Geography and Environment of Canada

The world’s second largest country in land area (3,851,809 square miles), Canada is bordered on the north by the Arctic Ocean, on the northeast by the Atlantic Ocean, on the south by the U.S., and on the west by the Pacific Ocean and Alaska. Much of Canada’s industry is concentrated in the southeast near the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence River, in an environment similar to adjacent areas of the U.S. To the northeast is the rolling Appalachian country of southern Quebec, the Maritime Provinces, and the Island of Newfoundland. Canada’s most outstanding physical feature is the Shield, a rugged area of pre-Cambrian rock that surrounds Hudson Bay and covers most of eastern and central Canada — almost half the country. This semi-barren area and the Arctic Archipelago to the north are sparsely populated and, as yet, largely undeveloped. Another distinctive major region is the Canadian Prairie, an extension of the midcontinent Great Plains. This area lies between the western border of the Shield and the Canadian Rockies. It is the Canadian breadbasket and an area that is also rich in petroleum, gas, and other mineral resources. Far Western Canada, comprising most of British Columbia, is laced with towering mountain ranges. Most people there live on the temperate southwest coast and Vancouver Island.

Detailed geography