The St. Lawrence - Great Lakes Lowland

The smallest but important region of Canada extending south-westward from the City of Quebec. A series of fertile low-lying plains bordering the St. Lawrence River and the Great Lakes makes up the region where dairy farming, tobacco and fruit are important industries. The most heavily populated region. The traffic network is dense with Montreal & Toronto dominating the meeting roots & connections to the USA. The Ontario Peninsula, bounded by Lakes Huron, Erie & Ontario – the most heavily industrialized area.

The Canadian Shield. Covers an area of 4,8 mln sq. km (more than the whole Western Europe), includes some of the oldest rocks of the earth (dating back 4.5 bln yy.). It’s made up of huge lava tablelands, lots of granite domes & basins of sandstones & limestones. Due to erosion, it resembles a plateau-like surface. Stretches from the Atlantic Ocean to the Arctic Ocean. Includes Labrador & the provinces of Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba & Saskatchewan, the bulk of the Nunavut & Northwest Territories. The western boundary of the Shield is marked by Great Bear Lake, Great Slave Lake, Lakes Athabasca & Winnipeg & Lake of the Woods. The southern boundary – Lake Superior & Huron. Dotted with lakes, swamps, streams. Agriculture is undeveloped. However, the region is covered with forests, is rich in water power & such minerals as iron ore, nickel, lead, zinc, copper & gold. Mining is of major importance.

The Hudson Bay Lowland. Located between the Canadian Shield & the Hudson Bay.

The area is flat and poorly drained. Summer lasts about 4 months. The summer temperature rises to 38 C, winters are long & extremely cold. In sub-Arctic summer (with 24 hour daylight) fruit & vegetables are grown. There’re several mining centers in this area & aboriginal settlements. However, much of the soil is spongy & swamp like (called muskeg). In summer soils become sandy, which makes the building of permanent roads difficult & expensive. Mosquitoes & flies hatch in millions during the summer.

The Interior Plains. Located west of the Canadian Shield – a northern extension of the Great Plains of the USA. Reach from the American border to the Arctic Ocean. Resemble a triangle. The southern parts of the Prairie Provinces of this region are renowned for wheat growing. The prairies are generally flat, although rising from east to west & reaching an altitude of 1000 m at the base of the Rocky Mountains. Fertile soils (chernozem). The northern parts are mostly forested. The Mackenzie River – the longest in Canada – drains much of the area.

The Western Mountain Region. The Canadian Rocky Mountains (west of Alberta) mark the beginning of the Cordilleran Region that extends from the US border to the border of Alaska & the Arctic Ocean. The main mountain range is known as the Canadian Rockies. The Coast Ranges Belt runs along the Pacific Coast. Canada’s highest peaks Mt. Logan (6.054 m) & Mt. St. Elias (5.493m) are located here. The fertile valleys between the Rockies & the Coast Ranges in British Columbia are used for farming & ranching. Rail & road links & aircraft were built to permit communication. British Columbia’s coast accounts for about 11 thousand km of Canada’s 29 thousand km mainland coastline. Much of the territory is covered with needle leaf forests. Banff & Jasper National Parks in Alberta.