Laurentian Mountains topographic map

Ontario's topography is a diverse tapestry shaped by its vast expanse and geological history. The Canadian Shield dominates the northern and central regions, characterized by ancient Precambrian rock formations, rugged terrain, and numerous lakes and rivers. In contrast, the Hudson Bay Lowlands in the far…

Average elevation: 245 m

Ottawa, the capital city of Canada, is situated on the south bank of the Ottawa River at the confluence with the Rideau River. The city's topography is characterized by gently rolling terrain with elevations ranging from approximately 44 meters (144 feet) above sea level at the Ottawa River to its highest…

Average elevation: 105 m

Vancouver, British Columbia, is situated on the Burrard Peninsula, bordered by Burrard Inlet to the north and the Fraser River to the south. The city's topography is a blend of flat and hilly terrains, with elevations ranging from sea level to approximately 152 meters (500 feet) above sea level. The North…

Average elevation: 34 m

Despite its deep ravines, Toronto is not remarkably hilly, but its elevation does increase steadily away from the lake. Elevation differences range from 76.5 metres (251 ft) above sea level at the Lake Ontario shore to 209 m (686 ft) ASL near the York University grounds in the city's north end at the…

Average elevation: 113 m

British Columbia's topography is a testament to its diverse and dramatic landscapes. Dominated by the Cordillera region, the province features prominent mountain ranges such as the Coast Mountains in the west and the Rocky Mountains in the east. The Coast Mountains, composed of granite rocks from the…

Average elevation: 708 m

Nova Scotia's topography is a diverse blend of rugged highlands, rolling hills, and fertile lowlands. The province's landscape is shaped by several upland regions, including the Southern Upland, North Mountain, and Cobequid Mountain, which are interspersed with extensive lowlands. The Southern Upland rises…

Average elevation: 41 m

Calgary, Alberta, is uniquely positioned in the transition zone between the rolling Canadian Prairies to the east and the rugged foothills of the Canadian Rockies to the west, creating a landscape of undulating hills, plateau-like uplands, and deep river valleys. The Bow and Elbow Rivers carve prominent bluffs…

Average elevation: 1,106 m

Average elevation: 806 m

Quebec's topography is characterized by three main physiographic regions: the Canadian Shield, the St. Lawrence Lowlands, and the Appalachian Mountains. The Canadian Shield, covering about 90% of the province, features rugged terrain with rocky plateaus, rolling hills, and numerous rivers and lakes formed by…

Average elevation: 195 m

Average elevation: 293 m

Victoria, British Columbia, is situated on the southern tip of Vancouver Island, Canada, and boasts a diverse and varied topography. The city is characterized by rolling hills, rugged coastal cliffs, and lush valleys, providing a striking contrast between mountainous terrain and flatland areas. To the north…

Average elevation: 17 m

Average elevation: 152 m

The rain shadow effect of the island's mountains, as well as the mountains of Washington's Olympic Peninsula, creates wide variation in precipitation. The west coast is considerably wetter than the east coast. Average annual precipitation ranges from 6,650 mm (262 in) at Hucuktlis Lake on the west coast…

Average elevation: 411 m

Average elevation: 110 m

Edmonton is on the North Saskatchewan River, at an elevation of 671 m (2,201 ft). It is North America's northernmost city with a metropolitan population over one million. It is at the same latitude as Hamburg (Germany); Dublin (Ireland); Manchester (United Kingdom); and Magnitogorsk (Russia). It is south of…

Average elevation: 690 m

Average elevation: 511 m

Average elevation: 29 m

Average elevation: 305 m

Average elevation: 235 m

Quebec City was built on the north bank of the Saint Lawrence River, where it narrows and meets the mouth of the Saint-Charles River. Old Quebec is located on top and at the foot of Cap-Diamant, which is on the eastern edge of a plateau called the promontory of Quebec (Quebec hill). Because of this topographic…

Average elevation: 117 m

The coastline is heavily indented, accounting for its length of approximately 400 km (250 mi), with the northern boundary of the municipality usually being between 50–60 km (31–37 mi) inland. The coast is mostly rock with small isolated sand beaches in sheltered bays. The largest coastal features include…

Average elevation: 46 m

Average elevation: 28 m

In 1496, John Cabot obtained a charter from English King Henry VII to "sail to all parts, countries and seas of the East, the West and of the North, under our banner and ensign and to set up our banner on any new-found-land" and on June 24, 1497, landed in Cape Bonavista. Historians disagree on whether Cabot…

Average elevation: 192 m

Winnipeg lies at the bottom of the Red River Valley, a flood plain with an extremely flat topography. It is on the eastern edge of the Canadian Prairies in Western Canada and is known as the "Gateway to the West". Winnipeg is bordered by tallgrass prairie to the west and south and the aspen parkland to the…

