeremy Irons as Alan Rikkin:[8]
The CEO of Abstergo Industries and, particularly, his private Madrid-based organization Abstergo Foundation dedicated to the "perfection" of humankind,[17] one of the leaders of modern-day Knights Templar, and the father of Sofia, to which he feels a strong love.[13][14][15] He is determined to achieve his orders' centuries-long goal to gain control over humanity. Through Cal, and the ancestral memories he holds, Rikkin may finally have found the key to achieving ultimate power for the betterment of humanity.[8] "I'm a mover and a shaker. A shadowy figure. A man who is very much at the forefront of this world," Irons says. Like Sofia, Rikkin believes in "removing the violent impulse all men carry," and sees an opportunity in Cal. "Rikkin believes the cause of unhappiness in the world is war, and if he can get rid of that then people like him will be safer and wealthier. He's not a very moral man, but he thinks he is." [16] The character previously appeared in the first Assassin's Creed game.[18]
Brendan Gleeson as Joseph Lynch:
The father of Cal Lynch and an Assassin, who was forced to kill his wife, Mary Lynch, in order to save her from Abstergo's invasion. Brian Gleeson, Brendan's real-life son, portrays a young Joseph.[8][13]
Charlotte Rampling as Ellen Kaye: Referred to as "Your Excellency", is a senior member of the Templar Elders. Looking to re-purpose Abstergo's multibillion-dollar annual budget used for the Animus program.[16][19][8]
Michael K. Williams as Moussa:
A descendant of Baptiste, a Haitian Assassin who uses voodoo poison against his enemies.[20][11] Escapes with Cal and Lin to London. Williams said, "Moussa definitely has some assassin skills. Although I think he prefers to use trickery and magic and voodoo to slay his opponents as opposed to just hand-to-hand combat, but if it needed to be he could take it to the mat."[11] Baptiste previously appeared in Assassin's Creed: Liberation.[21][8]
Denis Ménochet as McGowen: Head of Rikkin's large Abstergo security force.[8][22]
Ariane Labed as Maria:[8]
An assassin in 15th century Spain and the closest ally of Aguilar.[23][14] More measured than her partner-in-arms, Maria is light on her feet and exceedingly quick, and together they are an unstoppable force. Like Aguilar, she understands the damage the Templar influence is doing to her country.[8]
Khalid Abdalla as Sultan Muhammad XII.
Essie Davis as Cal's mother.
Matias Varela as Emir: A descendant of Yusuf Tazim, a Middle Eastern Assassin who uses a bow and arrow, along with a sword and knives, against his enemies.[11][8]
Callum Turner as Nathan: A descendant of Duncan Walpole, an Assassin turncoat from the 18th century.
Carlos Bardem as Spanish army commander Benedicto
Javier Gutiérrez as Tomas de Torquemada:[8]
Tomas de Torquemada ruled over the Spanish Inquisition for 15 years, directing his inquisitors to root out and murder those he deemed to be manipulating the faith in their own pursuit of power. The most potent tool in his arsenal was the auto-da-fé: theatrical acts of public penance in which all those who crossed the Inquisition were burned alive.[8]
Hovik Keuchkerian as Ojeda:[8]
While Torquemada pulls the strings, Ojeda does the real work, exacting brutal punishment on any who dare to challenge the Inquisition. He thinks nothing of razing entire towns and commands a great army; however, his lack of subtlety is his weakness, because it allows the Assassins who operate in the shadows to keep their eyes on him at all times.[8]
Michelle H. Lin as Lin: A descendant of Shao Jun, a Chinese Assassin from the 16th century.[8]

tag: ul

text: Production[edit]

text: Development[edit]

text:
"You know, we absolutely want to respect the game. There's so much cool stuff in the game that we're actually spoiled for choice in terms of what we can use and what we can't, but we also want to bring new elements to it and perhaps our own version of things that already exist in the game. But we're definitely making a feature film, and we're approaching it as a feature film, as opposed to approaching it as a video game. But I love the world... When I met up with the guys from Ubisoft and they started to explain this whole world and the idea of D.N.A memory – you know, I think it's a very feasible scientific theory. I just thought, 'This is so rich,' and about the possibility of it being this cinematic experience. So I'm really excited about it, and we're working very hard to make sure that we've got the best and most exciting, original package."

