Western Cordillera
The vegetation for the western section is typical of the Boreal
Forest - mainly coniferous. Tree species include white spruce, black spruce,
alpine fir, lodgepole pine, trembling aspen, balsam poplar and white birch.
The eastern portion of the cordillera is essentially a rugged mountain unit which rings
several major interior plains. The plains are more extensive to the north.
Climate: On the west coast, the climate receives as little as 600 mm of precipitation per year, while
the overall area is typically much wetter, receiving up to 3000 mm.
There is generally relatively little variation between the mean monthly
temperatures, compared to elsewhere in Canada: average July temperatures
are in the 12 to 18 °C range, while average January temperatures are
relatively warm 4 to 6 °C. In the eastern part of the Cordillera -- Moderately long, cold winters and
short, warm summers, varying with elevation and latitude. Annual precipitation is about 800 mm over the northern
section, 1200 mm along the British Columbia-Alberta border, and only 500 mm
in the desert-like environments towards the Canada-U.S. border.
Vegetation: Dominated by coniferous trees; varies according to elevation. alpine environment (above the tree line) -- lichen and shrubs
Human Activity: Forestry, tourism, urbanization, agriculture and fish processing.
Major Cities: Victoria, Vancouver
Interior Plains
Landforms: The Interior Plains, with its flat to rolling plains is
known as the "bread basket" of Canada. The Plains extend as a wide band from the Canada-U.S. border to the Beaufort Sea in the Arctic.
The physical features:level to gently rolling plains.
Climate: A moist climate with long cold winters and short, moderately
warm summers. In the north, the climate is semi-arid and cold - long, cold winters and
short cool summers.
Vegetation: In The south, little natural vegetation remains. Short and long grass
prairie, with few trees.White and black spruce, jack pine and tamarack are the
main conifer species. There is a wide distribution of broadleaf
trees, particularly white birch, trembling aspen and balsam poplar, as well
as extensive marsh areas. In the north, Dwarf birch, labrador tea, willows, bearberry, mosses
and sedges are associated with the environment of tundra arctic. Upland and
foothills areas and southerly locales tend to be open forest to dense forest,
and are better drained, warmer and
support mixed wood forest characterized by white and black spruce, tamarack,
white birch, trembling aspen, balsam polar and lodgepole pine.
Human Activity: Hunting, trapping, forestry, farming, tourism and oil and gas development.
Major Cities: Edmonton, Flin Flon, Inuvik, Fort Simpson
Vegetation:
Wildlife: Characteristic mammals of the Prairie Ecozone include mule
and white-tailed deer, elk, coyote, pronghorn, white-tailed jack rabbit, etc.
Click here to see a picture of The Badlands -
Dinosaur Provincial Park
Human Activity: Agriculture, urbanization, and oil and gas development.
Major Cities: Winnipeg, Regina, Saskatoon, Edmonton
Climate: The climate is subarctic continental - long, cold winters,
and short cool summers. Precipitation is low
(from 175 to 200 mm annually). The mean daily January temperature ranges from
-17.5 to -27.5 °C with the mean daily Jully temperature ranging from 7.5 to
17.5 °C.
Vegetation: Along the northern edge of this ecozone is the tree line.
The forest stands are open and form lichen woodlands which merge into areas of
open arctic tundra. The central portion contains stunted coniferous and deciduous
stands, including black spruce, alders, willows and tamarack in the fens and bogs,
and open, mixedwood associations of white spruce, balsam fir and trembling aspen.
Wildlife: Characteristic mammals of the Taiga Shield Ecozone include
barren-ground and some woodland caribou, moose, wolf, snowshoe hare, arctic
fox, black and grizzly bears and lynx.
Human Activity: Tourism, mining, hunting and trapping.
Major Cities: Yellowknife, Uranium City, Happy Valley-Goose Bay
Climate: Climatic conditions vary slightly over the area, with long
winters and short summers. This ecozone is largely influenced by cold Hudson
Bay air masses, which are also responsible for relatively high levels of
precipitation, 400 mm in the west to 1000 mm in the east. Mean daily January
temperatures are -10 to -20 °C, while mean daily July temperatures average 15 to 18 °C.
Vegetation: Coniferous and deciduous stands.
