PHYSIOGRAPHIC REGIONS
CANADIAN SHIELD: (4 billion years old)
 Formed through extreme volcanic activity, left
igneous rocks rich in minerals
 Shaped through billions of years of erosion and
glaciers
 Put minerals within reach
 Left behind 1000’s of lakes
 Climate – northern winters are long, cold
with shorter cooler summers
 Population –based on resource towns
GREAT LAKES-ST.LAWRENCE LOWLANDS
 Formed as glaciers receded, creating rolling
landscapes and carving out great lakes
 The lowlands were formed by faulting (tension
caused plates to pull apart, creating valley
 As glaciers melted left behind rich soil
 Humid continental climate influenced by Great
Lakes
 Home to half of Canada’s population
APPALACHIAN
 Formed as N.American and Eurasian plate
movements caused folding of sedimentary rock
on ocean floor
 Shaped by erosion – flattened mountains,
created plains between, oceans flooded
lowlands creating jagged coastline
 Maritime climate; cooler than BC because of
winds blowing off of continent and cooler
Atlantic O.
 Communities developed along coast near
ports and in valleys near rich farmland
INTERIOR PLAINS
 Formed when inland seas filled with sediment
 Shaped by erosion, glaciers
 Thick soil layers
 Sea life changes to oil/natural gas
 Climate: continental, more extreme, hot
summers, cold winters
 Many farming and ranch communities; cities
developed on the banks of rivers
WESTERN CORDILLERA
 Formed as the movement of the Pacific and
North American plates folded earth’s crust,
volcanic eruptions, lava formed interior plateau
 Shaped by glaciers, erosion
 Rich in minerals, forests, orchards
 Maritime, temperate climate; northern
regions have a cooler climate
 Major cities developed in the southern region
along Fraser River
ARCTIC
 Formed as plate movements folded
sedimentary rock upwards (Innutians), and
islands also formed from sedimentary rock
 Shaped by glaciers, rising sea levels
 Left behind barren surface, some oil and
natural gas deposits
 Very severe climate; very little precipitation
 Low population; mainly Inuit