Average elevation: 236 m

Gatineau is located in southwestern Quebec, on the northern bank of the Gatineau River. It is situated at an elevation of around 50 m (164.042 ft) The Gatineau Hills are the foothills of the Laurentian Mountains and located in the region. It is also the location of the second largest urban park in the world.…

Average elevation: 127 m

Average elevation: 833 m

Banff is a town within Banff National Park in Alberta, Canada. It is located in Alberta's Rockies along the Trans-Canada Highway, approximately 126 km (78 mi) west of Calgary and 58 km (36 mi) east of Lake Louise. At 1,400 to 1,630 m (4,590 to 5,350 ft) above sea level, Banff is the community with the second…

Average elevation: 1,615 m

Average elevation: 258 m

Peterborough's topography is largely defined by land formations created by the receding Wisconsian glaciers 10,000–15,000 years ago. The South End and Downtown portions of the City sit on what was the bottom of the glacial Lake Peterborough—part of a glacial spillway created when glacial meltwaters from…

Average elevation: 235 m

London has a humid continental climate (Köppen Dfb), though due to its downwind location relative to Lake Huron and elevation changes across the city, it is virtually on the Dfa/Dfb (hot summer) boundary favouring the former climate zone to the southwest of the confluence of the South and North Thames Rivers,…

Average elevation: 268 m

Average elevation: 8 m

Staying on the trail is important for the preservation of the park environment, and for the safety of hikers. Lower Joffre Lake is a short distance away from the parking lot with no elevation gain. The trail to Middle and Upper Joffre lakes however is more challenging due to the greater elevation gain. Hiking…

Average elevation: 1,911 m

Average elevation: 181 m

Average elevation: 343 m

Average elevation: 294 m

Like much of Metro Vancouver, Coquitlam has an oceanic climate (Köppen climate type Cfb), experiencing mild temperatures and high precipitation; warm, dry summers and cool, wet winters. However, compared to most other cities in the area, precipitation is especially heavy in Coquitlam due to its proximity to…

Average elevation: 190 m

Average elevation: 16 m

The island is characterized by a number of elevations of ancient crystalline and metamorphic rock rising up from the south to the north, and contrasted with eroded lowlands. The bedrock of blocks that developed in different places around the globe, at different times, and then were fused together via tectonics.

Average elevation: 66 m

Average elevation: 194 m

Quebec City was built on the north bank of the Saint Lawrence River, where it narrows and meets the mouth of the Saint-Charles River. Old Quebec is located on top and at the foot of Cap-Diamant, which is on the eastern edge of a plateau called the promontory of Quebec (Quebec hill). Because of this topographic…

Average elevation: 117 m

Kitchener is located in Southwestern Ontario, in the Saint Lawrence Lowlands. This geological and climatic region has wet-climate soils and deciduous forests. Situated in the Grand River Valley, the area is generally above 300 m (1,000 ft) in elevation.

Average elevation: 336 m

The climate in North Bay is common to most places in Northern Ontario. North Bay tends to be a less humid climate than that found in Southern Ontario due somewhat to the distance from the Great Lakes and less warm than some other locations in Northern Ontario due to cooling from Lake Nipissing. On May 31,…

Average elevation: 266 m

This region of Ontario has cold winters and warm, humid summers, falling into the Köppen climate classification Dfb zone, with moderately high rainfall and snowfall. It is generally a couple of degrees cooler than lower elevation regions on the Great Lakes shorelines, especially so in winter, the exception…

Average elevation: 344 m

Average elevation: 248 m

Kelowna is classified as a humid continental climate or an inland oceanic climate per the Köppen climate classification system due to its coldest month having an average temperature slightly above −3.0 °C (26.6 °F) and below 0 °C (32 °F), with dry, hot, sunny summers and cool, cloudy winters, and four…

Average elevation: 704 m

Average elevation: 65 m

Average elevation: 148 m

Despite its deep ravines, Toronto is not remarkably hilly, but its elevation does increase steadily away from the lake. Elevation differences range from 76.5 metres (251 ft) above sea level at the Lake Ontario shore to 209 m (686 ft) above sea level near the York University grounds in the city's north end at…

Average elevation: 139 m

Average elevation: 94 m

Penticton is located at the geographical coordinates of 49°29′28″N 119°35′19″W / 49.49111°N 119.58861°W / 49.49111; -119.58861 (Penticton) and covers an area of 42.10 km2 (16.25 sq mi), with a maximum north–south distance of 7 km (4.3 mi) wide between the Okanagan Lake to the north…

Average elevation: 702 m

Average elevation: 320 m

Average elevation: 167 m

Average elevation: 296 m

Average elevation: 386 m

The shoreline of former Glacial Lake Iroquois roughly follows the Dundas Street alignment, although it is not noticeable in some places but is more prominent in others, such as the site of the former brickyard (Shoreline Dr. near Mavis Rd.), the ancient shoreline promenteau affords a clear view of downtown…