—Michael Fassbender, star and producer of the film, on how much of the film would remain faithful to the game and how much would be an original story.[24]

tag: div

text: By October 2011, Sony Pictures was in final negotiations with Ubisoft Motion Pictures to make a film version of Assassin's Creed,[25] to be released in 3D.[26] In July 2012, Michael Fassbender was announced to star in the film, as well as co-produce, through his DMC Film banner, with Conor McCaughan.[9] Jean-Julien Baronnet, CEO of Ubisoft Motion Pictures, said Fassbender was the studio's first choice to star in the film. As well, negotiations between Sony Pictures and Ubisoft Motion Pictures were put on hold, with Ubisoft executives planning to develop the film independently in order to maintain greater creative control. Sony was able to still distribute the film, but Ubisoft Motion Pictures would not resume talks until packaging the project with a writer and director.[27] In October 2012, Ubisoft revealed the film would be co-produced with New Regency and distributed by 20th Century Fox. New Regency financed part of the film's production, in order for Ubisoft to not shoulder much financial risk, yet still be able to be involved creatively;[28] RatPac Entertainment and Alpha Pictures also co-financed the film.[23] Baronnet also revealed Ubisoft hoped to release the film along with a new game launch for the series.[28]

text: In January 2013, Michael Lesslie was hired to write the film.[29] In June 2013, Frank Marshall entered negotiations to produce the film, along with Fassbender and McCaughan, for DMC Film, and Eli Richbourg for Ubisoft.[30] In July, Scott Frank revealed he was rewriting the script.[31] In January 2014, a Linkedin profile for executive producer Fannie Pailloux stated filming was scheduled to begin in August 2014.[32] In April 2014, Adam Cooper and Bill Collage were hired to rewrite the script.[33] By the end of April, Justin Kurzel was in talks to direct.[34] In June, Olivia Munn expressed interest in appearing in the film.[35]

text: Pre-production[edit]

text: On February 12, 2015, Ubisoft's CEO Yves Guillemot confirmed that New Regency had begun production on the film.[36] The following day, Marion Cotillard was revealed to have joined the cast. Filming was expected to begin in late 2015.[12] In April 2015, Fassbender revealed that filming was scheduled to begin in September 2015.[37] In May 2015, Alicia Vikander was in talks to star in the film,[38] though in the following month, she took a role in the fifth Bourne film, Jason Bourne, instead,[39] and Ariane Labed was cast in her place.[23] Producers on the film include Baronnet, Patrick Crowley, Fassbender, Marshall, Conor McCaughan, and Arnon Milchan.[23] In July 2015, Michael K. Williams was added to the cast.[20] In late August 2015, Fassbender's role was revealed as Callum Lynch in the present day and Aguilar in 15th century Spain; filming locations for the film were also announced.[10]

text: Filming[edit]

text: Principal photography on the film began on August 31, 2015, with filming taking place in Malta, London, Spain, and the 007 Stage at Pinewood Studios.[10][40][41][42] Adam Arkapaw serves as cinematographer, while Andy Nicholson was production designer.[43] In October 2015, Jeremy Irons and Brendan Gleeson joined the cast.[13] In December 2015, shooting took place in Spain,[44] and Irons' role was revealed to be Alan Rikkin.[17] Principal filming ended on January 15, 2016,[45] with further filming taking place in Ely Cathedral in July.[46]

text: Music[edit]

text: In May 2016, it was announced that Jed Kurzel, the brother of director Justin Kurzel, would score the film.[47]

text: Connections to the video games[edit]

text: Aymar Azaïzia, head of Assassin's Creed content at Ubisoft, stated that the film, which is "a brand new story, [with] new characters set in our universe," had the possibility to feature "some familiar faces," and that the present day element would feature Abstergo.[48] Fassbender said, "We really want to respect the game[s] and the elements to it. But we also wanted to come up with our own thing. And one thing I've sort of learned from doing the franchises like X-Men is that audiences, I think, want to be surprised and to see new elements of what they already know, and different takes on it."[11] The Animus, the machine used to experience ancestors' memories, was redesigned for the film, from a chair, to a machine that lifts the user in the air, allowing for a more modern, interactive and dramatic experience. Fassbender also noted the change was made to avoid comparisons to The Matrix.[49] The Abstergo compound in the film features an artifact room that holds specific weapons from the games beyond the traditional Assassin wrist blades, including: Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad's sword (Assassin's Creed);[11] Connor/Ratonhnhaké:ton's bow (Assassin's Creed III);[42] Edward Kenway's flintlock pistols (Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag); the cane sword of the twins Jacob and Evie Frye (Assassin's Creed Syndicate) and the axe and guillotine gun of Arno Dorian (Assassin's Creed Unity).[50][51] Fassbender also stated that Ubisoft was "very keen" about elements being created for the film, and were considering incorporating them into future games.[11]

