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Create AccountThe Moose River is 547 km long from the head of its tributary, the Mattagami River. It is formed by the confluence of the Mattagami and the Missinaibi rivers, and flows northeast 104 km to discharge into the bottom of James Bay in northern Ontario.
The Coppermine River, 845 km long, rises in the Barren Lands of the Northwest Territories in Lac de Gras and flows northwest through Point Lake to Coronation Gulf on the Arctic Ocean. The majority of its course lies in Nunavut.
Southampton Island, 41 214 km2, is situated between FOXE BASIN and HUDSON BAY. It combines the 2 basic regional relief types. Its north and northeast consist of undulating highlands of Precambrian SHIELD rocks, reaching
Husky Lakes, 880 km2, lie along the southern edge of the Tuktoyaktuk Peninsula, NWT, and drain into Liverpool Bay on the Beaufort Sea. Though commonly known as Husky Lakes, the name “Eskimo Lakes” still appears in certain maps and literature. (See also Eskimo.)
The Great Lakes are the largest group in a chain of large lakes (including Winnipeg, Athabasca, Great Slave and Great Bear) that lies along the southern boundary of the Canadian Shield. From west to east the Great Lakes comprise lakes Superior, Michigan (entirely in the US), Huron, St. Clair, Erie and Ontario. They have a total area of approximately 244,100 km 2 and drop from 183 m above sea level at Lake Superior to 74 m at Lake Ontario — the most dramatic drop occurring at Niagara Falls. Lake St Clair, while not properly a “great lake,” is considered part of this Laurentian chain.
Lake Winnipeg, 23,750 km2, elevation 217 m, estimated maximum depth 36 m, sixth-largest freshwater lake in Canada, is located in central Manitoba. Extending 416 km north-south, it drains approximately 984,200 km2 of land by way of the Saskatchewan, Red-Assiniboine and Winnipeg river systems. (See also Largest Lakes in Canada.)
The Fraser River is the longest river in British Columbia, stretching 1,375 km. It begins on the western side of the Rocky Mountains at Mount Robson Provincial Park, and ends in the Strait of Georgia at Vancouver. Named for explorer Simon Fraser, the river was a transportation route and source of food for the Indigenous people of the region long before Fraser travelled its waters. In 1858, gold was discovered on sandbars south of Yale, setting off the Fraser River Gold rush.
Chesterfield Inlet is a narrow, fiordlike arm of the northwest coast of Hudson Bay that stretches 160 km inland to the Thelon River.
The Hayes River, 483 km long, rises in Molson Lake (399 km2) northeast of Lake Winnipeg, flows northeast to Oxford Lake (401 km2) and Knee Lake, through the rock and bush of the Canadian Shield, across the clay flats of the Hudson Bay Lowlands and into the bay at YORK FACTORY.
Cascade Mountains, BC, are the north end of largely volcanic mountain ranges extending to California, 180-260 km east of the Pacific Ocean. There are no active volcanoes in BC like the US Cascades' Mount St Helens and others.
The names of many rivers and lakes in Canada have Indigenous origins. These bodies of water are named for Indigenous people, places, and aspects of Indigenous culture. Some of these lakes and rivers still bear the original name given to them by Indigenous people. Others have been renamed using an Indigenous word as a means of recognizing Indigenous history and working toward reconciliation. This list article explores the Indigenous names of five rivers and five lakes in Canada. (See also Longest Rivers in Canada and Largest Lakes in Canada.)
Mount Assiniboine, elevation 3618 m, the highest mountain between the Trans-Canada Highway and the US border in the Rocky Mts, is often called "The Matterhorn of the Canadian Rockies."
Bras d'Or Lake, 1099 km2, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean occupying the centre of Cape Breton Island that nearly divides the island in two. On the north it is linked to the ocean by a narrow channel down the west side of Boularderie Island.
Restigouche River (Ristigouche in Québec), 200 km long, rises in the highlands of northwestern New Brunswick as the Little Main Restigouche River.
Columbia Mountains are a block of mountains 608 km long and 256 km wide that dominate the landscape of southeastern BC.
Bathurst Island, 16 042 km2 and over 18 000 km2 including its offshore islands, is located in the Arctic Archipelago. The present position of the North magnetic pole is near its northern end.
Lac Guillaume-Delisle, 712 km2, is a large, triangular, saltwater lake in northern Québec, connected to the eastern shore of Hudson Bay by Le Goulet, a 5 km long narrow channel.
Hecate Strait is a body of water 48-140 km wide, underlain by a shallow basin (less than 45 m at the north end) separating Haida Gwaii from mainland British Columbia.
Preceded by Basque fishermen, Jacques Cartier arrived at Île Brion in 1534; he named it in honour of the great French admiral. He christened the islands "Les Araynes" (arènes is a French poetry word for sand) because of the endless beaches of sand. Later French fishermen called them Îles Ramées.
