Canadian Landforms

Study Notes

The Canadian Cordillera is a unique geographical area extending from the Canadian border to the Arctic Sea in the Yukon.
The Cordillera was created millions of years ago when the North American plate and the Pacific plate collided.
The mountains and valleys of the Cordillera create a diverse ecosystem with varying flora, fauna, and temperatures.
The Cordillera blocked rainstorms, resulting in the Canadian plains receiving less rain.
The plains were once covered by inland seas that deposited rich sediment, supporting plant life in the area.
The southern plains have sweeping grasslands, while the northern regions have scrubby, low-level tree and bush growth.

The Canadian Shield, also known as the Precambrian Shield, covers nearly half of Canada.
The shield stretches from north of the Arctic Circle to the U.S. border and the lowlands of Atlantic Canada.
The Canadian Shield is the world's oldest exposed bedrock, with rugged terrain covered by vast forests, lakes, and ponds.
The Canadian Arctic is broken up into a large island archipelago, including Ellesmere Island, Baffin Island, and hundreds of others.
The arctic islands remain frozen for almost the entire year, with a short arctic summer and limited growth.
The effects of global warming are drastically felt in the arctic, where ice accumulation has decreased and passages between islands are becoming navigable.

Four of the five Great Lakes reside half in Canada and half in the United States.
The Great Lakes shape Canada's weather, with prevailing winds causing lake effect snowfall in the winter.
Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, averages over 126 inches of snowfall each year due to lake effect snow.
The Great Lakes empty into the St. Lawrence River, which conducts fresh water through eastern Canada to the Atlantic Ocean.
The Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence affect millions of Canadians, with Canada's two largest cities, Toronto and Montréal, lying on their shores.