Copy of The Physical Regions of Canada

The Physical Regions of Canada

Journey Through The Regions of Canada

You have been chosen by Mr. J to travel across Canada by train to find out about the six physical regions of Canada! Hop into one of these comfy seats, and keep your notebook handy as you journey from Vancouver to Halifax...

The six physical regions of Canada are: The Atlantic (Appalachian), The Great Canadian Shield, The Arctic, The Plains, The Cordillera and the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Region. These six regions are very different from each other.

Looks comfortable, eh?

The Cordillera Region

The Cordillera is located on the west coast of Canada and includes British Columbia, the Yukon, southwest Alberta and part of North West Territories.

The climate of the Cordillera’s coast is mild, wet and rarely has snow that stays. The interior of the Cordillera is usually colder and dryer with larger amounts of snow.

Take a tour here!

Next....we have,The Plains

The Plains region is in between the Cordillera and the Great Canadian Shield .

It is found in the Yukon, Northwest Territories, British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba.

Take a train ride through the Canadian Plains with this informative video.

There are three main resources in the plains...

The Arctic Region

The Arctic Region is located in the Yukon, Northwest Territories, Nunavut, Northern Quebec and the most extreme tip of Labrador and Newfoundland.

Landscape of the Arctic

Ice caps or glaciers , tundra , pingos, (huge mounds of solid ice ), treeline, northern lights, (aurora borealis), and the polar ice pack, (permanently frozen sea ice), are just a few of the unique features found in this landscape .

Resources of the Region..

The oil and gas industry is located on land and in the water in the Arctic. Huge off shore drilling rigs may be found off our coastal regions.

Hunting, trapping and fishing are also crucial to the people who live in the Arctic Region.

The Great Canadian Shield

The Great Canadian Shield is the largest of Canada's 6 physical regions and includes the Northwest Territories, Nunavut, Quebec, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario and Newfoundland and Labrador.

Watch this video and write down all the resources you hear!!

Check your answers to see how close you were!

Resources include:

1) Furs - from fur bearing animals, (hunting and trapping is still a large industry ).

2) Minerals - the Shield is solid rock that holds copper, gold, nickel , zinc and lead.

3) Hydro Electricity - there are many rivers in this area, and a great deal of electricity is generated for Canadians as well as for our neighbors the United States.

4) Forestry - from fir, pine and spruce trees. Some of them are turned into pulp and paper for newspapers

Great Lakes/St. Lawrence Lowlands

It consists of Southern Ontario where the Great Lakes surrounds it. Along the banks of the St Lawrence river, on both sides, this region extends through the province of Quebec.

It has much flat land surrounded by few hills. Once, it was covered in pine forest, birch, hemlock , and maple trees but most of this land has been cleared for the use of farmland.

The Atlantic Region (AKA The Appalachian Region)

The Atlantic Region includes the 4 Maritime provinces (New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland and Labrador) as well as, the majority of the area known as the Gaspé Peninsula in Quebec, often referred to as the " Thumb of Quebec."

What resources do you think this region might produce?

Resources in this region include:

1. Minerals such as iron, zinc , and gold.

2. The trees of this region are important to the tourism /recreation industry (hiking , camping) etc., as well as, they are used to produce pulp and paper.

3. Oil has been discovered under the ocean floor.

4. Rich fertile soil for growing is found in some parts of this region.

FUN FACT: This is the only region where there is permafrost, (the ground is frozen all year).

Good work!

1. Farming crops such as wheat, barley, oats, flax, canola , mustard, potatoes, corn and sugar beets are grown in the plains. Farmers also raise cattle, pigs, and poultry.

2. The mining of fuel products like oil, natural gas, coal, potash , copper, zinc, gold, and uranium is crucial.

3. Forest areas found in the Plains are harvested for the lumber industry .

What does this landscape look like?

This is the train you will be riding across Canada....

What resources might this region produce? Lets take a couple guesses...

Resources include:

1. Rich fertile level land for agriculture . It also is the second largest farming area in all of Canada and crops include tobacco, peaches, cherries, grapes , apples, hay, vegetables, such as carrots, corn, onions, beets, peas and beans.

2. St Lawrence lowland has lots of ranching which supply butter, cheese, and meat for the region.

3. Fresh water is used for cities, factories, ships to transport items and most of all human and animal survival.

Let's sit back and enjoy this beautiful region!

photo credit Nasa / Goddard Space Flight Center / Reto Stöckli