Canada

Canada covers 40% of the North American continent and occupies almost 1 million sq. kms. It is the second largest country in the world. The interior lowlands, around Hudson's Bay, make up 80% of Canada's total surface area. In the west, the Canadian Cordillera (the "Rockies"), dominate.

The climate is characterised by long, severe winters and from polar and sub-polar conditions in the north to cool temperates in the south with variations between the coastal regions and the interior. The highest winter temperatures occur on the Pacific coast. In the drier arctic latitudes, summer temperatures frequently fail to rise above freezing point and winter temperatures can fall to minus 36°C. The warmest months are July and August.