Geography of Canada

With the contiguous United States to the south and the U.S. state of Alaska to the northwest, Canada shares a land border that spans much of the North American continent. Canada is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east, the Pacific Ocean to the west, and the Arctic Ocean to the north. The shared boundary with Greenland lies on Hans Island, which is to the northeast.

To the southeast, Canada has a maritime border with Saint Pierre and Miquelon, the final outpost of New France and a French overseas territory. Canada is the second-largest nation in the world by total area, behind Russia.

Physical Features

There are seven main geoclimatic areas in Canada, which has a total area of 9,984,670 km². Canada also includes a sizable maritime area, boasting the longest coastline in the world at 243,042 kilometres. Canada's physical terrain is very diverse. The majority of the land is covered in boreal woods, the northern Arctic and Canadian Rocky Mountains are largely covered in ice, and the relatively flat Canadian Prairies in the southwest are ideal for profitable agriculture. The St. Lawrence River (in the southeast) receives water from the Great Lakes, and much of Canada's population lives in lowlands.

Drainage of Canada

Canada possesses about one-seventh of the world's supply of navigable fresh water despite having fewer than 1% of the global population. A large portion of this water is kept in lakes and marshes, which make up nearly one-fifth of all the land in Canada. The Great Lakes, which together with the United States make up the biggest freshwater surface on earth, are part of the international border. Great Bear and Great Slave lakes in the Northwest Territories and Lakes Manitoba and Winnipeg in Manitoba are two other sizable lakes. Rivers drain about three-fourths of Canada's land area into the Arctic Ocean, Hudson, and James bays

The Arctic Archipelago

Thousands of islands make up the Arctic Archipelago, which is located north of the Canadian mainland. The Canadian Shield extends to the south-easterly islands. The Arctic plains to the south and the mountains of the Innuitian Region to the north make up the balance's two different landform regions. The mountains of the Innuitian ranges, which are geologically young and resemble the Western Cordillera, have several peaks and ridges that rise to a height of 10,000 feet (3,000 meters). The Innuitian Region is largely permanently covered in snow and ice, with rare peeks of mountain peaks.

Canadian Shield

On a vast rock base known as the Canadian Shield are found the north-eastern portion of Alberta, the northern portions of Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, and Quebec, all of Labrador and the Great Northern Peninsula of Newfoundland, the eastern mainland of the Northwest Territories, the majority of the mainland of Nunavut, Baffin Island, and significant bands through Somerset, Southampton, Devon, and Ellesmere islands.

The Shield, especially in northern Quebec and Ontario, is primarily made up of eroded hilly terrain with several lakes and significant rivers used for hydroelectric power. The Hudson Bay's surrounding wetlands are likewise enclosed by the Shield. The Torngat and Laurentian Mountains are two specific areas of the Shield that are referred to as mountain ranges.

The Interior Plains

The Arctic lowlands to the north, the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence lowlands to the south and southeast, and the interior, or western, plains to the west are a few of the numerous large lowlands that surround the Canadian Shield and are underlain by sedimentary rocks. The Prairies are the name given to the southernmost part of these plains. From the edge of the Canadian Shield in the east to the foothills of the Rocky Mountains in the west, the vast interior plains stretch from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the U.S. border in the south. There are several sizable lakes at the shield-interior plains barrier, three of which, Great Bear, Great Slave, and Winnipeg, each have a larger surface area than Lake Ontario.

Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Lowlands

The five sub-basins of the Great Lakes Basin are depicted on a map of the basin. Superior, including the Nipigon's basin, is in the middle (magenta), followed by Michigan (cyan), Huron (pale green), Erie (yellow), and Ontario (light coral). The Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Lowlands, also known as the St. Lawrence Lowlands, is an Eastern Canadian physiographic region that includes a portion of southern Ontario and is bordered on the north by the Canadian Shield, three Great Lakes (Lake Huron, Lake Erie, and Lake Ontario), and it stretches along the St. Lawrence River to the Strait of Belle Isle and the Atlantic Ocean. The West Lowland, Central Lowland, and East Lowland are three subregions of the lowlands that were formed by invasions from nearby physiographic regions.

Western Cordillera

The Interior Plateau in British Columbia is separated from the Pacific Ocean by the Coast Mountains, which extend northwest from the lower Fraser River and Fraser Canyon. Nearly a third of Western Canada's population lives in the Fraser Lowland, which divides its south-easterly end from the North Cascades.

Hudson Bay Lowlands

Located between the Canadian Shield and the southern coastlines of Hudson Bay and James Bay, the Hudson Bay Lowlands is a sizable wetland. Smaller areas of the region extend into Manitoba and Quebec, although the majority of the territory is located within the province of Ontario. Numerous broad, languid rivers, including the Churchill, Nelson, and Hayes in Manitoba, the Severn, Fawn, Winisk, Asheweig, Ekwan, Attawapiskat, and Albany in Ontario, and the Harricana, Rupert, and Eastmain in Quebec, flow through this region and into the saltwater of Hudson Bay. One of the largest wetlands in the world, it is also the largest in Canada.

Conclusion

Canada has a large and varied landscape. The Atlantic, Pacific, and Arctic Oceans all have coastlines that it shares with the United States. Boreal forests, frigid Arctic regions, Canadian Prairies, the St. Lawrence River, and the Great Lakes are some of the natural aspects of the nation. Within Canada, significant regions include the Canadian Shield, Arctic Archipelago, Western Cordillera, and Hudson Bay Lowlands. Canada is an excellent example of the natural beauty and diverse topography of the northern section of the North American continent because to its wide coastline, numerous lakes and rivers, and unique landforms.

Frequently Asked Questions

How big is Canada compared to other countries?

Canada is the second-largest country in the world after Russia.

What are the major regions in Canada?

Major regions in Canada include the Canadian Shield, Arctic Archipelago, Interior Plains, Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Lowlands, Western Cordillera, and Hudson Bay Lowlands.

What is the Canadian Shield?

The Canadian Shield is a vast rock base covering multiple provinces and territories with hilly terrain, lakes, and rivers.

What are the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Lowlands?

The Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Lowlands is a region in eastern Canada, including parts of southern Ontario, bordered by the Canadian Shield and the Great Lakes.

What is the Western Cordillera?

The Western Cordillera is a region in British Columbia, featuring the Coast Mountains and the Interior Plateau.

What are the Hudson Bay Lowlands?

The Hudson Bay Lowlands is a wetland area located between the Canadian Shield and Hudson Bay, primarily in Ontario.

How long is Canada's coastline?

Canada has the longest coastline in the world, stretching approximately 243,042 kilometers.