Knight'sCanadianInfoCollection

PRESENTS

Geographic(Physical)RegionsofCanada

IncludingtheCanadianEcozones

FromSeatoSea...toSea!OccupyingthenorthernhalfoftheNorthAmericancontinent,Canadahasalandmassof9,970,610km,makingitthesecondlargestcountryintheworldafterRussia.FromWesttoEast,Canadaencompassessixtimezones:Pacific,Mountain,Central,Eastern,AtlanticandNewfoundland(whichisonly1/2an

hourgreaterthanAtlantic).

Canada'smotto,"FromSeatoSea,"isgeographicallyinaccurate.InadditiontoitscoastlinesontheAtlanticandPacific,CanadahasathirdseacoastontheArcticOcean,givingitthelongestcoastlineof

anycountryintheworld.Tothesouth,Canadasharesa8,892kmboundarywiththeUnitedStatesofAmerica.Tothenorth,theArcticIslandscomewithin800kmoftheNorthPole.Canada'sneighbouracrosstheArcticOceanis

Russia.

ALongThinBandBecauseoftheextremelyharshnorthernclimate,only12percentoftheCanadianlandmassissuitable

foragriculture.Thus,mostofthepopulationlivewithinafewhundredkilometresofthesouthernborder,wheretheclimateismilder,inalongthinbandstretchingbetweentheAtlanticandthePacificoceans.

NumberlessLakesandGreatRiversIfyouflyoverManitobaornorthernOntarioinsummer,youwillseemorewaterthanland:lakes,bigandsmall,somanythattheycouldnotpossiblybecounted.IthasbeenestimatedthatCanadahasone

seventhoftheworld'sfreshwater.InadditiontotheGreatLakes,whichitshareswiththeUnitedStates,Canadahasmanylargeriversandlakes.

ParksandWildlifeItismuchbettertoexplorefirsthandthegeographyofCanadathantoreadaboutit.Thecountry's

National,TerritorialandProvincialparksrepresenteverylandformandpreservethewildlifenativetothoseregions:fromthebirdwatchers'paradiseofPointPele,astoppingoffpointformigratorybirds

crossingLakeErie,totheglaciersandfiordsofAuyuittuq("thelandthatnevermelts")onBaffinIslandintheArcticfromtherainforestofVancouverIslandtothestarkcliffsandhighlandsofGrosMornein

westernNewfoundland.Whethertinyorenormous,Canadianparksarelivingmuseums,asdiverse,vastandfascinatingas

Canadaitself.

CANADA'SGEOGRAPHICREGIONS

CanadaisdividedintoVERYdistinctregions,eachwithaverydifferentlandscapeandclimate.Theseregionsare:

TheWestThePrairiesCentralCanadaTheMaritimesTheNorth.

These5regionscanbefurtherbrokendownasfollows:

1.ThePacificCoastTheCordilleraBathedbywarm,moistPacificaircurrents,theBritishColumbiacoast,indentedbydeepfiordsandshieldedfromthePacificstormsbyVancouverIsland,hasthemostmoderateclimateofCanada's

regions.VancouverIsland'swestcoastreceivesanexceptionalamountofrain,givingitatemperaterainforestclimate.Althoughitdoesnotcontainthediversityofspeciesofatropicalrainforest,theisland'swestcoastdoeshavetheoldestandtallesttreesinCanada:westernredcedars1,300yearsoldandDouglas

firsover90metreshigh.

FromBritishColumbiatojusteastoftheAlbertaborderthelandisyoung,withruggedmountainsandhighplateaus.SignsofgeologicallyrecentvolcanicactivitycanbeseeninGaribaldiProvincialParkin

southernBritishColumbiaandatMountEdzizainthenorth.

TheRockyMountains,theCoastMountainsandotherranges,runningnorthtosouth,posedmajorengineeringproblemsforthebuildersofthetranscontinentalrailwaysandhighways.Canada'shighestpeaks,however,arenotintheRockies,butintheSt.EliasMountains,anextensionoftheCordillera

stretchingnorthintotheYukonandAlaska.ThehighestpointinCanada,mountLogan(6050m),risesamidahugeicefieldinthesouthwestcornerofYukon,thelargesticecapsouthoftheArcticCircle.

TheBritishColumbiainteriorvariesfromalpinesnowfieldstodeepvalleyswheredesertlikeconditionsprevail.Ontheleewardsideofthemountains,forexample,arainshadoweffectiscreated,forcing

OkanaganValleyfarmerstoirrigatetheirorchardsandvineyards.

2.TheInteriorPlainsThePrairiesTodriveacrossthePrairiesistoseeendlessfieldsofwheatandcanolaripeningunderaskythatseemstogoonforever.TheplainsofAlberta,SaskatchewanandManitobaareamongtherichestgrainproducing

regionsintheworld.Yetevenherearesurprises.IfyouleavetheroadatBrooks,Alberta,anddrivenorth,youdescendinto

theRedDeerRivervalley.Here,indesertlikeconditions,waterandwindhavecreatedstrangeshapesinthesandstonecalled"hoodoos."Thesameforcesoferosionhaveuncoveredsomeofthelargest

concentrationsofdinosaurfossilsintheworld.AlbertaisCanada'sleadingproducerofpetroleum.ThesedimentaryrocksunderlyingthePrairieshave

importantdepositsofoil,naturalgasandpotash.

