Canada

Geography of Canada: Important Geographical Information about Canada

Canada has a very large and diverse range of geographic features and an amazing variety of wildlife. It is known for its ts picturesque landscapes, breath-taking sceneries, rivers and lakes. Many of the rivers have been enlisted as Heritage Rivers because of their historical background. Canada is divided into 10 provinces and 2 territories.

The Appalachian mountains (more exactly the Notre Dame and Long Range Mountains), characterized by a wealth of large, beautiful deciduous broadleaf (hardwood) trees, are an old and eroded range of mountains, approximately 380 million years in age.

Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Lowlands: this area comprises the peninsula of southern Ontario bounded by the Canadian Shield and Lakes Huron, Erie, and Ontario. The St. Lawrence lowland has rich soil for farming and forestry. The Niagara Falls, one of the world’s most voluminous waterfalls, are renowned both for their beauty and as a valuable source of hydroelectric power. Niagara Falls is divided into the Horseshoe Falls and the American Falls.

Canadian Shield (also called the Laurentian Plateau, or Bouclier Canadien): The northern parts of Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, and Quebec, as well as most of Labrador, the mainland portions of the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, are located on a vast rock base known as the Canadian Shield. The Shield mostly consists of eroded hilly terrain and is one of the world’s richest areas in terms of mineral ores. It is filled with substantial deposits of nickel, gold, silver, and copper.

Canadian Interior Plains: are located in between the Cordillera and the Canadian Shield and cover much of Alberta, southern Saskatchewan, and southwestern Manitoba, as well as much of the region between the Rocky Mountains and the Great Slave and Great Bear lakes in Northwest Territories.

Western Cordillera: The Canadian Cordillera, part of the American cordillera, stretches from the Rocky Mountains in the east to the Pacific Ocean.

The Canadian Rockies cover a major part of western Canada — British Columbia, the Yukon Territory, and the western part of Alberta. They are characterized by great heights and angularity of the peaks, many of which rise to more than 10,000 feet (3,000 metres).

Volcanoes: Canada has examples of almost every type of volcano found on earth. Mount Garibaldi has many volcanoes and is part of the system of volcanoes found around the margins of the Pacific Ocean, which is called the Pacific Ring of Fire. There are over 200 young volcanic centers that stretch northward from the Cascade Range to the Yukon Territory.

The Canadian Arctic Archipelago: extends some 2,400 km and ntains 94 major islands (greater than 130 km² (50 sq mi)), including three of the world’s ten largest islands.

Key Facts:

* The largest lake situated entirely in Canada is Great Bear Lake at 12,096 square miles (31,328 km2)
* The Mackenzie River ( in the N.W.T. ) is the longest river in Canada.
* Canada has the world’s longest coastline.
* Nearly one-fourth of all the fresh water in the world is in Canada
* Mount Logan in the Yukon Territory is Canada’s tallest peak at 5,959 metres.