Canadian Shield Map
The Canadian Shield is a geographic and geologic area of Canada. This map shows its extent on shaded relief, with the surrounding relief, rivers, borders and cities.
How to read this map
It extends across Canada and the United States. Its typical elevation is about 2,616 m (8,583 ft).
The dashed outline marks the Canadian Shield as mapped by Natural Earth. Towns and cities on the map include Ottawa, Saint-Jérôme, Cornwall, Brockville and Mont-Laurier.
Greens show lower elevations; tan and brown show higher land, with pale tones toward the highest terrain. Shadows emphasize the slopes, and vertical relief is exaggerated so landforms are easier to read. Dashed lines show country borders, and fine dashed lines show state or province borders.
The relief uses Terrain Tiles (SRTM, GMTED2010 and ETOPO1 elevation data). Rivers, lakes, borders and the outline of the Canadian Shield come from Natural Earth, and the figures on this page from Wikidata. Natural Earth draws features at a small scale, so the outline is a guide to where the Canadian Shield is, not a surveyed boundary.
Blank physical map
The blank version keeps the mapped features and removes the place labels. Download it for a geography worksheet or practice identifying the features.
Canadian Shield facts
| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Highest point | Barbeau Peak, 2,616 m (8,583 ft) |
| Countries | Canada and the United States |
Data sources and license
- Natural Earth (public-domain geography): Public domain.
- Terrain Tiles / Mapzen (SRTM, GMTED2010, ETOPO1): Open elevation data; source attribution retained.
- Wikidata (lengths, areas, countries and other facts): CC0 1.0.
Map design and rendered images: Atlas of Maps, CC BY 4.0. Source databases retain their own licenses; the map license does not replace them.
Maps of the countries: Canada, United States. Compare with the world mountain ranges map.
Frequently asked questions
Where is the Canadian Shield?
The Canadian Shield is in Canada and the United States.
Can I download a blank map of the Canadian Shield?
Yes. The blank version keeps the relief, rivers and borders and the highlighted landform but removes the place names. Both versions are free to download as PNG and as an A4 PDF.
Use this map
You can download, print and share this map for free, in class, in school projects, in presentations and on websites, as long as you credit the source: Canadian Shield Map · Atlas of Maps (atlasofmaps.com), license CC BY 4.0.
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