1. 8 Physical Regions of Canada
Mount Logan--
Δ
Mount Logan
Blue
Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Lowlands
Orange
Appalachians
Red
Canadian Shield
Yellow
Interior Plains
Pink
Western Cordillera
Green
Intermountain Range
Brown
Coastal Plains
Purple
Arctic

2. Appalachian Region
Topography:
• Gentle rolling mountain ranges
• Fertile plateaus and river valleys
• Contains many 3 000 000 000 year old mountains
• Coal, oil and gas can be found in the sedimentary rocks
Climate:
• Maritime climate
• Warmer in the south
•
•
A high temperature from St. John's is 15°C in July
A high precipitation from St. John's is 162 mm in December
A low temperature from St. John's is -5°C in February
• A Low precipitation from St. John's is 78 mm in July
Vegetation:
• Originally heavily forested
• Trees were mixed coniferous and deciduous trees
• These survived on both the mountains and on the plateaus and in
the valleys
Economic Activity:
• Mining
• Agriculture
• Fishing
• Logging
• Urban economic activity
Environmental Concerns:
• Over fishing
• Over development
• Destruction of forest
• Pollution
•

3. Coastal Plains
Topography:
Lowlands
Has a lot of swamps and marshes
Fairly flat
Climate:
• Maritime climate
• Colder north warmer south
•
•
A high temperature from New Jersey is 20°C in July
A high precipitation from New Jersey is 101 mm in August
A low temperature from New Jersey is 0°C in February
• Average low precipitation of 62 mm in June in New Jersey
Vegetation:
• Some areas were originally pine forest
• Quite lush
• Some areas are covered in jungle
Economic Activity:
• Agriculture
• Fishing
• Urban economic activity
Environmental Concerns
• Over fishing
• Over development
• Rising water levels
• Pollution
•

4. The Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Lowlands
Topography:
• The Great Lakes section is flat plains broken by gentle rolling hills
• The St. Lawrence section is gently rising flat plains
• Contains several escarpments
Climate:
• Continental climate
•
•
A high temperature from Toronto is 20°C in July
A high precipitation from Toronto is 78 mm in July
A low temperature from Toronto is -5°C in February
• A low precipitation from Toronto is 55 mm in February
• Humid
Vegetation:
• Originally heavily treed
• Had the largest broad leaf forests in Canada
• Main trees were maple, beech, hickory and black walnut
Economic Activity:
• Farming
• Logging
• Manufacturing
• Urban economic activity
Environmental Concerns:
• Ground pollution
• Destruction of forest
• Over development
• Pollution
•

5. The Interior Plains
Topography:
• Divided into three different elevations separated by escarpments
• Gentle rolling plains
• Very flat
• Becomes a tundra as you progress north
Climate:
• Continental climate
•
•
A high temperature from Regina is 20°C in July
A high precipitation from Regina is 80 mm in June
A low temperature from Regina is -18°C in January
• A low precipitation from Regina is 15 mm in December
• Northern portion has an Arctic climate
Vegetation:
• Originally had prairie grass as tall as a man
• Originally trees grew in river valleys
• Northern portions had boreal forest and became a tundra as it grew
nearer to the Arctic Ocean
• Wheat and other grains are frequently grown
Economic Activity:
• Farming (wheat and grains usually)
• Mining
• Urban economic activity
Environmental Concerns:
• Over development
• Ground pollution
• Pollution
•

6. The Canadian Shield
Topography:
• Has a higher elevation in the south then in the north
• Has a higher elevation on the outer portions then in the centre
• Areas around Hudson Bay and James Bay are lowlands
• Has a lot of rivers, lakes, swamps and muskeg
Climate:
• Mixed continental and maritime climate
• Varies over the vast area covered by the Canadian Shield
• More and more arctic as you progress north
•
•
A high temperature from Thunder Bay is 15°C in July
A high precipitation from Thunder Bay is 60 mm in August in
A low temperature from Thunder Bay is -20°C in February
• A low precipitation from Thunder Bay is 25 mm in February in
Thunder Bay
Vegetation:
• Mostly boreal forest
• Common trees are spruce, pine and fir
• There also are some deciduous trees such as poplar and white birch
•
North of the tree line there are no trees since they can’t take root
with the permafrost
Economic Activity:
• Pulp and paper industry
• Mining
• Urban economic activity
Environmental Concerns
• Destruction of forests
• Ground pollution
• Over exploitation
• Pollution
•

7. The Western Cordillera
Topography:
• Ranges of tall, jagged mountains
• Younger mountains then the Appalachians
• The Rocky Mountains form the continental divide
• All water east of the divide flows into the Gulf of Mexico, Arctic
Ocean, Hudson Bay and James Bay
• All water west of the divide flows into the Pacific Ocean
Climate:
• Maritime climate
• Varies greatly from north to south and east to west
•
•
A high temperature from Vancouver is 20°C in July
A high precipitation from Vancouver is 175 mm in December
A low temperature from Vancouver is 0°C in February
• A low precipitation from Vancouver is 25 mm in July
Vegetation:
• Varies greatly on each slope of the mountain
• On the west side trees such as Douglas Fir, western hemlock and
eastern cedar thrive
• On the eastern side grasses and cactuses thrive in the dry climate
Economic Activity
• Logging
• Fishing
• Urban economic activity
Environmental Concerns:
• Over fishing
• Destruction of forest
• Pollution
•

8. The Intermountain Range
Topography:
• On the other side of the Western Cordillera
• Many of the rivers in this area never reach the sea but end in
brackish lakes or desert sinks while some do make it
• Can be very desert like in some areas
• Other areas are deserts
Climate:
• Very dry as it is in the Western Cordilleras rain shadow
•
•
A high temperature from Prince George is 15°C
A high precipitation Prince George is 75 mm
A low temperature Prince George is -10°C
• A low precipitation Prince George is 27 mm
Vegetation:
• Sparse grass and plants that can survive semi to desert conditions
• Higher elevations are covered in thin pine forest
Economic Activity:
• Ranching
• Mining
• Farming
• Urban economic activity
Environmental Concerns:
• Ground pollution
• Pollution
• Over exploitation
•

9. The Arctic
Topography:
• Near the ocean is very flat
• Farther north there are mountains covered with glaciers
Climate:
• The climate is very harsh winter lasts ten months
• Summer lasts one month
•
•
A high temperature in Resolute is 3°C in July
A high precipitation in Resolute is 25 mm in august
A low temperature in Resolute is -35°C in January
• A low precipitation in Resolute is 2 mm in January
Vegetation
• Very few plants can survive up there
• The few that can are lichens and small shrubs clinging to the ground
Economical Activity:
• Fishing
• Mining
• Urban economic activity
Environmental Concerns:
• Global warming
• Pollution
• Over exploitation
•

10. Bibliography
Cranny, Michael. Crossroads a Meeting of Nations. Scarborough Ontario:
RR Donnelley & Sons, 1998. 163-179. Print.
Compass Rose. N.d. Photograph. n.p. Web. 17 Feb 2014. <http://www.dreamstime.com/royaltyfree-stock-photo-compass-rose-white-background-image21677385>.
"Chapter 6 PDF." Chapter 6 PDF. N.p.. Web. 17 Feb 2014.
<http://pgss.sd57.bc.ca/~adavies/vSS9/Intro and Geog/4 Chapter 6.pdf>.
Personal experience