Natural Resources Canada

This map shows the first phase of exploration of what is now Canada, which was largely confined to the east coast of the island of Newfoundland and to southeastern Labrador. Shown here are the routes of three explorers: Cabot (1497), Corte-Real (1500 to 1501) and Fernandes (1500). The map also...

In the early seventeenth century, there were two voyages that explored the Labrador coastline and southern Baffin Island. These voyages were by Waymouth (1602) and Knight (1606). The map also shows the extent of territory known to Europeans in the period 1497 to 1650; and the navigation of all...

In the period from 1610 to 1632, English navigators explored Hudson Strait and Hudson Bay. This map shows the routes of seven explorers: Hudson (1610 to 1611), Button (1612 to 1613), Bylot (1615 to 1616), Baffin (1615 to 1616), Munk (1619 to 1620), Fox (1631), and James (1631 to 1632). The map...

Champlain's resource surveys of the Atlantic Coast and Saint Lawrence River between 1603 and1607 were the first exploration in this area since Cartier and Bellenger. This map shows five of Champlain's exploration routes. The map also shows the extent of territory known to Europeans in the period...

The map shows the annual mean total precipitation. Over much of the continental interior of Canada, precipitation reaches its annual maximum in the summer months and falls as rain. October marks the transition from mainly rain to snowfall across northern Canada.

The map shows the mean total precipitation in the month of July. Throughout much of the continental interior of Canada, precipitation reaches its annual maximum in the summer months and falls as rain. On the Prairies, the maximum monthly precipitation is usually in June or July, but this shifts...

The map shows the mean total precipitation in the month of January. January precipitation across Canada is mainly in the form of snow. Throughout much of the interior and the north, precipitation amounts are generally less than 20 mm and, in the high Arctic, as little as a few millimetres. The...

The map shows the mean total precipitation in the month of April. April is a transitional month across much of southern Canada, when snow is still possible but rainfall begins to dominate the precipitation regime. Precipitation amounts across the southern interior of Canada are somewhat greater...

The map shows the mean total precipitation in the month of October. October marks the transition from mainly rain to snowfall across northern Canada. Snowfall also occurs across much of the interior of southern Canada but in relatively small amounts that usually melt. October also marks the...

This map shows the average maximum snow depth in centimetres computed over 18 winter seasons (1979 to 1997). Over southern Canada this usually occurs in January or February, while the time of maximum accumulation occurs much later in mountain areas and in the Arctic. The main features of the map...

This map shows the median date of snow-cover loss (defined as the last date with 14 consecutive days of snow cover greater than 2 centimetres in depth) computed over 18 winter seasons (1979 to 1997). In areas with permanent or semipermanent snow cover (for example, Arctic ice caps) or in areas...

This map shows the median date of snow-cover onset (defined as the first date with 14 consecutive days of snow cover greater than 2 centimetres in depth) computed over 18 winter seasons (1979 to 1997). In areas with permanent or semipermanent snow cover (for example, Arctic ice caps) or in areas...

The map shows the mean daily minimum temperatures for April. Minimum temperatures in April are below freezing for most of Canada. Minimum temperatures in April are below freezing for most of Canada. Only extreme southern Ontario, extreme southern Nova Scotia and coastal British Columbia have...

The map shows the mean daily maximum temperatures for April. Below-freezing maximum temperatures in April are restricted to northern Canada and the extreme northern portions of Ontario and Quebec adjacent to Hudson Bay. Lengthening days and strengthening sunshine bring about a moderation in...

The map shows the mean daily minimum temperatures for January. January marks the depths of winter across Canada and, with the exception of the coastal parts of southern Vancouver Island, below freezing minimum temperatures are the norm. The deep freeze is particularly evident near Baker Lake in...

The map shows the mean daily maximum temperatures for January. Weak or no sunshine means there is minimal diurnal variation between the maximum and minimum temperatures in January. The far north remains in an icy grip, with maximum temperatures around -30ºC or colder across parts of Nunavut....

The map shows the mean daily maximum temperatures for July. Maximum temperatures in July are above freezing across all of Canada except for high elevations on Ellesmere Island. Maximum temperatures exceed 25ºC in the valley bottoms of southern British Columbia, across the southern Prairies, in...

The map shows the mean daily maximum temperatures for July. Maximum temperatures in July are above freezing across all of Canada except for high elevations on Ellesmere Island. Maximum temperatures exceed 25ºC in the valley bottoms of southern British Columbia, across the southern Prairies, in...

The map shows the mean daily minimum temperatures for October. In October, longer nights and a return to below-freezing minimum temperatures is evident across most of Canada except for coastal British Columbia, southern Ontario and Quebec and most of the Atlantic Provinces. Normal minimum...

The map shows the mean daily maximum temperatures for October. Much of southern Canada experiences maximum temperatures in October above 10°C, whereas maximum temperatures across most of the northern territories are below zero. Only the southern portions of the Yukon and the Northwest Territories...