text: The film also features the games' signature "Leap of Faith" jump, performed by Fassbender's stunt double, Damien Walters, rather than a digital double, as the production team wanted to make many of the elements in the film as "real" as possible, without the use of visual effects. The 125-foot (38 m) freefall was described as "one of the highest freefalls performed by a stuntman in almost 35 years".[52]

text: Release[edit]

text: Assassin's Creed was released on December 21, 2016.[53] The film was originally announced in May 2013 to be released on May 22, 2015,[54] a date that was pushed back the following month to June 26, 2015.[55] In November 2013, the film was pushed back once again to a new release date of August 7, 2015.[56] In September 2014, the film was pushed to an unspecified 2016 release date,[57] which was later revealed to be December 21, 2016.[53] The film was released in 2D, 3D and selected IMAX 3D territories.[citation needed]

text: Reception[edit]

text: Box office[edit]

text: Assassin's Creed grossed $54.6 million in the United States and Canada and $186 million in other territories for a worldwide total of $240.7 million, against a production budget of $125 million.[6]

text: In North America, Assassin's Creed was initially expected to gross $25–35 million from 2,902 theaters over its first six days of release.[58][5] However, after grossing $1.4 million from Tuesday night previews and $4.6 million on its first day, six-day projections were lowered to $22 million.[59] It went on to gross $10.3 million in its opening weekend (a six-day total of $22.5 million), finishing 5th at the box office.[60]

text: Critical reception[edit]

text: On Rotten Tomatoes, Assassin's Creed has an approval rating of 18% based on 190 reviews, and an average rating of 4/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Assassin's Creed is arguably better made (and certainly better cast) than most video game adaptations; unfortunately, the CGI-fueled end result is still a joylessly overplotted slog."[61] On Metacritic, the film has a score of 36 out of 100 based on 38 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews".[62] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B+" on an A+ to F scale.[63]

text: Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian wrote, "I bet playing the game is much more exciting. But then getting Fassbender to slap a coat of Dulux on the wall of his hi-tech prison cell and monitoring the progressive moisture-loss would be more exciting."[64] Robbie Collin of the Daily Telegraph was equally scathing, saying, "For everyone who thought Dan Brown's conspiracy novels were just lacking a spot of parkour, Assassin's Creed might be your favourite film of the year. But for the clinically sane 99.9 percent of the rest of us, it's rather less exciting."[65]

text: David Ehrlich of IndieWire gave the film a B−, and said "declaring this to be the best video game movie ever made is the kind of backhanded compliment that sounds like hyperbole, but the description fits the bill on both counts."[66]

text: Home media[edit]

text: Assassin's Creed was released onto Blu-ray and DVD on March 21, 2017 [67] and Digital HD from Amazon Video and iTunes on March 10, 2017.[citation needed]

text: Potential sequels[edit]

text: In March 2016, Daphne Yang, CEO of the film's Taiwanese co-financier CatchPlay, stated that New Regency was looking to turn the film into a franchise, since it is based on "successful Ubisoft games and would make ideal sequels."[68] Two additional films are planned, with the first sequel having entered development during the production of the initial film.[69] Kurzel told Premiere that he would like to explore the Cold War in the sequel.[70]


document_title: World's most liveable cities

question_text: economist intelligence unit's ranking of the most livable cities

question_tokens: economist intelligence unit 's ranking of the most livable cities

text: World's most liveable cities

text: Monocle's Quality of Life Survey[edit]

text: Since 2006, the lifestyle magazine Monocle has published an annual list of liveable cities. The list in 2008 was named "The Most Liveable Cities Index" and presented 25 top locations for quality of life.

text: Important criteria in this survey are safety/crime, international connectivity, climate/sunshine, quality of architecture, public transport, tolerance, environmental issues and access to nature, urban design, business conditions, pro-active policy developments and medical care.

