Page 1 of 7 Back Print this page Canada The land Map Canada provinces Canada covers most of the northern half of North America. It borders Alaska on the northwest and the rest of the continental United States on the south. From east to west, Canada extends 3,223 miles (5,187 kilometers) from the rocky coast of Newfoundland and Labrador to the St. Elias Mountains in Yukon. Canada has six time zones. At noon in Vancouver, the time in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, is 4:30 p.m. From its southernmost point, Middle Island in Lake Erie, Canada extends 2,875 miles (4,627 kilometers) north to Cape Columbia on Ellesmere Island. Of all the world's land areas, only the northern tip of Greenland lies nearer the North Pole than does Cape Columbia. Canada has the longest coastline of any country 151,019 miles (243,042 kilometers), including island coasts. Canada faces the Pacific Ocean on the west, the Arctic Ocean on the north, and the Atlantic Ocean on the east. Hudson Bay, Hudson Strait, and James Bay form a great inland sea. Hudson Bay remains frozen for about eight months of the year. But in the summer, it provides a waterway to Canada's vast interior. Forests cover almost half of the land area of Canada. Mountains and Arctic areas make up 41 percent of the land. Most Canadians live in southern agricultural areas and along the Atlantic and Pacific coasts. Land regions. Canada has eight major land regions. They are the Pacific Ranges and Lowlands, the Rocky Mountains, the Arctic Islands, the Interior Plains, the Canadian Shield, the Hudson Bay Lowlands, the St. Lawrence Lowlands, and the Appalachian Region. Athabasca glacier The Pacific Ranges and Lowlands form Canada's westernmost land region. They make up most of British Columbia and the southwestern part of Yukon. The region includes the Queen Charlotte Islands and Vancouver Island. All these islands are the upper portions of a mountain range that is partly covered by the Pacific Ocean. The Coast Mountains rise along the coast of British Columbia. The St. Elias Mountains in Yukon include Canada's highest peak, Mount Logan, near the Alaskan
Page 2 of 7 border. It towers 19,551 feet (5,959 meters) above sea level. Glaciers cover many of the higher slopes in the St. Elias Mountains. The coastline of British Columbia has many long, narrow inlets called fiords. The fiords provide a water route to Canada's most valuable forests. These dense forests consist of tall redcedars, hemlocks, and other evergreen trees that grow on the lower slopes of the mountains. Black bears, foxes, and other animals live in the forests. The Interior Plateau is an area of plains, river valleys, and smaller mountains. It lies east of the Coast Mountains. This area has valuable mineral resources, including Canada's largest deposits of the metals bismuth and molybdenum. The southern part of the Interior Plateau has many farms and orchards, as well as large grasslands where cattle graze. Forests grow in the northern part of the plateau area. Jasper National Park The Rocky Mountains rise east of the Pacific Ranges and Lowlands. These two regions together are part of the Cordillera, an immense group of mountain ranges that extends from Alaska through Mexico. In Canada, the snowcapped Rockies vary in height from 7,000 to more than 12,000 feet (2,100 to 3,660 meters) above sea level. The tallest peak, Mount Robson in eastern British Columbia, is 12,972 feet (3,954 meters) high. Millions of people visit the Rockies every year to view the magnificent scenery and to enjoy such activities as camping, hiking, and skiing. The Rocky Mountain Chain extends for more than 3,000 miles (4,800 kilometers) from New Mexico to northern Alaska. The Canadian portion of the chain includes several separate ranges. The major range, the Canadian Rockies, stretches from Canada's southern border to the Liard River in northern British Columbia. Railroads and highways cross the Canadian Rockies at Crowsnest, Kicking Horse, Vermillion, and Yellowhead passes. Between the Liard River and the Alaskan border are several other ranges, including the Selwyn Mountains and the Mackenzie Mountains. A long, narrow valley called the Rocky Mountain Trench separates the Columbia Mountains in southern British Columbia from the Canadian Rockies to the east. The Rockies have large deposits of coal, lead, silver, zinc, and other minerals. Forests of juniper and pine grow on the lower slopes. Firs and spruces thrive at higher elevations. Bears, deer, minks, mountain lions, and other animals roam the forests on the upper slopes. Rocky Mountain goats and bighorn sheep live above the timber line, the elevation above which trees cannot grow. Rainbow trout, cutthroat trout, grayling, and other fish swim in the swift mountain streams. The Arctic Islands lie almost entirely within the Arctic Circle. They include about a dozen large islands and hundreds of smaller ones. All the islands are barren, and most remain unexplored. Two of the largest islands, Baffin Island and Ellesmere Island, have many glaciers, tall mountains, and deep fiords. Victoria Island and the other western islands are extremely flat. The seas surrounding the islands remain frozen most of the year.
