LANDFORM REGIONS OF CANADA

• Canada is divided into seven landform regions:

• Western Cordillera

• Interior Plains

• Canadian Shield

• Great Lakes - St.Lawrence Lowlands

• Appalachians

• Arctic and Hudson Bay Lowlands

• Innuitian Mountains

The Western Cordillera• From West to East, the Western Cordillera is

composed of three sub-regions, each one running from north to south

• The West Coast Mountains on the Pacific coast• The Interior Plateaux in the middle• The Rockies, bordering and crossing into Alberta

The West Coast Mountains• Very tall peaks

• Volcanic

• Many fiords

• In some areas the ocean is the best way to get around

• Communities are in deep valleys on the shoreline

WEST COAST MOUNTAINS

• Subduction zone

• Oceanic plate sliding under continental plate

• Prone to earthquakes

WEST COAST MOUNTAINS

• Industries take advantage of the resources and landforms in the area

• Whistler attracts a significant number of tourists

THE INTERIOR PLATEAUX

• A flat highland area between mountain ranges

• There are a number of well known communities located here

• The Okanagan Valley is an important fruit farming region

THE ROCKIES

• Canada’s largest mountain range

• Unlike flat regions, mountains are known for fast-flowing rivers which gouge steep valleys in the landscape

The Rockies are home to many alpine glaciers

• A narrow channel of ice which slides down a mountain.

• Snow accumulates at the top of the glacier/ melts at the bottom

Interior Plains

The Interior Plains (Prairies)• Once the bed of a huge sea between the Canadian Shield and the

Rockies

• Mostly flat

• Composed of sedimentary rocks

• Highly suitable for farming where climate offers the right conditions

The Interior Plains Economy

• Agriculture is one of the most important activities in the Interior Plains

• Mining, for both fossil fuels and potash, is also very important

Canadian Shield

The Canadian Shield

• Largest region in Canada• Among the oldest known rocks on the planet• Formed by volcanic activity, therefore mostly

igneous rock• Cold winters, warm summers, precipitation all

year give it a distinctive type of vegetation

CANADIAN SHIELD

• Stretches from Arctic to Great Lakes, from Mackenzie delta to Atlantic

• Soils are thin - a poor choice for agriculture in most places

Great Lakes - St. Lawrence Lowlands

• Most southerly and smallest landform region of Canada

• Newest landform region

• Formed by the action of glaciers scraping away and re-depositing material on the landscape

• Consists of lakes, valleys and rolling hills

The Appalachians

• The oldest mountains in Canada, worn down by erosion

• Rich in various minerals

• Good farmland in some interior areas

ARCTIC AND HUDSON BAY LOWLANDS

• Northernmost inhabited region in Canada

• Most activity centers around hunting or fishing

• Resource extraction is becoming very important to the regions economy

Innuitian Mountains

Innuitian Mountains• This region is located along the islands of northern Canada and features some spectacular fiords•Vegetation in this region is low and sparse, mainly grasses and flowers or lichen and moss•Glaciers are still common in the highest parts of this region and they cover parts of several northern islands