text: The 2015 Monocle Survey determined the world's most liveable city was Tokyo (a total of three Japanese cities were on the list); followed by Vienna and Berlin (a total of three German cities were on the list). The two most populous Australian cities were in the top 5, while no cities in South America, South Asia, or Africa made the list.[3][4]

text: The EIU's Global Liveability Ranking[edit]

text: The Economist Intelligence Unit's (EIU) publishes an annual Global Liveability Ranking, which ranks 140 cities for their urban quality of life based on assessments of their stability, healthcare, culture and environment, education and infrastructure.[5]

text: Melbourne, Australia, has been ranked by the EIU as the world's most liveable city for seven years in a row, from 2011 to 2017.[6] Between 2004 and 2010, Vancouver, Canada, was ranked the EIU's most liveable city, with Melbourne sharing first place in the inaugural 2002 report. Vancouver has ranked third since 2015, while Vienna, Austria, has ranked second.

text: The Syrian capital, Damascus, was ranked the least liveable city of the 140 assessed in 2016.[7]

text: The EIU also publishes a Worldwide Cost of Living Survey that compares the cost of living in a range of global cities.[8]

text: Mercer's Quality of Living Ranking[edit]

text: American global human resources and related financial services consulting firm Mercer annually releases its Mercer Quality of Living Survey, comparing 221 cities based on 39 criteria. New York City is given a baseline score of 100 and other cities are rated in comparison. Important criteria are safety, education, hygiene, health care, culture, environment, recreation, political-economic stability, public transport and access to goods and services. The list is intended to help multinational companies decide where to open offices or plants, and how much to pay employees. For eight consecutive years (2009–2016), Mercer ranked Austria's capital Vienna first in its annual "Quality of Living" survey, a title the city still held in 2016.[9][10][11][12][13]


document_title: Saint Lawrence Seaway

question_text: how did the great lakes st lawrence seaway influence the development of cities in the region

text: Saint Lawrence Seaway

text: History[edit]

text: This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (June 2015) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)

tag: table

text: The Saint Lawrence Seaway was preceded by a number of other canals. In 1871, locks on the Saint Lawrence allowed transit of vessels 186 ft (57 m) long, 44 ft 6 in (13.56 m) wide, and 9 ft (2.7 m) deep. The First Welland Canal, constructed from 1824–1829, had a minimum lock size of 110 ft (34 m) long, 22 ft (6.7 m) wide, and 8 ft (2.4 m) deep, but it was generally too small to allow passage of larger ocean-going ships. The Welland Canal's minimum lock size was increased to 150 ft (46 m) long, 26.5 ft (8.1 m) wide, and 9 ft (2.7 m) deep for the Second Welland Canal; to 270 ft (82 m) long, 45 ft (14 m) wide, and 14 ft (4.3 m) deep with the Third Welland Canal; and to 766 ft (233 m) long, 80 ft (24 m) wide, and 30 ft (9.1 m) deep for the current (Fourth) Welland Canal.[2]

text: The first proposals for a bi-national comprehensive deep waterway along the Saint Lawrence were made in the 1890s. In the following decades, developers proposed a hydropower project as inseparable from the seaway; the various governments and seaway supporters believed that the deeper water to be created by the hydro project was necessary to make the seaway channels feasible for ocean-going ships. United States proposals for development up to and including the First World War met with little interest from the Canadian federal government. But the two national governments submitted Saint Lawrence plans to a group for study. By the early 1920s, both The Wooten-Bowden Report and the International Joint Commission recommended the project.

text: Although the Liberal Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King was reluctant to proceed, in part because of opposition to the project in Quebec, in 1932 he and the United States representative signed a treaty of intent. This treaty was submitted to the United States Senate in November 1932 and hearings continued until a vote was taken on March 14, 1934. The majority voted in favor of the treaty, but it failed to gain the necessary two-thirds vote for ratification. Subsequent attempts between the governments in the 1930s to forge an agreement came to naught due to opposition by the Ontario government of Mitchell Hepburn, and that of Quebec.[citation needed] In 1936, John C. Beukema, head of the Great Lakes Harbors Association and a member of the Great Lakes Tidewater Commission, was among a delegation of eight from the Great Lakes states to meet at the White House with U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt to get his support of the Seaway concept.

text: Beukema and Saint Lawrence Seaway proponents were convinced that such a nautical link would lead to development of the communities and economies of the Great Lakes region by enabling ocean-going ships. In this period, grain exports to Europe were highly important to the national economy, along with other commodities. The negotiations on the treaty resumed in 1938 and by January 1940, substantial agreement was reached between Canada and the United States. By 1941, President Roosevelt and Prime Minister Mackenzie King made an executive agreement to build the joint hydro and navigation works, but this failed to receive the assent of the U.S. Congress. Proposals for the seaway were met with resistance; primary opposition came from interests representing existing harbors on the Atlantic and Gulf coasts and internal waterways, and from the railroads associations. The railroads carried freight and goods between the coastal ports and the Great Lakes cities.

