Land cover map of Canada, 2005

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Hugo Larocque and Nancy Hofmann

Map 1 Land cover map of Canada, 2005. Opens a new browser window.

Map 1
Land cover map of Canada, 2005

Land cover represents the surface properties of the land and describes an integral component of the environment in a particular area. It is an important factor in many environmental processes and conditions such as soil erosion, water quality, wildlife habitat and carbon sequestration. 

Of Canada's vast 10 million square kilometres of land (see map), 37% is covered by some type of forest, including evergreen, deciduous and mixed forests. Approximately 31% of our land mass is comprised of snow, ice, barren land or low vegetation areas (such as lichen). Another 17% of the country is covered by shrubland, cropland, cropland/woodland and grassland. Water occupies about 12% of the nation's land mass. The remaining area is covered by disturbed (e.g. predominately burned areas) and urban built-up land. Although urban built-up areas are home to about eighty percent of Canadians, a very small proportion of Canada's total land area (1%) is devoted to it.

The data were derived from the Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) sensor that is carried by the United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) series of satellites.