3.TheCanadianShieldAhugeinlandseacalledHudsonBayextendsintotheheartofCanada,andwrappedaroundthisbayisa

rockyregioncalledtheCanadianShield.Canada'slargestgeographicalfeature,itstretcheseasttoLabrador,southtoKingstononLakeOntarioandnorthwestasfarastheArcticOcean.

TheShieldisconsideredtobethenucleusoftheNorthAmericancontinentandismadeupofrootsofancientmountains.Itsgneissandgraniterocksare3.5billionyearsold,threequarterstheageofthe

Earth.Scrapedbytheadvanceandretreatofglaciers,theShieldhasonlyathinlayerofsoilthatsupportsaborealforestofspruce,fir,tamarackandpine.

Theregionisastorehouseofminerals,includinggold,silver,zinc,copperanduranium,andCanada'sgreatminingtownsarelocatedthere:SudburyandTimminsinOntario,Vald'OrinQuebec,andFlin

FlonandThompsoninManitoba.

4.St.LawrenceLowlandsTheGreatLakesSouthernQuebecandOntario,theindustrialheartlandofCanada,containCanada'stwolargestcities,MontrealandToronto.Inthissmallregion,50percentofCanadiansliveand70percentofCanada's

manufacturedgoodsareproduced.Theregionalsohasprimeagriculturalland,forexampletheNiagaraPeninsula.Thelargeexpansesof

lakesErieandOntarioextendthenumberoffrostfreedays,permittingthecultivationofgrapes,peaches,pearsandotherfruits.

TheGreatLakesandSt.Lawrenceregionissugarmaplecountry.Intheautumn,thetree'sleaves,Canada'snationalsymbol,areablazeinred,orangeandgold.Thesapiscollectedinspringand

evaporatedtomakemaplesyrupandsugar,aculinarydelicacyfirstpreparedandusedbytheAboriginalNorthAmericanpeoples.

5.AppalachianRegionTheAtlanticProvincesNewBrunswick,NovaScotia,PrinceEdwardIslandandNewfoundlandarethesmallestCanadian

provinces,andwerethefirsttobesettledbyEuropeans.EvidenceofcontactasfarbackasAD1000hasbeenfoundataNorsesettlementatl'AnseauxMeadows,inNewfoundland.

TheGrandBankshavebeencalledthe"wheatfields"ofNewfoundland.Thishallowcontinentalshelfextends400kmofftheeastcoast,wherethemixingofoceancurrentshascreatedoneoftherichest

fishinggroundsintheworld.Oncethoughttocontainavirtuallyinexhaustiblesupplyoffish,theBanksarenowconsideredavulnerableresourcethatmustbewiselymanaged.

TheAtlanticprovincesareanextensionoftheAppalachians,anancientmountainrange.Muchoftheregionhaslow,ruggedhillsandplateaus,andadeeplyindentedcoastline.Agricultureflourishesinthefertilevalleys,suchastheSaintJohnRiverValley,NewBrunswick,andtheAnnapolisValley,Nova

Scotia.PrinceEdwardIslandintheGulfofSt.Lawrencehasagentlyrollinglandscapewitharich,redsoil.This

fertileislandisCanada'ssmallestprovince,makingupamere0.1percentofCanada'slandmass.

6.TheArcticLowlandsInnuitianRegionNorthofthetreelineisalandofharshbeauty.Duringtheshortsummer,whendaylightisnearly

continuousandaprofusionofflowersbloomsonthetundra,thetemperaturecanreach30C.Yetthewintersarelong,bitterlycold,darkandunforgiving.

TheArcticisnolongeraninaccessiblefrontier.inuvik,intheMackenziedelta,canbereachedbyroad,andeverycommunityisservedbyair.Mosthaveelectricity,storesandhealthservices.

Northofthemainlandisamazeofislandsseparatedbyconvolutedstraitsandsounds,themostfamousofwhichlinktogethertoformthefabledNorthwestPassage,theroutetotheOrientsoughtbysomany

earlyexplorers.Reflectingagrowingautonomy,theInuit(formerlyknownasEskimos)aregraduallychangingplace

namesintotheirlanguage,Inuktitut.Forexample,thepeopleofFrobisherBayonBaffinIsland,Nunavut,decidedtorenametheircommunityIqualuit,whichmeans"placeoffish."

CANADA'SECOZONES

TomanyCanadians,ecozonesshouldconjureupdistinctimagesofthecountryforexamplethePrairies,Boreal,Taiga,ArcticandCordilleranecozonesbringtomindparticularfeaturessuchasmountains,plains,treedandtreelessregions,distinctfromoneanotherinoneormoreoftheir

characteristicfeatures.

Canadaiscomprisedof20ecozones.FifteenecozonesmakeupterrestrialCanadaandfivemakeupthemarinewatersborderingCanada.Themarineecozonesaredisplayedtothe200nauticalmile(372km)

economiclimit.EcozonesareusefulforgeneralnationalreportingandforplacingCanada'secosystemdiversityina

NorthAmericanorGlobalcontext.

Source:BothMapsandtextaboutCanada'sEcozonefromNaturalResourcesCanadawebsite:http://geogratis.cgdi.gc.ca/AdditionaltextabouttheCanada'sGeographicRegionswasprovidedbyCommunicationsCanada.Additionaltextwas

addedfordetailandclarification.

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