text: After 1945, proposals to introduce tolls to the Seaway were not sufficient to gain support by the U.S. Congress for the project. Growing impatient, and with Ontario desperate for the power to be generated by hydro-electricity, Canada began to consider "going it alone". This seized the imagination of Canadians, engendering a groundswell of Saint Lawrence nationalism. Canadian Prime Minister Louis St. Laurent advised U.S. President Harry S. Truman on September 28, 1951 that Canada was unwilling to wait for the United States and would build a seaway alone; the Canadian Parliament authorized the founding of the Saint Lawrence Seaway Authority on December 21 of that year. Fueled by this support, Saint Laurent's administration decided over the course of 1951 and 1952 to construct the waterway alone, combined with the Moses-Saunders Power Dam. (This became the joint responsibility of Ontario and New York: as a hydro-power dam would change the water levels, it required bilateral cooperation.)

text: The International Joint Commission issued an order of approval for joint construction of the dam in October 1952. U.S. Senate debate on the bill began on January 12, 1953, and the bill emerged from the House of Representatives Committee of Public Works on February 22, 1954. It received approval by the Senate and the House by May 1954. The first positive action to enlarge the seaway was taken on May 13, 1954 when U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the Wiley-Dondero Seaway Act[3] to authorize joint construction and to establish the Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation as the US authority. The need for cheap haulage of Quebec - Labrador iron ore was one of the arguments that finally swung the balance in favor of the seaway. Ground-breaking ceremonies took place in Massena, New York, on August 10, 1954. That year John C. Beukema was appointed by Eisenhower to the five-member St. Lawrence Seaway Advisory Board.

text: In May 1957, the Connecting Channels Project was begun by the United States Army Corps of Engineers. By 1959, Beukema was on board the U.S. Coast Guard cutter Maple for the first trip through the U.S. locks that opened up the Great Lakes to ocean-going ships. On April 25, 1959,[4] large, deep-draft, ocean vessels began streaming to the heart of the North American continent through the seaway, a project which had been supported by every administration from Woodrow Wilson through Eisenhower.

text: In the United States, Dr. N.R. Danelian (who was the director of the 13-volume Saint Lawrence Seaway Survey in the U.S. Department of Navigation (1932–1963)), worked with the U.S. Secretary of State on Canadian-United States issues regarding the Seaway, persevering through 15 years to gain passage by Congress of the Seaway Act. He later became President of the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Association to promote Seaway development to benefit the American Heartland. The Seaway was heavily promoted by the Eisenhower administration, who were concerned with the its locus of control.[5]

text: The seaway opened in 1959 and cost C$470 million, $336.2 million of which was paid by the Canadian government.[6] Queen Elizabeth II and American President Dwight D. Eisenhower formally opened the Seaway with a short cruise aboard the royal yacht HMY Britannia after addressing crowds in Saint-Lambert, Quebec. 22,000 workers were employed at one time or another on the project, a 2,300-mile-long superhighway for ocean freighters.[5] Port of Milwaukee director Harry C. Brockel forecast just before the Seaway opened in 1959 that "The St. Lawrence Seaway will be the greatest single development of this century in its effects on Milwaukee's future growth and prosperity." Lester Olsen, president of the Milwaukee Association of Commerce, said, "The magnitude and potential of the St. Lawrence Seaway and the power project stir the imagination of the world."[5]

text: The seaway's opening is often credited with making the Erie Canal obsolete, and causing the severe economic decline of several cities along the canal in Upstate New York. By the turn of the 20th century, the Erie Canal had already been largely supplanted by the railroads, which had been constructed across New York and could carry freight more quickly and cheaply. The economic decline of Upstate New York was precipitated by numerous factors, only some of which had to do with the St. Lawrence Seaway.

