Keywords Land Features

The divide running across the interior of Canada is low and less obvious. This line starts from a point somewhere in the COLUMBIA ICEFIELD of the Rockies from which the 3 axes of the Continental Divide diverge. It follows a line through southern Alberta and SASKATCHEWAN, north of which drainage flows to the Arctic through the PEACE, ATHABASCA and MACKENZIE rivers, or to HUDSON BAY by the North and South SASKATCHEWAN and NELSON rivers. Rivers south of this line are part of the Missouri-Mississippi system.

The divide swings into the US south of the RED RIVER which flows north into MANITOBA. The divide continues into Canada, separating drainage going north and that entering the GREAT LAKES - ST LAWRENCE RIVER basin.

Along the much-eroded SHIELD in QUÉBEC and Labrador, the divide is indistinct, permitting the diversion and transfer of water from rivers south of the divide to south-flowing rivers, as developed in the JAMES BAY PROJECT. Although the divide is used as the Québec-Labrador border, the low relief along which the line is presumed to lie makes it hard to demarcate on the ground.

See also LABRADOR BOUNDARY DISPUTE.

Columbia Icefield
The Columbia Icefields, Jasper National Park, from the air (Corel Professional Photos).

Author DOUG FINLAYSON

Links to Other Sites
Mountains
A list of principal mountain peaks, hills, and other heights in Canada. From the Atlas of Canada.