Northwest Territories and Nunavut Geography and Landscape by Owen Borville February 24, 2026
The Northwest Territories (NWT) spans more than 1.3 million km², stretching from the 60th parallel to the Arctic Ocean, bordered by Yukon to the west and Nunavut to the east. It includes parts of the Arctic Archipelago, such as Victoria and Melville Islands. Its eastern half is dominated by the Canadian Shield Precambrian (pre-Flood) rocks.
Landscapes and Geological Features: The NWT is one of Canada’s most geologically diverse regions, with carved canyons, towering pingos (ice-cored hills unique to Arctic regions), vast lakes and island‑dotted shorelines, ancient bedrock of the Canadian Shield, thundering waterfalls and wild river systems.
Major landscape regions and notable features are the South Slave River waterfalls, wild rivers and access to Wood Buffalo National Park. The North Slave River features Yellowknife, ancient Shield bedrock, and countless lakes. The western Mountains feature the rugged Mackenzie Mountains, deep canyons, dramatic peaks. The Arctic Coast and islands feature tundra, pingos, Arctic Ocean coastline.
Mountains and canyons: The Mackenzie Mountains form one of the most dramatic landscapes in the territory, with rugged peaks and deep river‑cut canyons. Nahanni National Park Reserve contains some of the most iconic canyon systems in Canada.
The NWT is defined by water: The Thelon River, one of the great wilderness rivers of North America. The Mackenzie River, Canada’s longest river system. Massive lakes such as Great Slave Lake and Great Bear Lake, among the largest and deepest in the world.
National Parks and Protected Areas: The Northwest Territory hosts some of Canada’s most remote and spectacular national parks:
Nahanni National Park Reserve is famous for Virginia Falls (Náįlįcho), nearly twice the height of Niagara Falls, is home to deep canyons, karst landscapes, and wild rivers.
Wood Buffalo National Park is one of the largest national parks on Earth. Shared with Alberta; protects bison herds, salt plains, and boreal wilderness.
Other notable protected areas are Tuktut Nogait National Park (Arctic tundra, canyons, caribou habitat). Aulavik National Park (Banks Island, Thomsen River, Arctic landscapes).
NWT Geology: Precambrian (pre-Flood) rocks dominate the shield. Some of the oldest exposed rocks on the planet are found here. Glacial carving, tectonic uplift, and erosion have shaped its canyons and plateaus. The Smoking Hills, located along the Arctic coast of Cape Bathurst in NWT are a unique natural phenomenon where sulfur-rich, oil-shale cliffs have spontaneously combusted and burned for thousands of years.
Nunavut is one of the most dramatic, remote, and geologically ancient landscapes on Earth. If you’re exploring its geography, national parks, and the raw physical features that define it—mountains, canyons, rivers, lakes, and rock formations—you’re looking at a territory shaped by ice and tectonics.
Nunavut’s landscape and geography covers an enormous area: over 2 million km², making it Canada’s largest territory. Its geography is dominated by the Arctic Archipelago, the Canadian Shield, and vast tundra regions.
Key geographic regions are the Arctic Archipelago with over 36,000 islands, including Baffin Island, Ellesmere Island, and Victoria Island, some of the largest in the world. Mainland Nunavut features rolling tundra, low mountains, and countless lakes carved by glaciers. The Arctic Coastal Plain of Nunavut is flat, icy, and windswept, with permafrost shaping the terrain.
Mountains and rock formations: Nunavut’s mountains are part of the Canadian Shield rock formation. Notable features are Mount Thor (Baffin Island), famous for having the world’s greatest vertical drop, a sheer 1,250 m cliff. Mount Asgard is a twin-peaked cylindrical mountain that looks almost unreal. Paleoproterozoic and Archean bedrock: Much of Nunavut’s rock is shaped by glaciation.
National Parks: Nunavut’s parks protect some of the most untouched wilderness on the planet. Major Parks are: Auyuittuq National Park features glaciers, fjords, Mount Thor, Mount Asgard; iconic Arctic mountain landscapes. Sirmilik National Park features ice fields, glaciers, coastal cliffs, narwhal habitat. Quttinirpaaq National Park features Canada’s northernmost park, featuring polar desert, rugged mountains. Ukkusiksalik National Park features tidal flats, fjords, and wildlife-rich coastal landscapes. These parks showcase the full range of Nunavut’s geography—from towering granite peaks to vast ice caps.
Canyons, Valleys, and Fjords: Nunavut’s canyons and fjords were carved by glaciers over hundreds of thousands of years. Examples are Akshayuk Pass (Auyuittuq), a long glacial valley flanked by steep granite walls. Pangnirtung Fjord, a deep, dramatic fjord landscapes shaped by ice retreat. Ellesmere Island canyons feature stark, polar-desert canyons with minimal vegetation.
Rivers and Lakes: Despite its icy reputation, Nunavut is dotted with freshwater systems. Major rivers are the Back River, a long, remote river flowing through tundra and rocky shield terrain. The Kugluktuk (Coppermine) River, known for canyons and rapids. The Thelon River, one of the most pristine wilderness rivers in North America.
Major lakes in Nunavut are Angikuni Lake, a large tundra lake surrounded by rolling hills and rocky terrain. Pelly Lake is a scenic lake in the central tundra region.
Ice, tundra, and climate in Nunavut shapes its geography as much as its geology. Key characteristics are the arctic tundra biome dominates almost the entire territory. Permafrost influences soil, vegetation, and hydrology. Ice caps on Baffin and Ellesmere Islands feed glaciers and fjords. Polar desert conditions in the far north (Quttinirpaaq).