text: Under the Canada Marine Act (1998), the Canadian portions of the Seaway were set up with a non-profit corporate structure; this legislation also introduced changes to the federal Ports.[7]

text: Great Lakes and Seaway shipping generates $3.4 billion in business revenue annually in the US. In 2002, ships moved 222 million tons of cargo. Overseas shipments, mostly of inbound steel and outbound grain, accounted for 15.4 million tons, 6.9% of the total cargo moved.[5] In 2004, Seaway grain exports accounted for about 3.6% of the US' overseas grain shipments, according to the U.S. Grains Council. In a typical year, Seaway steel imports account for around 6% of the U.S. annual total. The toll revenue obtained from ocean vessels is about 25-30% of cargo revenue.[5] The Port of Duluth shipped just over 2.5 million metric tons of grain, which is less than the port typically moved in the decade before the Seaway opened Lake Superior to deep-draft oceangoing vessels in 1959.[5]

text: International changes have affected shipping through the Seaway. Europe is no longer a major grain importer; big US export shipments are now going to South America, Asia and Africa. These destinations make Gulf and West Coast ports more critical to 21st-century grain exports. Referring to the Seaway project, a retired Iowa State University economics professor who specialized in transportation issues said, "It probably did make sense, at about the time it (the Seaway) was constructed and conceived, but since then everything has changed."[5]

text: Certain Seaway users have been concerned about the low water levels of the Great Lakes that have occurred since 2010.[8]

text: Expansion proposal[edit]

text: The Panama Canal was completed in 1914 and also serves ocean-going traffic. In the 1950s, Seaway designers chose not to build the locks to match the size of ships permitted by the 1914 locks at the Panama Canal (965 by 106 feet (294 by 32 m), known as the Panamax limit). Instead, the Seaway locks were built to match the smaller locks of Welland Canal, which opened in 1932. The Seaway locks permit passage of a ship 740 feet (230 m) long by 78 feet (24 m) feet wide (the Seawaymax limit).[5] The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers did a study to expand the St. Lawrence Seaway, but the plan was scrapped in 2011 because of tight budgets.[9][10]

text: The Seaway locks are planned for expansion in 2030. The expansion would allow container ships to travel into the Great Lakes. The maximum height clearance would be 150 feet (46 m), because of the height clearance limitations of the Mackinac Bridge, Ambassador Bridge, Blue Water Bridge, and the Gordie Howe International Bridge (to be completed in 2019-20). The maximum water draft would be 35 or 36 feet (11 m), compared to 27 feet (8.2 m) now. The Port of Montreal, at the eastern end of the St. Lawrence Seaway, allows 36-foot (11 m) drafts in the estuary.

text: The proposed New Seawaymax locks would be 1,000 by 110 feet (305 by 34 m) and would allow Panamax-size ships to access the Great Lakes. Only two limits would hinder the largest Panamax ships from entering the Seaway: Ships could be no higher than 150 feet (46 m) above the water line (air draft) and could have a water draft of no more than 37 feet (11 m). The New Seawaymax locks would permit a ship 45 feet (14 m) longer and 4 feet (1.2 m) wider than the Panamax ships permitted by the Panama Canal's 1914 locks.

text: Locks in the Saint Lawrence River[edit]

text: There are seven locks in the Saint Lawrence River portion of the Seaway. From downstream to upstream they are:[11]

text:
St. Lambert Lock—Saint Lambert, QC
Côte Ste. Catherine Lock—Sainte-Catherine, QC
Beauharnois Locks (two locks)—Melocheville, QC at 45°18′12.6″N 73°55′36.5″W / 45.303500°N 73.926806°W / 45.303500; -73.926806 and 45°19′0.1″N 73°55′6.6″W / 45.316694°N 73.918500°W / 45.316694; -73.918500
Snell Lock—Massena, NY
Eisenhower Lock—Massena, NY
Iroquois Lock—Iroquois, ON at 44°49′48″N 75°18′46.8″W / 44.83000°N 75.313000°W / 44.83000; -75.313000

tag: ol

text: Water Level Elevations

text: Lake Ontario 243 feet above sea level.

text: Drop through Iroqois Lock is 1 foot.

text: Lake St. Lawrence 242 feet above sea level.

text: Drop through Eisenhower Lock is 38 feet.

text: Wiley-Dondero Canal 204 feet above sea level.

text: Drop through Snell Lock is 45 feet.

text: Lake St. Francis 159 feet above sea level.

text: Drop through Upper Beauharnois Lock is 41 feet.

text: Beauharnois Canal 118 feet above sea level.

text: Drop through Lower Beauharnois Lock is 41 feet.

text: Lake St. Louis 77 feet above sea level.

text: Drop through Cote Ste Catherine Lock is 30 feet.

text: Laprairie Basin 47 feet above sea level.

