About Canada - Climate and Geography
Canada's Climate ...
Canada's climate is characterized by its diversity, as temperature and precipitation
differ from region to region and from season to season. While it is true that
in the extreme north temperatures climb above 0°C for only a few months
a year, most Canadians live within 300 kilometres of the country's southern
border, where mild springs, warm summers and pleasantly crisp autumns prevail
at least seven months of the year. The seasons dictate the look of the land:
according to whether the natural environment is in a state of dormancy or growth,
Canadians may be alpine skiing ... or water skiing.
Canada's Geography ...
Occupying the northern half of the North American continent, Canada's land mass
is 9 093 507 km2, making it the second-largest country in the world after Russia.
From east to west, Canada encompasses six time zones. In addition to its coastlines
on the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, Canada has a third sea coast on the Arctic
Ocean, giving it the longest coastline of any country. To the south, Canada
shares an 8 891 kilometre boundary with the United States. To the north, the
Arctic islands come within 800 kilometres of the North Pole. Canada's neighbour
across the Arctic Ocean is Russia. Because of the harsh northern climate, only
12 percent of the land is suitable for agriculture. Thus, most of the population
of 30 million live within a few hundred kilometres of the southern border, where
the climate is milder, in a long thin band stretching between the Atlantic and
the Pacific oceans.
Mountain Ranges ...
Canada's terrain incorporates a number of mountain ranges: the Torngats, Appalachians and Laurentians in the east; the Rocky, Coastal and
Mackenzie ranges in the west; and Mount St. Elias and the Pelly Mountains in the north. At 5 959 metres, Mount Logan in the Yukon is
Canada's tallest peak.
Lakes ...
There are some two million lakes in Canada, covering about 7.6 percent of the Canadian landmass. The main lakes, in order of the surface
area located in Canada (many large lakes are traversed by the Canada-U.S. border), are Huron, Great Bear, Superior, Great Slave,
Winnipeg, Erie and Ontario. The largest lake situated entirely in Canada is Great Bear Lake (31 328 km2) in the Northwest
Territories.
Rivers ...
The St. Lawrence (3 058 kilometres long) is Canada's most important river, providing a seaway for ships from the Great Lakes to the
Atlantic Ocean. The longest Canadian river is the Mackenzie, which flows 4 241 kilometres through the Northwest Territories. Other large
watercourses include the Yukon and the Columbia (parts of which flow through U.S. territory), the Nelson, the Churchill, and the Fraser -
along with major tributaries such as the Saskatchewan, the Peace, the Ottawa, the Athabasca and the Liard.
Other Links ...
![maps of Canada](/web/20061107024939im_/http://international.gc.ca/canada-europa/germany/site/images/Canada65.gif)
Natural
Resources: Facts About Canada
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