Elevation

An interactive relief map of the terrain, where the named peaks lie, and the distribution of land by elevation

The shape of the land

Seen whole, Canada’s surface resolves into a few great physiographic regions: the high, folded Western Cordillera along the Pacific; the flat-then-rising Interior Plains of the Prairies; the ancient, low Canadian Shield wrapped around Hudson Bay; the lowlands of the St. Lawrence and Hudson Bay; and the worn Appalachian uplands of the east. The map below is a shaded-relief view of that terrain. Pan and zoom to follow a valley or a coastline. Scattered across it are Canada’s named summits, each coloured by its elevation. Hover for a name and height, and zoom in to see the labels of the highest peak in each province and territory. The layer controls (top-right) add optional context: cities, lakes and rivers, two landmark southern-Ontario ridges (the Niagara Escarpment and the Oak Ridges Moraine, north of Toronto — zoom in for their labels), the ecozones, the permafrost zones, and the Arctic tree line (the northern limit of the forest, where the taiga gives way to tundra).

Relief: Natural Resources Canada — Canada Base Map · Elevation (CBME) hillshade, served live (EPSG:3978). Peaks: Canadian Geographical Names (names & coordinates) + MRDEM-30 (window-max elevation). Lakes & rivers: NRCan Atlas. Ecozones & tree line (taiga–tundra boundary): AAFC/ECCC National Ecological Framework. Permafrost (~1995 mapping): Atlas of Canada 5th ed. (NRCan). All Open Government Licence – Canada.

Canadian elevation

Canada’s mountains are prominent but geographically concentrated. About three-quarters of the country’s land lies below 500 metres, while only about half a percent lies above 2,000 metres. Most of its highest terrain is found in the western and Arctic Cordilleras. The chart shows how Canada’s land area is distributed across elevation bands.

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