text: Drop through St. Lambert Lock is 15 feet.

text: Drop through Lachine Rapids is a few feet.

text: Montreal Harbour 30 feet approximately above sea level.

text: Locks in the Welland Canal[edit]

text: There are eight locks on the Welland Canal. From the north to the south, there is the Lake Ontario level control lock at Port Weller, followed by Lock 2 and then Lock 3, a site with a visitors' information centre and museum in St. Catharines, Ontario. There are four locks in Thorold, Ontario, including twin flight locks 4, 5 and 6, with Lock 7 leading up to the main channel. The Lake Erie level control lock sits in Port Colborne, Ontario.

text: Lock, channel dimensions and additional statistical data[edit]

text: The size of vessels that can traverse the seaway is limited by the size of locks. Locks on the St. Lawrence and on the Welland Canal are 766 ft (233.5 m) long, 80 ft (24.4 m) wide, and 30 ft (9.14 m) deep. The maximum allowed vessel size is slightly smaller: 740 ft (225.6 m) long, 78 ft (23.8 m) wide, and 26.5 ft (8.1 m) deep. Many vessels designed for use on the Great Lakes following the opening of the seaway were built to the maximum size permissible by the locks, known informally as Seawaymax or Seaway-Max. Large vessels of the lake freighter fleet are built on the lakes and cannot travel downstream beyond the Welland Canal. On the remaining Great Lakes, these ships are constrained only by the largest lock on the Great Lakes Waterway, the Poe Lock at the Soo Locks (at Sault Ste. Marie), which is 1,200 ft (365.8 m) long, 110 ft (33.5 m) wide and 32 ft (9.8 m) deep.

text: A vessel's draft is another obstacle to passage on the seaway, particularly in connecting waterways such as the St. Lawrence River. The depth in the channels of the seaway is 41 ft (12.5 m) (Panamax-depth) downstream of Quebec City, 35 ft (10.7 m) between Quebec City and Deschaillons, 37 ft (11.3 m) to Montreal, and 27 ft (8.2 m) upstream of Montreal. Channel depths and limited lock sizes mean that only 10% of current ocean-going ships, which have been built much larger than in the 1950s, can traverse the entire seaway. Proposals to expand the seaway, dating from as early as the 1960s, have been rejected since the late 20th century as too costly. In addition, researchers, policymakers and the public are much more aware of the environmental issues that have accompanied Seaway development and are reluctant to open the Great Lakes to more invasions of damaging species, as well as associated issues along the canals and river. Questions have been raised as to whether such infrastructure costs could ever be recovered. Lower water levels in the Great Lakes have also posed problems for some vessels in recent years, and pose greater issues to communities, industries and agriculture in the region.

text: While the seaway is currently (2010) mostly used for shipping bulk cargo, the possibility of its use for large-scale container shipping is under consideration as well. If the expansion project goes ahead, feeder ships would take containers from the port of Oswego on Lake Ontario in upstate New York to Melford International Terminal in Nova Scotia for transfer to larger ocean-going ships.[12]

text: A useful website hosts measurements of wind, water levels and water temperatures.[13] A real-time interactive map of Seaway Locks, Vessels and Ports is available at.[14] The NOAA-funded Great Lakes Water Level Dashboard compiles statistics on water depth at various points along the Seaway.[15]

text: Ecology[edit]

text: To create a navigable channel through the Long Sault rapids and to allow hydroelectric stations to be established immediately upriver from Cornwall, Ontario and Massena, New York, Lake St. Lawrence was created behind a dam. It required the condemnation and acquisition by the government of all the properties of six villages and three hamlets in Ontario; these are now collectively known as "The Lost Villages".[16] The area was flooded on July 1, 1958, creating the lake. There was also inundation on the New York side of the border and the village of Louisville Landing was submerged. A notable adverse environmental effect of the operation of the Seaway has been the introduction of numerous invasive species of aquatic animals into the Great Lakes Basin. The zebra mussel has been most damaging in the Great Lakes and through its invasion of related rivers, waterways and city water facilities.

