Natural Resources Canada
www.nrcan.gc.ca
Common menu bar links
Physiographic Regions
Abstract
Canada’s landscape is very diversified and comprises several distinctive areas, called physiographic regions, each of which has its own topography and geology. This map shows the location of these physiographic regions.
The physical geography of Canada comprises two great parts: the Shield and the Borderlands. The Shield consists of a core of old, massive, Precambrian crystalline rocks. The Borderlands areas are formed by younger rocks and surround the Shield like two rings. The inner ring comprises a chain of lowlands, plains and plateaus of generally flat-lying sedimentary rocks. The outer ring consists of discontinuous areas of mountains and plateaus in which the younger rocks are deformed. Each of these areas is divided into regions, each of which comprises many smaller subdivisions that are distinctive based on their topography and geology.
The Shield
The landscape of the Shield has been levelled by many long periods of erosion and presents an even, monotonous skyline interrupted by rounded or flat-topped summits and ranges of hills. The surface of the Shield is mainly the result of glaciation and a great proportion of it is covered by water in the form of lakes, ponds and swamps. The most outstanding characteristic of the Shield is the similarity of the terrain, whether you are in Labrador, northern Quebec and Ontario, or the Northwest Territories.
The Shield is divided into five great regions:
Each of these five regions is divided by subareas, and each of these subareas has its own geological characteristics.
The Borderlands
The Borderlands contain a great variety of physiographic regions that are, in turn, divided into easily recognized subdivisions. Each one has different topography and geology and they are still relatively young compared to those that make up the Shield, so erosion had less time to level them, as it did in the Shield.
The physiographic regions forming the Borderlands include:
- Innuitian Region
- Arctic Coastal Plain
- Arctic Lowlands
- Interior Plains
- Cordilleran Region
- St. Lawrence Lowlands
- Appalachian Region
To gain a better understanding of the landscape of all physiographic regions in Canada, you can visit the following related maps from the Atlas:
- Geological Provinces
- Age of Rocks
- Major Rock Categories
- Relief
Each physiographic region has different resources, which have an economic impact on the population living there. You can learn about this interaction by visiting the following related maps from the Atlas:
- Forested Ecoregions
- Active Metal Mines, 2004
- Resource-Reliant Communities, 2001
Other Maps in this Series:
- Land Cover Map | Read about this map
- Permafrost Map | Read about this map
- Plant Hardiness Zones Map | Read about this map
- Relief Map | Read about this map
- World Heritage Sites Map | Read about this map
- Surficial Materials Map | Read about this map
- Shield Physiographic Regions Map | Read about this map
- Borderlands: Arctic Physiographic Regions Map | Read about this map
- Borderlands: Cordilleran Physiographic Region Map | Read about this map
- Borderlands: Interior Plains Physiographic Region Map | Read about this map
- Borderlands: Eastern Physiographic Regions Map | Read about this map
Related Maps:
- Age of Rocks Map | Read about this map
- Geological Provinces Map | Read about this map
- Major Rock Categories Map | Read about this map
- Active Metal Mines, 2004 Map | Read about this map
- All Resource-reliant Communities, 2001 Map | Read about this map
- Forested Ecozones Map | Read about this map