Wildlife: Characteristic mammals of the Boreal Shield Ecozone
include woodland caribou, white-tailed deer, moose, black bear, raccoon,
marten, fisher, striped skunk, lynx, bobcat and eastern chipmunk.
Representative birds include boreal owl, great horned owl, blue jay and evening
grosbeak. In the Atlantic marine environment, typical mammals are the grey, harp and
hooded seals, and the northern bottlenosed, sperm, killer, Atlantic pilot,
fin and blue whales.
Human Activity: Forestry, mining, tourism, recreation and trapping.
Major Cities: Sudbury, Thunder Bay, St. John's, Rouyn-Noranda
Landforms: Low lying swampy plains. Although wetlands are distributed
throughout the ecozones, the largest wetlands area is associated with the Hudson
Plains Ecozone --- an area centered in northern Ontario that extends into
northeastern Manitoba and western Quebec.
Climate: Climatically, this ecozone is heavily influenced by the cold
and moisture-laden Hudson Bay-low and Polar-high air masses. It is generally
a cold continental climate with moderate precipitation of 400 to 700 mm
annually. Mean daily January temperatures are about -19 °C, while mean daily
July temperatures hover between 12 and 16 °C.
Wildlife: Characteristic mammals of the Hudson Plains Ecozone include
woodland caribou, moose, black and polar bears, marten, arctic fox and
fisher.
A variety of waterfowl typifies the birds. The ecozone is, for example, a
major habit for substantial populations of breeding waterfowl, especially
Canada geese.
In the marine environment, representative mammals include walrus and bearded,
harbour and ringer seals.
Human Activity: Hunting, trapping, recreation and tourism.
Major Cities: Moosonee, Churchill, Attawapiskat.
Climate: The climate is continental, with warm to hot summers and
cool winters. Mean daily July temperatures are 18 to 22 °C, while mean daily
January temperatures are -3 to -12 °C. The area receives approximately 720 to
1000 mm of precipitation annually.
Vegetation: The forests in this ecozone are mixed coniferous-deciduous,
dominated by white and red pine, eastern hemlock, oaks, maples and birches.
Wildlife: Characteristic mammals of the Mixedwood Plains Ecozone
include white-tailed deer, black bear, raccoon, striped skunk, eastern
cottontail, eastern chipmunk, and grey and black squirrels.
Representative birds include great blue heron, red-shouldered hawk,
whip-poor-will, red-headed woodpecker, blue jay, eastern bluebird and
Baltimore oriole.
Human Activity: Densely populated urbanization, manufacturing,
agriculture and recreation.
Major Cities: Six of 10 largest cities in Canada: Toronto, Montreal,
Hamilton, Ottawa-Hull, Quebec and London.
Climate: The Atlantic Ocean and its current have created a moderating
and cool-moist maritime climate - long, mild winters, and warm summers.
Mean annual precipitation ranges from 1000 mm inland to 1425 mm along the coast.
The mean daily January temperature ranging between -2.5 and -10 °C and mean
daily July temperatures of about 18 °C.
Vegetation: Forest stands are mixed coniferous-deciduous,
characterized by red spruce, balsam fir, yellow birch and sugar maple, with
red and white pine and eastern hemlock. Some boreal species are present,
including black and white birch.
Wildlife: Characteristic mammals of the Atlantic Maritime Ecozone
include white-tailed deer, moose, black bear, raccoon, striped skunk, bobcat
and eastern chipmunk.
Representative birds include whip-poor-will, blue jay eastern bluebird and
rose-breasted grosbeak.
In the marine environment, representative species include grey seal, hooded
and harp seals, and Atlantic pilot, killer, and northern bottlenosed whales.
Human Activity: Forestry, fishing, agriculture, tourism, and urbanization.
Major Cities: Halifax, Mocton, Fredericton, Charlottetown
Climate: The climate is typically arctic with long, cold winters and
short, cool summers. Mean daily July temperatures tend to be cool (about 10 °C).
Winter temperatures are highly variable, but the mean daily January
temperature tends to be about -30 °C. Mean precipitation north-south ranges
between 200 and 400 mm.
Vegetation: This ecozone represents a major area of vegetation
transition (tundra soils and bare rock), and contains the major shrublands in the tundra. Typical shrubs
include dwarf birch, willows and heath species; these are commonly mixed with
various herbs and lichens.