Page 3 of 7 Canadian tundra The Arctic Islands are tundras, places too cold and dry for trees to grow. The subsoil of the islands is permanently frozen, and only a thin surface layer of soil thaws during the brief, cool summers. Only simple organisms called lichens grow on the northernmost islands. The other islands have lichens, mosses, grasses, and grasslike plants known as sedges. Herds of caribou and musk oxen graze on the tundras. Other wildlife includes Arctic foxes and hares, lemmings, polar bears, ptarmigans, seals, walruses, and whales. Insects thrive on the Arctic Islands during the summer. Deposits of petroleum and natural gas, as well as such minerals as lead and zinc, have been discovered in the western Arctic Islands. However, most of this mineral wealth remains untapped because of high production costs and the difficulty of transporting the products to distant markets. Interior Plains of Canada The Interior Plains include the northeastern corner of British Columbia, much of Alberta and Saskatchewan, and the southwestern part of Manitoba. The region extends north through the Northwest Territories to the Arctic Ocean. Grasslands form the natural cover of the vast prairies in the southern Interior Plains. Farmers have plowed most of the grasslands to grow wheat and other grains in the fertile black soil. Ranchers graze cattle on the remaining grasslands in the drier areas of southern Alberta. Farther north, evergreen forests form part of the great northern forest that covers Canada from Alaska to the coast of Labrador, the mainland part of Newfoundland and Labrador. White spruces and jack pines are the most common trees in these forests. Deer, elk, moose, and many other animals live there. Near the Arctic Ocean, the forests gradually give way to tundras that are covered by snow for more than half the year. The Interior Plains have many mineral resources. Large deposits of petroleum, natural gas, and coal have made Alberta a major mining area. One of the world's largest known deposits of bituminous sands or tar sands (sands that contain oil) lies along the Athabasca River in Alberta. Saskatchewan has important deposits of petroleum and uranium. The largest potash deposits in the world lie mainly in southern Saskatchewan. The Northwest Territories has petroleum and deposits of diamonds, lead, and zinc. The Canadian Shield is a vast horseshoe-shaped region. It curves around Hudson Bay from the Arctic coast of Nunavut to the coast of Labrador. The Canadian Shield covers about half of Canada and is made up of ancient rock. Much of the region lies from 600 to 1,200 feet (180 to 370 meters) above sea level. The eastern part of the region is called the Great Laurentian Uplands.
