United States Physical

Canada - Physical Features

Did you know that Canada is the second-largest country in the world? Russia is the only country in the world that is larger than Canada. The United States is the third-largest country in the world and shares many physical features with Canada.

Multiple Choice

Which country shares a border with Canada?

• Mexico

• Russia

• United States

• Greenland

Multiple Choice

Canada is the ________ largest country in the world.

• 3rd
• 2nd
• 4th
• 10th

​Locate Canada on the map and see if you can find the physical features that the United States and Canada share. You may notice that mountains along the Pacific coast and the Rocky Mountains extend north into western Canada from the western United States. Broad plains stretch across the interiors of both countries. In the east, the two countries share a natural border formed by the St. Lawrence River. An important international waterway, the St. Lawrence links the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean.

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Multiple Choice

What physical feature is shown?

• Coast Mountains
• Mt. Logan
• Great Lakes 
• Rocky Mountains

Multiple Choice

The river in Canada that flows from the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean

• Yukon River
• Fraser River
• Mackenzie River
• St. Lawrence River

​The United States and Canada also share a spectacular physical feature called Niagara Falls. The falls are located on the Niagara River between the province of Ontario and New York State. Created by the waters of the Niagara River, the falls flow between two of the Great Lakes—Lake Erie and Lake Ontario. The falls here plunge an average of 162 feet (49 m) down a huge ledge. That is higher than many 15-story buildings!

Multiple Choice

This spectacular feature is located between Ontario and New York.

• Niagara Falls
• Bay of Fundy
• Lake Michigan
• Baffin Bay

​Canada has a region of rocky uplands, lakes, and swamps called the Canadian Shield. See on the map how this feature curves around Hudson Bay. The Shield covers about half the country

Multiple Choice

The rocky plateau that surrounds Hudson Bay

• Laurentian Highlands
• Baffin Plateau
• Hudson Plateau
• Canadian Shield

Multiple Choice

What is the Canadian Shield?

• An area with rich soil for farming

• A rich fishing area

• An area with rocky soil

• A National Forest in Canada

​Climate

​Canada’s location greatly influences the country’s climate. Canada is located far from the equator at much higher latitudes than the United States. This more northerly location gives Canada cool to freezing temperatures year-round.

​The farther north you go in Canada, the colder it gets. The coldest areas of Canada are located close to the Arctic Circle. Much of central and northern Canada has a subarctic climate. The far north has tundra and ice cap climates. About half of Canada lies in these extremely cold climates.

Multiple Choice

How has climate affected where Canadians live?

• Few people live in the northern regions of Canada because of the cold climate.
• Few people live along the border of Canada and the U.S. because of the cold climate.
• Most people tend to migrate and live in the northern provinces of Canada.
• Most people tend to migrate toward Great Bear Lake and Great Slave Lake.

​Resources

​Canada is incredibly rich in natural resources such as fish, minerals, and forests. Canada’s Atlantic and Pacific coastal waters are among the world’s richest fishing areas. Off the Atlantic coast lies a large fishing ground near Newfoundland and Labrador called the Grand Banks. Here, cold waters from the Labrador Sea meet the warm waters of the Gulf Stream. These conditions are ideal for the growth of tiny organisms, or plankton, that fish like to eat. As a result, large schools of fish gather at the Grand Banks.

Multiple Choice

What natural resource would you find in the Grand Banks?

• Oil

• Minerals

• Fish

• Magic

​Canada faces challenges protecting some of its water-related resources. For instance, recent overfishing of the Grand Banks region has left many fishers in Canada unemployed. Also, acid rain has harmed its lakes and rivers, including the Great Lakes region. Acid rain is a form of pollution in which rain becomes acidic because of the particles that are released when cars, factories, and power stations burn fuels. In response to this problem, Canada passed a law limiting this kind of pollution and instituted a program to watch for and measure it. The goal of the law is to protect this sensitive area from acid rain.

​Canada’s climate supports vast areas of forests, which stretch across most of the country from Labrador to the Pacific coast. These trees provide lumber and pulp. Pulp—softened wood fibers—is used to make paper. The United States, the United Kingdom, and Japan get much of their newsprint from Canada. Newsprint is cheap paper used mainly for newspapers. Canada’s many exports allow it to trade for items that it cannot produce as readily due to its climate, such as some kinds of fresh fruit and vegetables.

Multiple Choice

Which Canadian resource provides pulp?

• Atlantic Ocean
• forests
• rivers
• Rocky Mountains