Wildlife: Characteristic mammals of the Southern Arctic Ecozone
include moose, muskox, wolf, arctic fox, grizzly and polar bears, arctic
hare, etc. The area also includes the major summer and calving grounds of
two of the largest caribou herds.
Human Activity: Hunting, trapping, tourism, mineral development.
Major Cities: Rankin Inlet, Tuktoyaktuk, Povungnituk
Climate: The climate is very dry and cold. The annual precipitation
ranges from 100 to 200 mm. Mean daily January temperatures ranges from -30 to
-35 °C in the long winters and the daily July temperatures are between 5
and 10 °C in the short summers.
Vegetation: Herb and lichen dominated communities constitute the main
vegetation cover (permafrost and tundra soils).
Wildlife: Mammals of the Northern Arctic Ecozone include Peary and
barren-ground caribou, muskox, wolf, arctic fox, polar bear, arctic hare, and
brown and collared lemmings.
Representative birds include red-throated loon, brant, oldsquaw, gyrfalcon,
willow and rock ptarmigan, snowy owl, etc.
In the marine environment, typical species include walrus, bearded, harp and
harbour seals, beluga and narwhal.
Human Activity: Hunting, tourism, some mineral development.
Major Cities: Iqaluit, Cambridge Bay, Resolute
Vegetation: The arctic tundra formations are more common in the north, the alpine tundra in areas of
with areas of scattered forest in the south.
Landforms: Mountains are
cut through on the coast by numerous fjords and glacial valleys and bordered by coastal plains along the ocean.
The western coastal forest is composed mostly of
western red and yellow cedar, western hemlock, Douglas fir, mountain hemlock,
amabilis fir, Sitka spruce and alder.
Unique bird species include ferruginous hawk, greater prairie chicken, sage
grouse, American avocet and burrowing owl. 
Taiga Shield Ecozone
Landforms: The Taiga Shield Ecozone, with its plains and hills of
the Canadian Shield, lies on either side of Hudson Bay.
It occupies the central part of Quebec and Labrador, portions of northern Manitoba,
Saskatchewan and the south-central area of the Northwest Territories.
Representative birds include arctic and red-throated loons, northern phalarope, tree
sparrow and grey-cheeked thrust.
In the marine environment, representative species include walrus and bearded,
harbour and ringed seals. Boreal Shield Ecozone
Landforms: The Boreal Shield Ecozone is a broadly "U" shaped zone that extends
from northern Saskatchewan east to Newfoundland, passing north of Lake
Winnipeg, the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence River. Hudson Plains Ecozone
MixedWood Plains Ecozone
Landforms: Covering the Lower Great Lakes - St. Lawrence Valley areas,
Mixedwood Plains Ecozone is among the smallest. However, its combination of
agricultural soils, rolling hills and plains and relatively warm summer climate have
caused this region to be one of the most intensively used and highly populated. Atlantic Maritime Ecozone
Landforms: The Atlantic Maritime Ecozone extends from the mouth of
the St. Lawrence River southeasterly across New Brunswick, and into
Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. The unit is dominated by the interior
Appalachian upland and the Northumberland coastal plain.
Southern Arctic Ecozone
Landforms: The land portion of the Southern Arctic is split by Hudson
Bay into east and west portions. The Bay is included within this region as a
marine environment. The larger land portion covers the mainland of the
Northwest Territories and the smaller eastern segment bridges northern Quebec
and Labrador. It consists largely of rolling lowland plains and hills of the Canadian Shield.
Much of it is covered by glacial moraines.
The area is also a major breeding nesting ground for a variety of birds.
Representative species include yellow-billed, arctic and red-throated loons,
whistling swan, snow goose, oldsquaw, gyrfalcon, willow and rock ptarmigan,
northern phalorope, parasitic jeager, snowy owl, hoary redpoll and snow
bunting.
The marine environment include different species of seal and whale. Northern Arctic Ecozone
Landforms: The Northern Arctic Ecozone extends over most of the
non-mountainous areas of the Arctic Island and the portions of northeastern
Nunavut and northern Quebec. The western portion consists mostly of lowland plains
covered with glacial moraine. In the east, the landscape tends to be uplands
consisting of plateaux and rocky hills. 
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