Journey Through the Regions of Canada

The Cordillera Region

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

Resources of the Cordillera The natural resources of the Cordillera are forestry agriculture, mining of iron, lead, zinc, silver, copper, and nickel, and fisheries - the west coast is famous for salmon.

The Interior Plains Region

The Interior Plains region is in between the Cordillera region and the Canadian Shield region It is found in the Yukon, Northwest Territories, British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba. The Interior Plains has long, cold winters and short, hot summers. Winters in the Interior Plains are able to go as low as -30°C, and summers that reach above 30°C. The farther north you go, the colder it becomes, no matter the season. The Interior plains get less precipitation than most other regions in Canada.

Resources of the Interior Plains Three Main Resources: 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.  The mining of fuel products like oil, natural gas, coal, potash, copper, zinc, gold, and uranium is crucial. Forest areas found in the Plains are harvested for the lumber industry.

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.  This is the only region where there is permafrost (the ground is frozen all year).  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 Arctic 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 Canadian Shield Region

The 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.  It mainly is rock that was once mountains millions of years ago. Through the process of erosion, water, ice, glaciers from the Ice Age, and wind wore down this rock so that it became flatter and carved water sources such as rivers and lakes.

Resources of the Canadian Shield Furs - from fur bearing animals, (hunting and trapping is still a large industry) Minerals - the Shield is solid rock that holds copper, gold, nickel , zinc and lead.  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.   Forestry - from fir, pine and spruce trees. Some of them are turned into pulp and paper for newspapers. 

The Great Lakes/St. Lawrence Lowlands Region

This is the smallest region in Canada This is the smallest region in Canada. It consists of Southern Ontario where the Great Lakes surround it. Along the banks of the St Lawrence river, on both sides, this region extends through the province of Quebec. This region 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.

Resources of the Great Lakes/St. Lawrence Lowlands 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. St. Lawrence Lowland has lots of ranching which supply butter, cheese, and meat for the region. Fresh water is used for cities, factories, ships to transport items and most of all human and animal survival.

The Atlantic Region

The Atlantic Region includes the four 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.” Rough upland terrain and poor soils are often unsuitable for farming and have discouraged extensive settlement. The inhospitable highlands feature cold, wet climates and acidic soils, but yield vast forests. The proximity of the Atlantic ocean creates a moderate, cool, and moist maritime climate. Most of the Atlantic region experiences long, mild winters and cool summers.

Resources of the Atlantic Water is truly plentiful in this region attracts a lot of tourism. The water is also used for transportation for the shipping industry and for hydroelectricity. The fishing industry has a rich heritage in this region and includes a variety of fish including cod, halibut, herring, flounder, mackerel, lobster, scallops, sole, crab, shrimp and mussels). Minerals such as iron, zinc, and gold. The trees of this region are important to the tourism/recreation industry (hiking, camping etc.), and they are used to produce pulp and paper. Oil has been discovered under the ocean floor.

It is time to wave goodbye…