the physical regions of canadathelearningvault.weebly.com/.../regions_of_canada.pdf · 2018. 9....
TRANSCRIPT
The Physical Regions of Canada
1. The Appalachian Region
• Extension of Appalachian Mountains, which run from southeastern United States to Maritime provinces
• Varied landscape of rolling hills, valleys, small mountains, highlands, and coastal fjords
• The region is very rocky and rich in minerals such as iron, lead, and zinc
• Varied resources: farmlands, coal and minerals, fishing, and forests
2. The Canadian Shield • Makes up nearly half of Canada’s
land surface • Was once a volcanic mountain range
that has been eroded through millions of years to flat, bare rock, lakes, and wetlands
• Thin soil makes it unsuitable for farming
• Shield formations are among the oldest in the world
• The formation of the shield has created vast deposits of minerals such as gold, lead, copper, platinum, and diamonds
3. The Arctic Region • Includes plains, lowlands, and
mountains • The region is rich in minerals, but
they have remained largely untapped because of the thick arctic ice
• As the Arctic ice begins to melt, that is changing
4. The St. Lawrence Lowlands
• Between Lakes Huron, Erie, and Ontario along the banks of the St. Lawrence River to Quebec City
• Rich agricultural land • The smallest region, but home to
almost half of Canada’s population
5. The Interior Plains • Region between the Canadian Shield
to the east and the Cordillera to the west
• The Prairies: mainly flat land, rolling hills, and river valleys
• Ideal for farming, as long as there is not a drought
• Also high concentrations of fossil fuels (oil and natural gas)
6. The Cordillera • Made of parallel mountain ranges
separated by valleys, trenches, and plateaus
• Covers B.C. and the Yukon (actually extends south all the way to Chile)
• The mountains and plateaus of B.C. are the youngest landforms in Canada and were caused by plate tectonics
• B.C.’s landscape is extremely diverse
• From rainforests…
• To deserts…
• To massive boreal forests…
• To rich agricultural lands…
• To amazing mountains