Natural Resources Canada

This map shows the population distribution in 1996 relative to the distribution of the forests. Even if forests are very important for Canadians from a cultural, spiritual and economical point of view, few people live in the forested areas. About 80% of the population live mainly in the urban...

This map depicts the 77 electrical generating plants operated by forest-based industries. These industries are defined using the North American Industrial Classification. These plants are scattered throughout Canada, and are about equally divided between being hydro or thermal plants.

The 5-year mobility measures the percentage of the population aged five years or older who moved (changed address) in the five years preceding Census Day, 1996. The values are generally low. Three-quarters of the places have a figure below the Canadian average and the median for the entire set of...

This map indicates the degree of reliance of each of the 298 communities on forest-related industries. The index range spans the complete range from 50% up to 100% with most communities having values in the lower half of this range. Even though there are two widely-separated zones of these...

The income index compares the average employment income value of each community to that for Canada. The value for Canada as a whole is set at 1.00. The range of the index is from 0.12 to 1.65, with the median value for these communities being 0.73. Income index values are generally higher in...

The education index is a measure of the proportion of the population 15 years of age and over who have post-secondary qualifications compared to the Canadian proportion meeting the same criteria. The index values are generally lower than the Canadian average. The median value is 0.78, and 88% of...

Forty-five percent of the Canadian territory is forested corresponding to 417.6 million hectares. There are 234.5 million hectares of commercial forests and 0.4% is harvested each year. The forested areas managed for timber production are mostly located in the Boreal Shield, Atlantic Maritime,...

Sawmilling is an important Canadian industry. Its plant locations are widely scattered across Canada, predominantly in the coniferous forest region. This map shows sawmills whose production exceeds 10 000 cubic metres of lumber per year. The map symbols indicate the size of the mill and the type...

In Canada, there are 20 ecozones, consisting of 15 terrestrial and 5 marine units. The vegetation varies from one ecozone to another. Forests cover totally or partially nine ecozones: Pacific Maritime, Montane Cordillera, Boreal Cordillera, Taiga Plains, Boreal Plains, Prairie, Boreal Shield,...

This map shows the distribution of land cover types across Canada, based on satellite data obtained in 1995. The land cover map contains 31 classes: 12 forest; 3 shrubland; 7 tundra/grasslands; 7 developed land types including cropland, mosaic and built-up areas; and 2 water cover types.

Nine zones indicate the areas where various trees, shrubs and flowers are most likely to survive. These zones are calculated based on average climatic conditions and altitude of each area. The harshest zone is 0 and the mildest is 8. Each major zone is divided into subzones a and b (for example...

Ecozones are broad ecological zones on the earth's surface and cover a large range of ecosystems such as temperate forest, mountain ranges, grassland, taiga, arctic tundra, extensive river systems, coastline and farmlands. Each ecozone has its own climate, relief, soil, fauna and flora and...

This map shows the number of tree species by ecoregion.There are about 180 species of trees in Canada. More tree species are found in Southern Ontario and along the St. Lawrence River. The highest number of tree species is found in the Lake Erie Lowlands ecoregion.

Wetlands are areas characterized by relatively shallow water. These areas play an extremely important role in Canada's ecology. Canada has one of the largest areas in the world with wetlands covering more than 1.2 million square kilometres. They occur across most of the country, and their...

The geologic time scale divides the 4.6 billion years of earths history into hierarchy of time periods. Every layer of rock corresponds to a specific time in the history of the formation of the Earth. The Precambrian era began with the formation of the Earth; it was followed by the Paleozoic,...

The geologic time scale divides the 4.6 billion years of earths history into hierarchy of time periods. Every layer of rock corresponds to a specific time in the history of the formation of the Earth. The Precambrian era began with the formation of the Earth; it was followed by the Paleozoic,...

Rocks are divided into three main categories according to how they were formed: igneous, sedimentary or metamorphic processes. Rocks differ in their texture, mineral and chemical composition, and bedding characteristics depending on which of these three processes that formed them. Igneous rocks,...

Surficial hydrogeological materials show the distribution of sediment deposited in glacially influenced environments. Most drinkable groundwater resources in Canada occur in shallow surficial-sediment aquifers. Surface sediments, such as gravel, sand, silt and clay, or mixed sediments, are an...

Moisture regions illustrate moist (water surplus) and dry (water deficient) climate areas. The regions are a general guide to moisture surplus or deficit to be factored with seasonal timing of moisture availability for the hydrological system, including fluxes to runoff and groundwater infiltration.

This map shows a simplified distribution of land cover types across Canada interpreted from satellite data obtained in 1995. Land cover has an important role in the water cycle as it significantly affects evapotranspiration and the amount of water leaving a watershed. Evapotranspiration is the...