text: The Seaway, along with the Saint Lawrence River it passes through also provides opportunities for outdoor recreation, such as boating, camping, fishing, and scuba diving. Unfortunately invasive species and artificial water level controls imposed by the Seaway have had a negative impact on recreational fishing.[17] Of note, The Old Power House near Lock 23 (near Morrisburg, Ontario) became an attractive site for scuba divers. The submerged stone building has become covered with barnacles and is home to an abundance of underwater life.[18]

text: The Seaway passes through the Saint Lawrence River, which provides a number of divable shipwrecks within recreational scuba limits (shallower than 130 ft (40 m)) The region also offers technical diving with some wrecks lying at 240 ft (73 m). Surprisingly, the water temperature can be as warm as 75 °F (24 °C) during the mid to late summer months. The first 10 ft (3 m) of Lake Ontario is warmed and enters the St. Lawrence river as the fast-moving water body has no thermocline circulation.

text: On July 12, 2010, Richelieu (owned by Canada Steamship Lines) ran aground after losing power near the Côte-Sainte-Catherine lock. The grounding punctured a fuel tank, spilling an estimated 200 tonnes of diesel fuel, covering approximately 500 m2. The Seaway and the lock were shut down to help contain the spill.[19]

text: International trade and tourism[edit]

text: The seaway is important for American and Canadian international trade. The seaway handles 40 to 50 million annual tons of cargo. About 50% of the cargo carried travels to and from international ports in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. The rest comprises coastal trade, or short sea shipping, between various American and Canadian ports.[20] Among international shippers are found:

text:
Polsteam maintains a fleet of dry-bulk only vessels that transit every two weeks from the Dutch town of IJmuiden to Duluth, Minnesota
Fednav Group, private[21] international dry-bulk only ocean transportation group, with routes between the Port of Antwerp and Sorel, Quebec even in wintertime[22]
World Shipping Inc., a privately owned[23] and truly global logistics operation[24]
Canfornav, a subsidiary of Canfor[25] which does dry-bulk only and registers most of its vessels in Cyprus
American Steamship Company, a subsidiary of the General American Transportation Corporation (GATX)[26]
Rand Logistics, which was formed from the acquisition of Lower Lakes Towing Ltd,[27] and does not ship containers
McKeil Marine, headquartered in Hamilton, provides service to Arctic ports[28]
Groupe Desgagnés,[29] owner of MV Camilla Desgagnés, an arctic steamer
The Port of Montreal is the site of operations of

Maersk Line, a unit of the A.P. Moller-Maersk Group
Mediterranean Shipping Company
Compagnie Maritime d'Affrètement / Compagnie Generale Maritime, a French transshipper
Hapag-Lloyd acquired the Port of Montreal docks of, along with the rest of, CP Ships in 2005
Orient Overseas Container Line, a Hong Kong-based multinational

Arrimage Quebec has stevedoring operations in Baie-Comeau, Becancour, Chicago, Cote-Sainte-Catherine, Gaspe, Gros-Cacouna, Hamilton, Matane, Oshawa, Pointe-au-Pic, Port Colborne, Portneuf, Quebec, Rimouski, Saguenay, Sept-Iles, Sorel-Tracy, St. Catharines, and other ports in the Maritime provinces of Canada.[30]

text: The Saint Lawrence seaway (along with ports in Quebec) is the main route for Ontario grain exports to overseas markets.[31] Its fees are publicly known, and were limited in 2013 to an increase of 3%.[32] A trained Pilot is required for any foreign trade vessel,[33] and the employment of these skilled personnel follows the law of supply and demand. A set of rules and regulations are available to help transit.[34]

text: Commercial vessel transit information is hosted on the U.S. Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation website.

text: Since 1997, international cruise liners have been known to transit the Seaway. The Hapag-Lloyd Christopher Columbus carried 400 passengers to Duluth, Minnesota that year. Since then, the number of annual Seaway cruising passengers has increased to 14,000.[35]

text: Every year, more than 2,000 recreational boats, of more than 20 ft and one ton, transit the Seaway.[36] The tolls have been fixed for 2013 at $30 per lock, except for the Welland Canal, where $30 pays for all eight locks between Lake Erie and Lake Ontario.[37] Lockages are scheduled 12 hours a day between the hours of 07:00 and 19:00 from June 15 to September 15.[38]

text: A list of organisations that serve the Seaway in some fashion, such as Chambers of Commerce and Municipal or Port authorities, is available at the SLSDC website. A 56-page electronic "Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway System" Directory is published by Harbor House Publishers.[39]

text: Map[edit]

text: Map of the North American Great Lakes and the Saint Lawrence Seaway from 1959, depicting the entire length beginning at the Gulf of Saint Lawrence in the east to the western-most terminus at Lake Superior. This map is in the public domain and is available at Wikimedia Commons in several resolutions.