The Northwest Territories (NWT) spans more than 1.3 million km², stretching from the 60th parallel to the Arctic Ocean, bordered by Yukon to the west and Nunavut to the east. It includes parts of the Arctic Archipelago, such as Victoria and Melville Islands. Its eastern half is dominated by the Canadian Shield Precambrian (pre-Flood) rocks.
Landscapes and Geological Features: The NWT is one of Canada’s most geologically diverse regions, with carved canyons, towering pingos (ice-cored hills unique to Arctic regions), vast lakes and island‑dotted shorelines, ancient bedrock of the Canadian Shield, thundering waterfalls and wild river systems.
Major landscape regions and notable features are the South Slave River waterfalls, wild rivers and access to Wood Buffalo National Park. The North Slave River features Yellowknife, ancient Shield bedrock, and countless lakes. The western Mountains feature the rugged Mackenzie Mountains, deep canyons, dramatic peaks. The Arctic Coast and islands feature tundra, pingos, Arctic Ocean coastline.
Mountains and canyons: The Mackenzie Mountains form one of the most dramatic landscapes in the territory, with rugged peaks and deep river‑cut canyons. Nahanni National Park Reserve contains some of the most iconic canyon systems in Canada.
The NWT is defined by water: The Thelon River, one of the great wilderness rivers of North America. The Mackenzie River, Canada’s longest river system. Massive lakes such as Great Slave Lake and Great Bear Lake, among the largest and deepest in the world.
National Parks and Protected Areas: The Northwest Territory hosts some of Canada’s most remote and spectacular national parks:
Nahanni National Park Reserve is famous for Virginia Falls (Náįlįcho), nearly twice the height of Niagara Falls, is home to deep canyons, karst landscapes, and wild rivers.
Wood Buffalo National Park is one of the largest national parks on Earth. Shared with Alberta; protects bison herds, salt plains, and boreal wilderness.
Other notable protected areas are Tuktut Nogait National Park (Arctic tundra, canyons, caribou habitat). Aulavik National Park (Banks Island, Thomsen River, Arctic landscapes).
NWT Geology: Precambrian (pre-Flood) rocks dominate the shield. Some of the oldest exposed rocks on the planet are found here. Glacial carving, tectonic uplift, and erosion have shaped its canyons and plateaus. The Smoking Hills, located along the Arctic coast of Cape Bathurst in NWT are a unique natural phenomenon where sulfur-rich, oil-shale cliffs have spontaneously combusted and burned for thousands of years.
Nunavut is one of the most dramatic, remote, and geologically ancient landscapes on Earth. If you’re exploring its geography, national parks, and the raw physical features that define it—mountains, canyons, rivers, lakes, and rock formations—you’re looking at a territory shaped by ice and tectonics.
Nunavut’s landscape and geography covers an enormous area: over 2 million km², making it Canada’s largest territory. Its geography is dominated by the Arctic Archipelago, the Canadian Shield, and vast tundra regions.
Key geographic regions are the Arctic Archipelago with over 36,000 islands, including Baffin Island, Ellesmere Island, and Victoria Island, some of the largest in the world. Mainland Nunavut features rolling tundra, low mountains, and countless lakes carved by glaciers. The Arctic Coastal Plain of Nunavut is flat, icy, and windswept, with permafrost shaping the terrain.
Mountains and rock formations: Nunavut’s mountains are part of the Canadian Shield rock formation. Notable features are Mount Thor (Baffin Island), famous for having the world’s greatest vertical drop, a sheer 1,250 m cliff. Mount Asgard is a twin-peaked cylindrical mountain that looks almost unreal. Paleoproterozoic and Archean bedrock: Much of Nunavut’s rock is shaped by glaciation.
National Parks: Nunavut’s parks protect some of the most untouched wilderness on the planet. Major Parks are: Auyuittuq National Park features glaciers, fjords, Mount Thor, Mount Asgard; iconic Arctic mountain landscapes. Sirmilik National Park features ice fields, glaciers, coastal cliffs, narwhal habitat. Quttinirpaaq National Park features Canada’s northernmost park, featuring polar desert, rugged mountains. Ukkusiksalik National Park features tidal flats, fjords, and wildlife-rich coastal landscapes. These parks showcase the full range of Nunavut’s geography—from towering granite peaks to vast ice caps.
Canyons, Valleys, and Fjords: Nunavut’s canyons and fjords were carved by glaciers over hundreds of thousands of years. Examples are Akshayuk Pass (Auyuittuq), a long glacial valley flanked by steep granite walls. Pangnirtung Fjord, a deep, dramatic fjord landscapes shaped by ice retreat. Ellesmere Island canyons feature stark, polar-desert canyons with minimal vegetation.
Rivers and Lakes: Despite its icy reputation, Nunavut is dotted with freshwater systems. Major rivers are the Back River, a long, remote river flowing through tundra and rocky shield terrain. The Kugluktuk (Coppermine) River, known for canyons and rapids. The Thelon River, one of the most pristine wilderness rivers in North America.
Major lakes in Nunavut are Angikuni Lake, a large tundra lake surrounded by rolling hills and rocky terrain. Pelly Lake is a scenic lake in the central tundra region.
Ice, tundra, and climate in Nunavut shapes its geography as much as its geology. Key characteristics are the arctic tundra biome dominates almost the entire territory. Permafrost influences soil, vegetation, and hydrology. Ice caps on Baffin and Ellesmere Islands feed glaciers and fjords. Polar desert conditions in the far north (Quttinirpaaq).
