The Pacific Cordillera is a top-level physiographic region of Canada. These mountains were formed by the collision of tectonic plates and stray islands from the far East coast, causing the crust to buckle forming the mountains we know today. This is the youngest of the three primary geographic regions of Canada, the others being the Canadian Shield and Great Plains. This designation is peculiar to Canada because, in Canada, the Rocky Mountains drift west and crowd against the Pacific Coast Ranges, so that intramontane plateaus in Canada are narrow and they may be taken into consideration together with adjoining ranges.
Encyclopedia
top
