Geography
Canada is located in the northern part of North America.It is bounded on the north by the Arctic Ocean，on the east by the Atlantic Ocean，on the west by the Pacific Ocean and the U.S.state of Alaska，and on the south by the United States of America.A good part of this vast land is mountainous or rocky or located in the cold Arctic region.As a result，only about one⁃third of the country has been developed，of which farmland makes up 8％ and productive forestland 25％.Such aspects of the terrain and climate help to make Canada one of the most sparsely⁃populated and heavily⁃urbanized countries in the world.
Canada has ten provinces and three territories.On the west coast is the province of British Columbia.To the east of British Columbia are the prairie provinces of Alberta，Saskatchewan and Manitoba;further east are Ontario and Quebec.East of Quebec are the maritime provinces of Newfoundland and Labrador，New Brunswick，Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island.To the north of the provinces are the three territories：Yukon，Northwest Territories and Nunavut.
Geographically，Canada’s location and shape put it in contact with some of the major countries of the world.To start with，it borders the United States for a distance of 8，900 kilometers，including the border with Alaska.Secondly，Canada is close to Russia and northern Europe in the north via the Arctic Archipelago.Then in the east，the island of Newfoundland commands the shortest crossings of the North Atlantic Ocean from the American continent to Western Europe.In the west，the country faces East Asia and the Russian Far East across the Pacific Ocean.If one were to have a bird’s⁃eye view of Canada，it would show much of the country to be like a vast basin of some 4，800 kilometers in diameter，which was rimmed by the Cordillera in the west，the Appalachian Mountains in the southeast，the mountains of northern Labrador and Baffin Island in the northeast and the Innuitian Mountains in the north，with Hudson Bay being the bottom of the basin.A bird’s⁃eye view would also show that this basin is not level，but rather that it is somewhat tilted，with the western rim higher than the eastern one.
From a physiographic perspective，Canada can be divided into six regions.The first and largest is the Canadian Shield，which makes up about half of the country and centers around Hudson Bay.It consists of ancient rock that was formed in the distant past.The region once had many high mountains，but over the course of millions of years，glaciers eroded the rock to such an extent that the area has become relatively flat.
The second physiographic region is the Interior Plains，which make up around one⁃fifth of the country.The Manitoba lowland，the Saskatchewan plain and the Alberta upland are all in this region.Located to the west of the Canadian Shield，these huge plains extend southward into the Great Plains of the United States.The Manitoba lowland averages about 300 meters in elevation and contains many swamps and lakes of various sizes.The Saskatchewan plain，which lies to the west of the Manitoba lowland，has an elevation of about 500 to 600 meters.It is characterized by a expansive flatness that favors the use of large⁃scale farm machinery，helping to make the area one of Canada’s biggest grain producers.Further to the west of the plain area lies the Alberta upland，an eroded land with an average elevation of some 800 meters which is transected by river valleys.The Alberta upland is also a significant wheat⁃producing area.
The third physiographic region is the Great Lakes and St.Lawrence lowlands.This region is important to Canada as most of the Canadian population is distributed either around the Great Lakes or along the St.Lawrence River.The region consists of four parts：the lowlands between Lake Huron and Lake Erie，the Ontario lowlands，the Ottawa⁃St.Lawrence lowlands，and the Anticost Island and Mingan Islands at the mouth of the St.Lawrence River.
Then there is the Canadian Cordillera region，which consists of a belt of mountain ranges in western Canada，within the provinces of Alberta and British Columbia.The Cordillera includes the famous Rockies，which have more than 30 peaks that are over 3，000 meters in elevation，with Mt.Robson being the highest（3，954 meters）.The Rockies include some of Canada’s major scenic spots and national parks，including Banff National Park，which is known for its spectacular mountain scenery.Further west of the Rockies and along the mainland coast is another belt of mountains，among which is Mt.Logan，Canada’s highest mountain（5，959 meters）.Off the coast lie the Queen Charlotte Islands and Vancouver Island.
The fifth region is the Appalachian region，which includes parts of Quebec，the island of Newfoundland and the Maritime provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia.This region mainly comprises highlands and uplands.
Finally，there is the Arctic islands region，which is home to the Inuit（formerly known as Eskimos）.These islands are the northernmost part of the country and are perennially covered with ice and snow.
Map of Canada
Canada’s closeness to the Arctic has given it many glacier⁃turned lakes.Apart from the five Great Lakes that it shares with the United States，other major lakes include Great Bear Lake，Great Slave Lake and Lake Winnipeg.The longest river in Canada is the Mackenzie，which，with its tributaries，runs for 4，200 kilometers to the Arctic Ocean in the north，and drains a watershed of 1，840，000 square kilometers.Second to it is the St.Lawrence，which is the largest river that flows into the Atlantic Ocean.Other important rivers include the Frazer，which flows into the Pacific Ocean，the Yukon River further to the north，and the Columbia which flows into the United States.