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Unit 2 Chapter 2 Canada’s Physical Geography Canada’s Landform Regions • Canada is so large that geographers have divided it into eight different regions to make it easier to study. • A region is an area that is defined on the basis of the presence or absence of certain characteristics. • Geographers classify landform regions according to: » » » » » Age of rock Type of rock Relief Gradient Process that has shaped the area The landform regions of Canada Canadian Shield • The rocks of the Canadian Shield are about four billion years old. • Throughout its history, the Shield has undergone many changes. • Most of the Shield has thin, acidic soils called podzols. • This region is mostly covered with coniferous forests with a few area suited for agriculture. • Covers Central Canada: Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, Labrador, the Northwest Territories, and Nunavut. Appalachian Mountains • It is thought they were formed about 375 million years ago when the North American Plate and the Eurasian Plate collided during the formation of the supercontinent Pangaea. • These mountains have been worn down by ice and water over the years. Their typical height is 1000 m. • The vegetation is a mix of coniferous and deciduous forest. With coniferous trees populating the cooler north. • The region covers most of Atlantic Canada. Western Cordillera • This region is made up of a series of parallel mountain ranges – The Coast Mountains, the Columbia Mountains, and the Rocky Mountains, separated by extensive plateaus. • The height of many of these mountains reaches over 3000 m. • The city of Vancouver is built on a large delta, rich soils deposited by the Fraser River as it empties into the ocean. • This region includes British Columbia, Yukon Territory, and part of Alberta. Innuitian Mountains • In the Far North, the Innuition Mountains have rugged peaks that rise over 2000 m with steep sided valleys. • These mountains include Ellesmere Island. • They are younger than the Appalachians, so erosion has not yet worn down their summits. • This area is too cold for trees to survive. Arctic Lowlands • To the south of the Innuitians are the Arctic Lowlands, a region of upland plateau surfaces and lowland plains. • This is a region of tundra, and treeless plain, with a cold, dry climate and poorly drained soil. • A short growing season allows for only sparse vegetation of lichens and moss. • Most of the Arctic Lowlands are located in Nunavut. Interior Plains • Between the Shield and the Western Cordillera is an extensive area of plain that was created when island seas receded. • Erosion carved out three prairie plains separated by two long escarpments. • In parts of the Plaines, the soil is more than 25 cm deep. This black earth is known as chernozem, and is ideal for growing wheat. • The Plains cover most of Alberta, and large sections of Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and the Northwest Territories. Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Lowlands • To the south of the Shield, The Great Lakes – St. Lawrence Lowlands is another region of plain. • When the Champlain Sea waters retreated many years ago, the area was left nearly level with an excellent base for the formation of a fertile soil called brown earth. • The Lowlands stretch from southwestern Ontario along the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence River to the mouth of the Saguenay River in Quebec. Hudson Bay Lowlands • The Hudson Bay Lowlands region is a low area within the Shield with accumulations of Paleozoic rocks to a depth of 2000 m. • The land is mainly flat and poorly drained with recent coverings of materials from seas, rivers, and glaciers. • The soil in his area is generally a mix of tundra and podzols, leading to the growth of swamp forests. • The Lowlands are located in northern Ontario and Manitoba.