Page 4 of 7 Spruce Woods Provincial Park The Canadian Shield consists largely of low hills and thousands of lakes. These lakes are the sources of rivers that break into great rapids and waterfalls at the edge of the region. Many of these rivers have hydroelectric plants. The plants provide power for pulp and paper mills and other industries, as well as towns and cities of Quebec, Ontario, and Manitoba. Few people live in the Canadian Shield. The region generally has poor soil and a cold climate. Only a few areas near the southern edge of the region have soil that is good enough for farming. Lake Louise, Alberta, ski resort The southern part of the Canadian Shield is close to Toronto, Ottawa, and Montreal. Many people of these cities have vacation houses near lakes or ski slopes in the southern Canadian Shield. The northern areas of the Canadian Shield are tundras. Evergreen forests cover most of the rest of the region. Deer, elk, moose, wolves, and many smaller animals live in the forests. The Canadian Shield has much of Canada's mineral wealth. The border between Quebec and Newfoundland and Labrador has huge deposits of iron ore. Deposits of cobalt, copper, gold, nickel, and uranium are mined near Greater Sudbury, Ontario, a major smelting center. The Canadian Shield also contains valuable deposits of platinum, silver, zinc, and other metals. International Peace Garden The Hudson Bay Lowlands form a flat, swampy region between the Canadian Shield and the southwestern coast of Hudson Bay. The lowlands extend about 800 miles (1,300 kilometers) from the Churchill River in Manitoba to the Nottaway River in Quebec. Stunted forests and decayed vegetable matter called peat cover much of the area. The only permanent settlements are several small villages, a few old trading posts and forts, and the ports of Churchill, Manitoba, and Moosonee, Ontario. The St. Lawrence Lowlands make up the smallest Canadian land region, but more than half of the nation's people live there. This region includes the flat-to-rolling countryside along the St. Lawrence River and the peninsula of southern Ontario. Another part of the region, Anticosti Island at the mouth of the St. Lawrence, remains a wilderness because of its isolation and colder climate. Southern Ontario has Canada's only major deciduous forests, which consist of trees that shed their leaves every
Page 5 of 7 autumn. The most plentiful trees in these forests include beeches, hickories, maples, oaks, and walnuts. Foxes, rabbits, raccoons, squirrels, and other small animals inhabit the forests. The St. Lawrence Lowlands have excellent transportation facilities and lie near markets in the eastern and central United States. These features help make the region the manufacturing center of Canada. Fertile soil and a mild climate enable farmers in the St. Lawrence Lowlands to produce about a third of Canada's agricultural output. The most important crops include barley, corn, oats, soybeans, and a variety of fruits and vegetables. The region also has a large number of dairy farms. Appalachian Region of Canada The Appalachian Region includes southeastern Quebec and all of the Atlantic Canada region except Labrador. The region forms part of an ancient mountain chain extending from the island of Newfoundland south to Alabama. The terrain of the Appalachian Region generally is hilly. The effects of glaciers and erosion have rounded the mountains. The Shickshock Mountains on the Gaspé Peninsula of Quebec have the region's highest peaks, which reach just over 4,000 feet (1,220 meters). Most residents of the Appalachian Region live along the coast, where hundreds of bays and inlets provide harbors for fishing fleets. In most areas, the land rises gradually from the Atlantic Ocean. Parts of Nova Scotia and the island of Newfoundland, however, have steep, rocky coasts. The Bay of Fundy, between New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, is famous for its high tides, which reach more than 50 feet (15 meters) in some areas. Mixed evergreen and deciduous forests cover much of the Appalachian Region. Valuable farmland lies on the plains of Prince Edward Island and along the Saint John River in New Brunswick and the Annapolis River in Nova Scotia. Nova Scotia has important coal and gypsum resources. Copper, lead, zinc, and other minerals are mined in New Brunswick and on Newfoundland. Rivers, waterfalls, and lakes add to the scenic beauty of the Canadian countryside. Until the first railroads were built during the 1800's, the rivers and lakes also provided the only means of reaching Canada's vast interior. Many of these waterways still serve as major transportation routes. They also have economic importance as sources of hydroelectric power and, in the western provinces, for irrigation. The water from each of Canada's lakes and rivers eventually drains into one of four major bodies of water. Therefore, the country has four major drainage areas, or basins the Atlantic Basin, the Hudson Bay and Hudson Strait Basin, the Arctic Basin, and the Pacific Basin. The Atlantic Basin covers about 678,000 square miles (1,756,000 square kilometers) in eastern Canada. The most important waterway in this drainage area is the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River system. The Great Lakes, the largest group of freshwater lakes in the world, cover 94,230 square miles (244,060 square kilometers). Lake Michigan lies entirely within the United States, but the border between Canada and the United States passes through the other four Great Lakes and the rivers that connect them. These rivers are the Saint Marys, the Detroit, the St. Clair, and the Niagara. Between Lake Erie and Lake Ontario, the Niagara River plunges over a rocky ledge and forms Niagara Falls, a world-famous tourist attraction.
