Table of Contents
What makes up the Arctic archipelago?
Lying north of mainland Canada, the Arctic Archipelago consists of 94 major islands (greater than 130 km2) and 36,469 minor islands covering a total of 1.4 million km2. Apart from Greenland, which is almost entirely ice covered, the Canadian Arctic Archipelago forms the world’s largest High Arctic land area.
What is the Canadian archipelago called?
The Arctic Archipelago
The Arctic Archipelago, also known as the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, is an archipelago lying to the north of the Canadian continental mainland, excluding Greenland (an autonomous territory of Denmark).
What are 4 unique characteristics of the Canadian Arctic region?
The icecaps or glaciers, fjords, barren tundra, pingos (huge mounds of solid ice ) treeline, northern lights (aurora borealis) and the polar ice pack (permanently frozen sea ice) are just a few of the unique features found in this landscape.
How many islands are in the Canadian Arctic archipelago?
94 major islands
The archipelago covers an area of around 1 500 000 sq km and consists of 94 major islands and more than 36 000 minor ones. The archipelago is bound by the Beaufort Sea to the west and by Hudson Bay and the Canadian mainland to the south – largely obscured by clouds in this image.
How was the Arctic archipelago formed?
Seafloor spreading commenced in the southern Labrador Sea 75–60 million years ago, during which time Greenland moved north relative to mainland North America. This northward movement gave rise to compressive forces between northern Greenland and the Arctic Archipelago, setting the stage for the Eurekan orogeny.
Who owns the Arctic archipelago?
All land, internal waters, territorial seas and EEZs in the Arctic are under the jurisdiction of one of the eight Arctic coastal states: Canada, Denmark (via Greenland), Finland, Iceland, Norway, Russia, Sweden and the United States (via Alaska). International law regulates this area as with other portions of Earth.
What physical features dominate the Canadian Arctic?
The Canadian Shield dominates the eastern and central portions of the Arctic mainland, and the eastern portions of the Arctic Archipelago. Rolling terrain contains a maze of lakes and rivers and a high proportion of exposed bedrock, while the mountainous terrain of Baffin Island features glaciers and ice fields.
How was the Canadian Arctic formed?
Baffin Basin is a north-northwest trending geologic structure underlying much of central Baffin Bay. It formed as a result of seafloor spreading during the Tertiary opening of Baffin Bay around 56 million years ago.
What is the geography of the Arctic?
The Arctic includes the peaks of the Brooks mountain range in western North America, the enormous Greenland ice sheet, the isolated islands of the Svalbard archipelago, the fjords of northern Scandinavia, and the grassland plateaus and rich river valleys of northern Siberia.
Why does Canada own the Arctic?
Exercising sovereignty over Canada’s North, as over the rest of Canada, is our number one Arctic foreign policy priority. Our vision for the Arctic is a stable, rules-based region with clearly defined boundaries, dynamic economic growth and trade, vibrant Northern communities, and healthy and productive ecosystems.
What type of land features are found in the Arctic?
What is the physical geography of Canada?
Canada features black-blue lakes, numerous rivers, majestic western mountains, rolling central plains, and forested eastern valleys. The Canadian Shield, a hilly region of lakes and swamps, stretches across northern Canada and has some of the oldest rocks on Earth.
What is the geography like in the Arctic?
Conditions typical of Arctic lands are extreme fluctuations between summer and winter temperatures; permanent snow and ice in the high country and grasses, sedges, and low shrubs in the lowlands; and permanently frozen ground (permafrost), the surface layer of which is subject to summer thawing.
What type of rock is found in the Arctic lowlands?
sedimentary
Only 1 type of rock is found there which is sedimentary. The minerals that are in the region are: lignite, oil, and natural gas.
What are 3 interesting facts about the Arctic?
Arctic facts for kids
- The Arctic is located at the northernmost part of Earth.
- The name ‘Arctic’ comes from a Greek word meaning ‘bear’.
- Winter temperatures can drop below −50 °C.
- Polar bears live in the Arctic, near the North Pole.
- In total, only about 4 million people live in the arctic.
What is Canada’s claim to the Arctic?
Our sovereignty over Canadian Arctic lands, including islands, is undisputed—with the single exception of Hans Island, a 1.3-square-kilometre Canadian island which Denmark claims. With regard to Arctic waters, Canada controls all maritime navigation in its waters.
What is the physical geography of the Arctic?
The Arctic is dominated by the Arctic ocean basin. The Arctic is mostly an ocean surrounded by land. The Antarctic is mostly land surrounded by water. Because the Arctic ocean absorbs so much more solar radiation than the Antarctic ice sheet, the Arctic is much, much, much warmer than the Antarctic.
What is the Canadian Arctic Archipelago?
The Canadian Arctic Archipelago, simply known as the Arctic Archipelago, is a group of islands on the north of mainland Canada. The archipelago is situated on the extreme north of North America and covers an area of approximately 550,000 square miles.
How many islands are in the Arctic Archipelago?
Lying north of mainland Canada, the Arctic Archipelago consists of 94 major islands (greater than 130 km 2) and 36,469 minor islands covering a total of 1.4 million km 2.
What are the physical features of the Arctic Archipelago?
The geological variety of the Arctic Archipelago produces spectacular sceneries, comprising of rugged mountains, plains, and steep-sided fjords. The eastern islands of the archipelago contain the northern extension of the Canadian Shield.
What is the largest high Arctic land area?
Apart from Greenland, which is almost entirely ice covered, the Canadian Arctic Archipelago forms the world’s largest High Arctic land area. Lying north of mainland Canada, the Arctic Archipelago consists of 94 major islands (greater than 130 km2) and 36,469 minor islands covering a total of 1.4 million km2.