Download USA/Canada Physical Feature Notes

USA/Canada Physical Feature
Notes
6th Grade Geography
Landforms
Arctic Lowlands
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Made up of a series of
islands located in
northern Canada.
Ground stays frozen
most of the year.
Very few people live
there.
Queen Elizabeth Islands
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A series of islands
located between the
Arctic Lowlands and
Greenland.
All together, the
islands have a
population of less
than 400 people.
Canadian Shield
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Also called the
Laurentian Plateau.
Stretches from north
of the Great Lakes to
the Arctic Ocean.
It covers over half of
Canada.
Interior Plains
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Located in both
Canada and the
United States.
The land in this area
is typically good for
farming.
Western edge runs
along the Rocky
Mountains.
Rocky Mountains

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Runs through both
the United States and
Canada.
Largest mountain
system in North
America.
Located in the
western regions of
both the United
States and Canada.
Coast Mountains
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A major mountain
range in the Pacific
Coast Ranges.
Located in along the
coast of western
Canada.
Mackenzie Mountains
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Located in both the
Yukon Territory and
Northwest Territory.
Named in honor of
Canada’s second
Prime Minister
Alexander Mackenzie.
Appalachian Mountains

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Second largest
mountain system in
North America.
Runs along the
eastern region of the
United States.
Much of the
mountains have lush
vegetation.
Hudson Bay Lowlands
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Area between the
Canadian Shield and
Hudson Bay.
Climate is determined
by the level of water
in Hudson Bay.
Labrador Peninsula
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Large peninsula in
eastern Canada.
Bordered by the
Hudson Bay, the
Hudson Strait, the
Labrador Sea, and the
Gulf of St. Lawrence.
Water
Baffin Bay

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Located between
Baffin Island and
Greenland.
Most parts of the year
boats are not able to
navigate this body of
water due to the ice
coverage and/or
icebergs.
Davis Strait

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Named for explorer
John Davis.
It is famous for its
fierce tides that range
from 30 to 60 feet.
Located near the
southern tips of Baffin
Island and Greenland.
Labrador Sea
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Formed when the
North American Plate
and the Greenland
Plate separated.
2/3 of the sea is
covered in ice.
Atlantic Ocean
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East of both Canada
and the United
States.
Second largest of the
world’s oceans.

Covers approximately
20% of Earth’s
surface.
Pacific Ocean

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The largest of the
earth’s oceans.
Covers 1/3 of the
earth’s surface.
Currently shrinking
due to plate tectonics.
West of Canada and
the US.
Bering Sea


Bordered by Alaska
and Russia.
Considered to have
one of the best
ecosystems to
support marine life.
Bering Strait


Body of water
between Russia
and Alaska.
About 53 miles
wide.
Lake Superior

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Largest of the
Great Lakes and
largest freshwater
lake.
Bordered by
Ontario,
Minnesota,
Wisconsin, and
Michigan.
Lake Michigan

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The only Great Lake
that is located entirely
in the US.
Second largest Great
Lake according to
water volume.
“Michigan” comes
from an Ojibwa word
meaning “great
water”.
Lake Ontario
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
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Ontario, Canada’s
most populated
province, was named
for it.
Bordered by Ontario
and New York.
Serves as an outlet to
the Atlantic Ocean
through the St.
Lawrence River.
Lake Erie


The outflow from the
lake provides
hydroelectric power to
Canada and the U.S.
as it spins huge
turbines at Niagara
Falls.
It is the shallowest of
the Great Lakes.
Lake Huron
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The 2nd largest
Great Lake and 3rd
largest freshwater
lake in the world.
Named after the
Huron people who
lived in the
surrounding area.
Mississippi River

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Largest river system in
North America.
The name came from an
Ojibwa word meaning
“great river”.
Runs through 10 states
and was used to help
form state borders.
Runs from Minnesota to
the Gulf of Mexico.
St. Lawrence River
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Connects the Great
Lakes to the
Atlantic Ocean.
Drains into the Gulf
of St. Lawrence.
Gulf of St. Lawrence
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The world’s largest
estuary.
The outlet of the
Great Lakes from the
St. Lawrence river to
the Atlantic Ocean.
Yukon River
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Runs through
Alaska and the
Yukon Territory.
The Yukon
Territory was
named after the
Yukon River.
Gulf of Alaska
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The entire shoreline
of the Gulf is a
rugged combination
of forest, mountain,
and a number of
tidewater glaciers.
It is the generator of
storms that drop
snow and ice on
Alaska.
Beaufort Sea
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
Located north of
Alaska, the Yukon
Territory, and the
Northwest Territory.
The sea is
characterized by
severe climate and is
frozen over most of
the year.
Hudson Bay

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Large body of saltwater
in northeastern Canada.
It is largely frozen over
from mid-December to
mid-June.
Surrounded by the
Hudson Bay Lowlands.