This document describes 8 physical regions of Canada: Canadian Shield, Arctic Region, Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Lowlands, Western Cordillera, Intermountain Region, Coastal Plains, Appalachian Region, and Interior Plains. For each region, it provides information on topography, climate, vegetation, economic activity, and environmental concerns. The document uses maps, legends, and illustrations to delineate and explain the characteristics of Canada's diverse physical geography.

1. 8 PHYSICAL REGIONS
PROJECT
By: Beau Smith

2. MAP, COMPASS, AND LEGEND.
LEGEND
Canadian shield= RED
Arctic region= PURPLE
Great lakes of St. Lawrence lowlands= BLUE
Western cordillera= PINK
Intermountain region= GREEN
Coastal plains= BROWN
Appalachian region= ORANGE
Interior plains= YELLOW
Mount Logan= BLACK TRIANGLE

3. CANADIAN SHIELD
 Topography: Barren rock surfaces, retreated glaciers, trees, rivers
flowing, rivers flowing into James bay and Hudson's bay, swamps, rivers,
muskegs, lakes.
 Climate: Weather varies, seasonal climate in southern region, cold
winters and long days in northern region.
 Vegetation: Covered by boreal forests, smaller trees, don’t grow north of
tree line because not a lot of precipitation and no permafrost.
 Economic activity: Storehouse for valuable minerals, metal mining,
mining, transportation, lumber.
 Environmental concerns: Lumber resources, extraction and use of
minerals and metal.

4. ARCTIC REGION
 Topography: flat, mountains covered by glaciers, mountains far north
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formed by folding.
Climate: being farther away from equator makes it have colder weather,
winters are 10 months, desert because it has no precipitation, climate is
severe.
Vegetation: trees have trouble growing because the weather is too cold,
small plants cling to ground for warmth, not a lot of life forms, small plants
dominate
Environmental activity: extraction of mineral resources, commercial
fishing, hunting, natural gas an oil distributed all over the world.
Environmental concerns: climate change, chemicals in the wind an ocean
current, not a lot of organisms that people can eat.

5. GREAT LAKES OF ST. LAWRENCE
LOWLANDS
 Topography: hills and deep river valleys, flat plains, rivers, rolling
landscape caused by glaciation.
 Climate: continental climate, humid, lakes are warm in winter by
storing heat, cooler temperature in the lakes during summer.
 Vegetation: very fertile soil, mixed forest, soil and climate allow
trees to grow, lots of trees.
 Economic activity: farming, fishing, dairy farming, transportation,
mining, fertile soil
 Environmental concerns: pollution, cargo ship channels, low water
level, water withdraws.

6. WESTERN CORDILLERA
 Topography: west rivers flow through to the pacific ocean, new
mountains, high mountains, all rivers flow east.
 Climate: parts of region are the wettest on earth, rain shadows,
influenced by a closeness of a body of water, moderated by the
water from pacific ocean.
 Vegetation: changes between the sides of mountains, one side
moist with trees, other side is dry and grows cactus trees and
grasses, not a lot of precipitation on the dryer side.
 Economic activity: fishing, lumber, mining, hunting, farming,
transportation, mountains supply natural gasses.
 Environmental concerns: acid rain, water pollution.

7. INTERMOUNTAIN REGION
 Topography: streams, cattle ranching, rivers, irrigation,
plateaus, all water flows into brackish lakes.
 Climate: southern parts have short winters and little
rain, northern parts have little rain but climate is more
moderate with moist winters and not so dry summers.
 Vegetation: higher elevations are covered in pine
forest, sparse grassland, plants that survive in deserts
live here.
 Economic activity: lumber, forestation, agriculture.
 Environmental concerns: pollution.

8. COASTAL PLAINS
 Topography: 200 meters above sea level, aquatic life forms, flat or
gentle rolling land, fertile agriculture land, swamps and marshes,
long rivers.
 Climate: varies, tropical climate, cold snowy winters, hot and
humid summers, prone to hurricanes.
 Vegetation: soils are very sandy, original vegetation's were pine
forests, lush jungles are developed.
 Economic activity: fertile land for farming, fishing in rivers, rivers
provide, transportation.
 Environmental concerns: erosion, tsunami, hurricanes, pollution.

9. APPALACHIAN REGION
 Topography: many different mountain ranges, oil, coal
and gas, found in sedimentary rock, river, valleys, hills
formed many years ago.
 Climate: affected by 2 ocean climates, both sun and
rain equally, varieties of fish, breeding ground for fish.
 Economic activity: coal, gas, oil, breeding ground for
fish, farming, transportation.
 Environmental concern: coal mining, groundwater,
landfills.

10. INTERIOR PLAINS
 Topography: gently rolling land, higher in elevation, interior plains
go to arctic ocean.
 Climate: long hot summers, cool winters, continental climate,
climate of extremes, the more north you go the colder it gets.
 Vegetation: covered with deciduous trees, tall grass, became
grassland because the trees only grew in the valleys, boreal
forest grew.
 Economic activity: wheat farming, farming.
 Environmental concerns: landfills, pollution, tornadoes, farm
pollutants.

11. MY 8 PHYSICAL REGIONS PROJECT