Geography of Canada

Canada is a North American country. It is the second largest country in the world after Russia. This country borders the U.S. state of Alaska to the northwest, Greenland to the northeast, and United States to the south. The Atlantic Ocean, the Pacific Ocean, and the Arctic Ocean bound the country to the east, west, and north respectively. Canada occupies 3,855,100 sq mi land, which is approximately 41 percent of the continent.

Physical Geography of Canada

Canadian terrain can be divided eight regions:

Appalachian Mountains

The Appalachian mountain range of Canada stretches from southern United States to the Gaspí© Peninsula; from the Atlantic Provinces to the river valleys. The most significant mountains in this region are Mount Carleton and Mount Jacques-Cartier.

Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Lowlands

St. Lawrence Lowlands is also called St. Lawrence basin. Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Lowlands are located at the eastern part of the country. Located between the Canadian Shield and the Appalachian Mountains, this is a plain land except for some Monteregian Hills such as Mont Saint-Hilaire and Montreal's Mount Royal.

Canadian Shield

Canadian Shield includes Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Quebec, Labrador, and Newfoundland. This part of the country is mainly hilly with some lakes, rivers, wetlands, forests, and lowlands. Laurentian Mountains and Torngat are the most important mountains of this region. This region is also famous for its vast mineral reserves.

Canadian Interior Plains

Canadian Interior Plains pr prairie includes southern Saskatchewan,

southwestern Manitoba, Alberta, Great Bear lakes, and some portions between Rocky Mountains and the Great Slave. The terrain of this region consists of plains, hills, and forests.

Western Cordillera

Western Cordillera extends from the Pacific Ocean to the Rocky Mountains. The terrains of this region are mainly mountainous. A plateau can be seen between Cariboo and Chilcotin area. Peace River Valley, located in the northern part of this region, is considered as one of the best agricultural zones in the country. The Coast Mountains consists of many ice fields.

Volcanoes

A number of volcanoes can be seen in the western part of the country. There are more than 200 volcanic regions from Cascade Range to the Yukon Territory in Canada.

Canadian Arctic

Canadian Arctic consists of Nunavut, Quebec, Yukon, Ontario, Labrador, Manitoba, and the northernmost region of Northwest Territories. It mostly includes permafrost in its terrain.

Coastline

Canada is the home of the longest coastline (202,080 km) in the world.

Political geography of Canada

Canada consists of 10 provinces and 3 territories:

The provinces are:

Alberta
British Columbia
Manitoba
New Brunswick
Newfoundland and Labrador
Nova Scotia, Ontario
Prince Edward Island
Quebec
Saskatchewan

The territories are:

Northwest Territories
Nunavut
Yukon

Climate of Canada

Canada has a temperate climate with cool winters and warm summers. Winters are colder in some regions like Prairie. Snow covers most of the land for six months in a year. British Columbia receives rainy winters.

Facts about the geography of Canada

Murchison Promontory is the northernmost point of the Canadian mainland
Point Pelee is the southernmost point of the Canadian mainland
Yukon-Alaska border is the westernmost point of the Canadian mainland
Cape Spear is the easternmost point of the Canadian mainland
The lowest point of Canada is sea level (0 m)
The highest point of Canada is Mount Logan (5,959 m)
The pole of inaccessibility of Canada is Jackfish River

Last updated on 9/11/2010