Page 6 of 7 The St. Lawrence River flows about 800 miles (1,300 kilometers) from Lake Ontario to the Gulf of St. Lawrence, an arm of the Atlantic Ocean. The St. Lawrence is sometimes called the Mother of Canada because it was the chief route of the European explorers, fur traders, and colonists who came to Canada several hundred years ago. Today, the St. Lawrence forms part of the St. Lawrence Seaway and carries more freight than any other Canadian river. The St. Lawrence Seaway enables oceangoing ships to travel between the Atlantic and such Great Lakes ports as Toronto and Chicago. The Thousand Islands, which lie in the St. Lawrence River near Lake Ontario, are a popular resort area. Dams on the major tributaries (streams that flow into a larger stream) of the St. Lawrence provide much hydroelectric power for Quebec. Generating stations have been built on the Ottawa, Bersimis, Outardes, and Manicouagan rivers. Many other rivers have the potential for hydroelectric power. Such tributaries as the Ottawa, the St. Maurice, and the Saguenay are important to loggers, who float wood to pulp and paper plants downstream. The Montmorency River plunges 251 feet (77 meters) near Quebec City to form Montmorency Falls. Churchill Falls, on the Churchill River in Labrador, is the site of one of the largest hydroelectric generating stations in the Western Hemisphere. New Brunswick is famous for the Reversing Falls at the mouth of the Saint John River. Twice each day, high tides from the Bay of Fundy force the river backward through the falls. The Hudson Bay and Hudson Strait Basin covers about a third of mainland Canada. The chief river in this basin is the Nelson, which flows from Lake Winnipeg to Hudson Bay. During the 1700's and 1800's, the Nelson served as an important transportation route for the Hudson's Bay Company, a British fur-trading company. Today, the river serves mainly as a source of hydroelectric power. The Nelson's principal tributaries the Assiniboine, the North and South Saskatchewan, the Red, and the Winnipeg rivers flow into Lake Winnipeg rather than directly into the Nelson. The headwaters of the South Saskatchewan provide water for irrigating dry farmlands in southern Alberta. Hydroelectric generating stations on the Winnipeg River supply some electric power for the city of Winnipeg. Other major rivers that flow into Hudson Bay include the Churchill and Hayes in Manitoba, the Severn and Winisk in Ontario, and the Thelon in the Northwest Territories and Nunavut. Several rivers empty into James Bay. Among them are the Albany and Moose in Ontario; and the Eastmain, Nottaway, and Rupert in Quebec. La Grande River has four large hydroelectric generating stations. Together these stations form one of the world's most important power projects. The Arctic Basin includes parts of British Columbia, the Prairies, and the territories. The Mackenzie River system drains about half the basin. The sources of this river system, Canada's longest, are high in the Rocky Mountains, where the Peace and Athabasca rivers begin. These two rivers flow into the Slave River, which in turn empties into Great Slave Lake. The Mackenzie River itself flows northwest from Great Slave Lake for 1,100 miles (1,770 kilometers) to the Arctic Ocean. Along the way, the Mackenzie River receives water from many tributaries, the largest of which is the Liard River. The Great Bear River flows into the Mackenzie from Great Bear Lake, the largest lake that lies entirely in Canada. Barges carry cargo over much of the Mackenzie River system. The main route extends for 1,122 miles (1,805 kilometers) between the Northwest Territories towns of Tuktoyaktuk on the Arctic Ocean and Hay River on Great Slave Lake. Barges that provide service to local settlements navigate some stretches of the Slave and Athabasca rivers. The Pacific Basin covers much of British Columbia and Yukon. The Yukon River drains the northern third of the region. This river rises from a series of lakes in northwest British Columbia and flows
Page 7 of 7 west through Yukon and Alaska to the Pacific Ocean. During the gold rush of the 1890's, riverboats brought thousands of prospectors up the river to Dawson, a boom town near the Klondike gold fields. The longest river in the southern part of the Pacific Basin is the Fraser. It flows through a deep valley from the Canadian Rockies to Vancouver, where it empties into the Pacific. The Columbia River rises in the mountains of southeastern British Columbia and flows south into the United States. Hydroelectric plants operate at several points on the Columbia. The Columbia goes through Upper Arrow Lake and Lower Arrow Lake, two long, narrow lakes in the interior valleys. Other important rivers of the Pacific Basin include the Kootenay, Skeena, Stikine, and Thompson. Contributor: Paul W. Martin, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of English and Director, Canadian Studies Program, University of Vermont. How to cite this article: To cite this article, World Book recommends the following format: Martin, Paul W. "Canada." Wor