The Arctic Lands is a

physiographic region Physiographic regions are a means of defining Earth's landforms into independently distinct, mutually exclusive areas, independent of political boundaries. It is based upon the classic three-tiered approach by Nevin M. Fenneman in 1916, that separ ...

located in northern Canada. It is one of Canada's seven physiographic regions, which is divided into three divisions—the Innuitian Region, Arctic Coastal Plain, and Arctic Lowlands.

Physiographic region

Each of the three divisions is distinguished by topography and geology. The other physiographic regions are the

Canadian Shield The Canadian Shield ( ), also called the Laurentian Shield or the Laurentian Plateau, is a geologic shield, a large area of exposed Precambrian igneous and high-grade metamorphic rocks. It forms the North American Craton (or Laurentia), th ...

, the

Hudson Bay Lowlands The Hudson Bay Lowlands is a vast wetland located between the Canadian Shield and southern shores of Hudson Bay and James Bay. Most of the area lies within the province of Ontario, with smaller portions reaching into Manitoba and Quebec. Many wide ...

, the

Interior Plains The Interior Plains is a vast physiographic region that spreads across the Laurentian craton of central North America, extending along the east flank of the Rocky Mountains from the Gulf Coast region to the Arctic Beaufort Sea. In Canada, it ...

, the

Cordillera A cordillera is a chain or network of mountain ranges, such as those in the west coast of the Americas. The term is borrowed from Spanish, where the word comes from , a diminutive of ('rope'). The term is most commonly used in physical geogra ...

, the

Great Lakes–St. Lawrence Lowlands The Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Lowlands, or simply St. Lawrence Lowlands, is a physiographic region of Eastern Canada that comprises a section of southern Ontario bounded on the north by the Canadian Shield and by three of the Great Lakes — Lake Hu ...

, and the

Appalachian Uplands The Appalachian Uplands is one of the seven physiographic regions in Canada, distinguished by its topography and geology. The region includes southern Quebec, Gaspésie, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and the island of Newfou ...

Innuitian region

There are two mountain zones in the Innuitian Region. In between lies a vast terrain with plateaus, uplands and lowlands.

Arctic Coastal Plain

The Arctic Coastal Plain includes its three divisions, Island Coastal Plain, Mackenzie Delta, and the Yukon Coastal Plain, each distinguished by physiographic characteristics.

Arctic Lowlands

The Lancaster Plateau, Foxe Plain, Boothia Plain, Victoria Lowland, and Shaler Mountains comprise the Arctic Lowlands. This includes parts of

Ellesmere Island Ellesmere Island (; ) is Canada's northernmost and List of Canadian islands by area, third largest island, and the List of islands by area, tenth largest in the world. It comprises an area of , slightly smaller than Great Britain, and the total ...

Devon Island Devon Island (, ) is an island in Canada and the largest desert island, uninhabited island (no permanent residents) in the world. It is located in Baffin Bay, Qikiqtaaluk Region, Nunavut, Canada. It is one of the largest members of the Arctic Ar ...

, Somerset Island and the

Brodeur Peninsula The Brodeur Peninsula is an uninhabited headland on Baffin Island in the Qikiqtaaluk Region of Nunavut, Canada. It is located in the northwestern part of the island and is bounded by Prince Regent Inlet to the west, Lancaster Sound to the north, ...

References

Landforms of Yukon Physiographic regions of Canada Geography of the Arctic Landforms of the Northwest Territories Landforms of Nunavut {{Nunavut-geo-stub