Canada's North covers over half of the country's land and more than three quarters the country's marine environment. It is also home to about 100,000 people and a lot of different species of plants and animals.

The North can be defined in many different ways using geography, culture, provincial and territorial boundaries, or something called Ecozones. An Ecozone is an area of land and/or sea that is based on climate, geography and ecological diversity.

The term Arctic comes from the Greek word Arktikos, meaning the country of the Great Bear.

Northern regions have unique environments, and unique environmental challenges. The land, animals, and people often suffer from environmental problems that are created in southern areas of Canada, and in other parts of the world. Explore the pages in this section to learn about the natural environment, people and special environmental challenges of Canada's North.