Average elevation: 151 m

Average elevation: 71 m

Average elevation: 99 m

Average elevation: 240 m

Average elevation: 42 m

The coastline is heavily indented, accounting for its length of approximately 400 km (250 mi), with the northern boundary of the municipality usually being between 50–60 km (31–37 mi) inland. The coast is mostly rock with small isolated sand beaches in sheltered bays. The largest coastal features include…

Average elevation: 39 m

Average elevation: 193 m

Average elevation: 1,098 m

Lake Louise is a hamlet within Banff National Park in Alberta, Canada. Named after Princess Louise, Duchess of Argyll, it lies in Alberta's Rockies on the Bow River, 3 km (1.9 mi) northeast of the lake that shares its name. Initially settled in 1884 as an outpost for the Canadian Pacific Railway, Lake Louise…

Average elevation: 1,617 m

Saskatoon lies on a long belt of rich, potassic chernozem in middle-southern Saskatchewan and is found in the aspen parkland biome. The lack of surrounding mountainous topography gives the city a relatively flat grid, though the city does sprawl over a few hills and into a few valleys. The lowest point in the…

Average elevation: 504 m

Average elevation: 291 m

Average elevation: 289 m

Average elevation: 1,106 m

Similar to the Columbia River Gorge east of Portland, Oregon, the Fraser exploits a topographic cleft between two mountain ranges separating a more continental climate (in this case, that of the British Columbia Interior) from a milder climate near the coast. When an Arctic high-pressure area moves into the…

Average elevation: 865 m

Average elevation: 17 m

Burnaby occupies 98.6 square kilometres (38.1 sq mi) and is located at the geographic centre of the Metro Vancouver Regional District. The regional district's government is located in Burnaby's Metrotown area. Situated between the city of Vancouver on the west and Port Moody, Coquitlam, and New Westminster on…

Average elevation: 59 m

Average elevation: 37 m

Average elevation: 341 m

Average elevation: 681 m

Average elevation: 298 m

Average elevation: 128 m

Unlike other planned cities in the Canadian West, on its treeless flat plain Regina has few topographical features other than the small spring run-off, Wascana Creek. Early planners took advantage of such opportunity by damming the creek to create a decorative lake to the south of the central business district…

Average elevation: 582 m

Average elevation: 44 m

Average elevation: 104 m

The area has a humid continental climate (Köppen climate classification Dfb, Trewartha Dclo), but is close to (and once had) a subarctic climate (Dfc) as May and September averages are both close to the 10 °C (50 °F) threshold. Winters are milder than the latitude and elevation might suggest: the January…

Average elevation: 685 m

Average elevation: 387 m

Average elevation: 47 m

Average elevation: 106 m

Burnaby occupies 98.60 square kilometres (38.07 sq mi) and is located at the geographic centre of the Metro Vancouver area and home to the Metro Vancouver regional government in Metrotown. Situated between the city of Vancouver on the west and Port Moody, Coquitlam, and New Westminster on the east, Burnaby is…

Average elevation: 144 m

Average elevation: 226 m

Average elevation: 708 m

The rain shadow effect of the island's mountains, as well as the mountains of Washington's Olympic Peninsula, creates wide variation in precipitation. The west coast is considerably wetter than the east coast. Average annual precipitation ranges from 6,650 mm (262 in) at Hucuktlis Lake on the west coast…

Average elevation: 411 m

Average elevation: 104 m

The western part of the district, the Stave Valley, is largely rural and forested but its watercourse is home to what was the largest hydroelectric project in British Columbia until the Bridge River Power Project opened in 1961. It was built by the British Columbia Electric Railway (BCER) to provide power to…

Average elevation: 345 m

Average elevation: 107 m

At an altitude of about 17 m (56 ft) above sea level, Fredericton is nestled in the Pennsylvanian Basin. It differs markedly from the geologically older parts of the province. There are prominently two distinct areas in the region that are divided around the area of Wilsey Road, in the east end of the city. In…

Average elevation: 72 m

Average elevation: 59 m

Average elevation: 5 m

Cochrane is situated at the base of Big Hill in the Bow River Valley. It sits at an elevation of 1,186 m (3,891 ft). The town is intersected by Highway 1A and Highway 22. Cochrane has a reputation for its western culture, which can easily be felt when one wanders the streets (particularly Main Street). The…

Average elevation: 1,200 m

Average elevation: 820 m

Average elevation: 112 m

Average elevation: 99 m

Average elevation: 336 m

Average elevation: 318 m

Average elevation: 8 m

British Columbia's topography is a testament to its diverse and dramatic landscapes. Dominated by the Cordillera region, the province features prominent mountain ranges such as the Coast Mountains in the west and the Rocky Mountains in the east. The Coast Mountains, composed of granite rocks from the…

Average elevation: 708 m