Pacific Cordillera (Canada) facts for kids
The Pacific Cordillera, also known as the Western Cordillera, is a huge system of mountain ranges in Western and Northwestern Canada. It's a major natural region of Canada, forming the northern part of the larger North American Cordillera. During the Pleistocene Ice Age, a giant ice sheet called the Cordilleran Ice Sheet covered these mountains. The area it covered helps us understand just how vast this region is.
This mountain system stretches from Alaska's Brooks Range and Alaska Range. It then goes southeast through most of the Yukon and British Columbia. It also touches the southwestern parts of the Northwest Territories and Alberta. To the east, it's bordered by the Mackenzie-Peel/Liard River river systems and the Canadian Prairies. The Cordillera even reaches beyond the Canada–United States border, with parts extending into the mountain valleys of Montana and Washington.
How the Mountains Formed
The mountains of the Pacific Cordillera were created by the movement of Earth's giant plates. This process is called plate tectonics. The Pacific Plate and the North American Plate slowly crashed into each other. This collision caused the Earth's crust to buckle and fold, forming the towering mountain ranges we see today.
This mountain region is the youngest of Canada's three main geographic areas. The other two are the Canadian Shield and the Interior Plains. In Canada, the flat areas between the mountains, called plateaus, are quite narrow. Because of this, they are often considered part of the mountain ranges themselves.
Famous Mountain Ranges
The Pacific Cordillera is home to many well-known mountain ranges. These include the famous Canadian Rockies, which are popular for their stunning views. Other important ranges are the Coast Mountains and the Skagit Range, which is part of the North Cascades.
These beautiful places are major tourist attractions. For example, the Sunshine Coast and the Sea-to-Sky Corridor in British Columbia draw many visitors. Tourism and outdoor activities in these areas are a big part of the economy for the Canadian province of British Columbia.
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