Canada: Geography#
| Location | Northern North America, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean on the east, North Pacific Ocean on the west, and the Arctic Ocean on the north, north of the conterminous US |
|---|---|
| Geographic Coordinates | 60 00 N, 95 00 W 60.0,-95.0 |
| Area | total: 9,984,670 sq km land: 9,093,507 sq km water: 891,163 sq km [Verified in 8 databases] |
| Land boundaries | total: 8,893 km border countries: US 8,893 km (includes 2,477 km with Alaska) note: Canada is the World's largest country that borders only one country |
| Coastline | 202,080 km |
| Elevation Extremes | lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Mount Logan 5,959 m |
| Highest Mountains | Due to difference in mountain rankings taken from two data sources we are listing here both lists : According to Wolfram: Mount Logan 5959 m; Mount Lucania 5226 m; King Peak 5173 m; Mount Steele 5073 m; Mount Hubbard 4557 m According to Geonames: Mount Logan 5959 m; Mount Lucania 5226 m; Mount Steele 5073 m; Mount Wood 4842 m; Mount Vancouver 4812 m Attempted Explanation: Please help us to try to explain the discrepancies by sending us helpful information to office nospam@TUGraz.at @global-geography.org Important Mountains |
| Terrain | mostly plains with mountains in west and lowlands in southeast |
| Natural Hazards | continuous permafrost in north is a serious obstacle to development; cyclonic storms form east of the Rocky Mountains, a result of the mixing of air masses from the Arctic, Pacific, and North American interior, and produce most of the country's rain and snow east of the mountains volcanism: the vast majority of volcanoes in Western Canada's Coast Mountains remain dormant |
| Natural Resource | iron ore, nickel, zinc, copper, gold, lead, rare earth elements, molybdenum, potash, diamonds, silver, fish, timber, wildlife, coal, petroleum, natural gas, hydropower |
| Land Use | arable land: 4.3% permanent crops: 0.49% other: 95.2% (2011) |
| Climate | varies from temperate in south to subarctic and arctic in north |
| Irrigated Land | 8,699 sq km (2004) |
| Renewable Water Resources | 2,902 cu km (2011) |
| Environment_CurrentIssues | air pollution and resulting acid rain severely affecting lakes and damaging forests; metal smelting, coal-burning utilities, and vehicle emissions impacting on agricultural and forest productivity; ocean waters becoming contaminated due to agricultural, industrial, mining, and forestry activities |
| Environment - international agreements | party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Marine Life Conservation |
| Large Cities | Due to difference in city rankings taken from two data sources we are listing here both lists : According to Wolfram: Toronto; Montreal; Calgary; Ottawa; Edmonton According to Geonames: Toronto; Montréal; Vancouver; Calgary; Ottawa Attempted Explanation: Please help us to try to explain the discrepancies by sending us helpful information to office nospam@TUGraz.at @global-geography.org Important Cities |
| Geography-note | second-largest country in world (after Russia) and largest in the Americas; strategic location between Russia and US via north polar route; approximately 90% of the population is concentrated within 160 km (100 mi) of the US border; Canada has more fresh water than any other country and almost 9% of Canadian territory is water; Canada has at least 2 million and possibly over 3 million lakes - that is more than all other countries combined Important Rivers Important Lakes |