Explore Canada's Amazing Geographic Features!

Geography is the study of Earth's lands, features, and places. When you study geographic features, you learn about the natural shapes and areas found on Earth's surface. Canada has many amazing geographic features, from flat prairies to rocky coasts and frozen tundra. You can explore these features using Understanding Maps and Geography Tools.

Canada is made up of 10 provinces and 3 territories, giving a total of 13 regions. Each region has its own special geographic features that make it unique.

A landform is a natural shape or feature found on Earth's surface. Landforms are created by nature, not by people. You will find many different landforms across Canada.

Canada's landforms connect to what you already know from studying Types of Landforms: Mountains, Valleys, and Plains. Here are some key landforms you need to know:

• A valley is a low area of land between higher areas, like hills or mountains. Rivers often flow through valleys. British Columbia's interior has many valleys.
• A hill is a raised area of land that is smaller than a mountain.
• A peninsula is a piece of land surrounded by water on three sides but still connected to the mainland. Nova Scotia is almost entirely a peninsula, connected to New Brunswick by a narrow strip of land.
• An island is a piece of land completely surrounded by water on all sides. Prince Edward Island is Canada's smallest province and sits entirely on an island. Vancouver Island is located off the coast of British Columbia.
• A delta is flat land that forms where a river meets the ocean. The Mackenzie River delta is a well-known example.
• A prairie is a flat grassland. Canada's prairies are found in Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and Alberta.

Canada is surrounded by three oceans: the Pacific Ocean on the west, the Atlantic Ocean on the east, and the Arctic Ocean to the north. You can learn more about these water bodies by reviewing Types of Water Bodies: Oceans, Lakes, and Rivers.

• A coast is land beside the ocean. British Columbia sits on the Pacific coast, while Nova Scotia and New Brunswick are on the Atlantic coast.
• A river is a large, flowing stream of fresh water on land. The St. Lawrence River is important for trade and connecting communities. The Mackenzie River is one of Canada's longest rivers, located in the Northwest Territories.
• A bay is a body of water partly enclosed by land. Hudson Bay is one of the world's largest bays, found in central-northern Canada. James Bay is a southern extension of Hudson Bay.
• A strait is a narrow channel connecting two larger bodies of water. The Strait of Georgia is in British Columbia, and the Northumberland Strait separates Prince Edward Island from the mainland.
• An inlet is a narrow body of water cutting into the land, smaller than a bay.

Canada has two very important natural landscapes you need to know about. You can connect these to what you learned in Regional Biodiversity: Plants and Animals Across Diverse Ecosystems.

• The tundra is a flat, treeless region found in northern Canada. It is very cold with almost no trees. Animals like caribou and Arctic foxes live there. Nunavut has the most tundra of all Canadian territories.
• The boreal forest (also called the taiga) is a large area covered mostly by trees like spruce and fir. Canada has some of the world's largest forests. Animals like bears, moose, and beavers live in Canada's forests.

Rivers help people by providing fresh water and travel routes. Many Canadian communities grew up near rivers because rivers supply water for drinking, farming, and transportation. You can explore how geography affects people's lives in Where People Live and Climate and Geography Impact.

Geography: Geography means the study of Earth's lands, features, and places. When you study geography, you learn about rivers, coasts, valleys, forests, and where people live.

Landform: A landform is a natural shape or feature found on Earth's surface, such as a valley, hill, or coast. Landforms are created by nature.

Prairie: A prairie is a flat grassland. In Canada, you find prairies in Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and Alberta.

Peninsula: A peninsula is a piece of land surrounded by water on three sides but still connected to the mainland on one side. Nova Scotia is a well-known Canadian peninsula.

Delta: A delta is flat land that forms where a river meets the ocean and splits into channels. The Mackenzie River delta is a Canadian example.

Tundra: Tundra is a flat, treeless region found in northern Canada where it is too cold for trees to grow. Nunavut is mostly covered by tundra.

Valley: A valley is a low area of land between higher areas like hills or mountains. Rivers frequently flow through valleys.

Coast: A coast is land beside the ocean. Canada has a Pacific coast in the west and an Atlantic coast in the east.

River: A river is a large, flowing stream of fresh water on land. Rivers move from higher ground toward the sea or a lake.

Bay: A bay is a body of water partly enclosed by land. Hudson Bay is one of Canada's most famous bays.

Strait: A strait is a narrow channel connecting two larger bodies of water, like the Strait of Georgia in British Columbia.

Island: An island is a piece of land completely surrounded by water. Prince Edward Island is a Canadian province that is entirely an island.

Inlet: An inlet is a narrow body of water that cuts into the land. Inlets are smaller and narrower than bays.

Forest: A forest is a large area of land covered mostly by trees. Canada has some of the largest forests in the world.

Hill: A hill is a raised area of land that is smaller than a mountain.

Boreal Forest: The boreal forest, also called the taiga, is Canada's northern forest filled with evergreen trees like spruce and fir.

You can practice matching geographic feature names to their definitions, just like you will do in your vocabulary questions. Try to describe each landform in your own words and give a Canadian example.

You can also practice identifying which ocean borders Canada on each side Pacific on the west, Atlantic on the east, and Arctic to the north. Think about how World Maps and Locations and Weather and Life connect to the geographic features you are learning about.

Before studying geographic features, you explored Types of Landforms: Mountains, Valleys, and Plains and Types of Water Bodies: Oceans, Lakes, and Rivers. You also learned about Understanding Other Places and how Climate and Geography Impact the way people live.

These topics gave you a strong foundation for understanding Canada's geographic features in detail.

As you continue learning, you will explore topics that connect closely to geographic features. Natural Processes will show you how Earth's features change over time, and Changing Landscapes will help you understand how landforms are shaped and reshaped.

You will also study Communities and Their Environments to see how people live alongside geographic features, and Human Geography to learn how people use and change the land. Regional Characteristics will help you compare different areas of Canada.

After this topic, you will be ready for Geographic Areas, Major Landforms and Water Bodies: Mountains, Rivers, Oceans, Earth's Features, Human Settlement Patterns and Distribution, and World Climates. All of these topics build on the geographic feature knowledge you are developing now.