North American Environmental Atlas

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Mapping Our Shared Environment

The North American Environmental Atlas combines and harmonizes geospatial data from Canada, Mexico and the United States to allow for a continental and regional perspective on environmental issues that cross boundaries. It is a unique tool to analyze and raise awareness of our shared environment and ecosystems across the continent, to demonstrate their value, and to help us see what needs to be done to protect them.

The dozens of map layers of the Atlas are unique in that they harmonize geographic information across North America’s political boundaries. By comparing these map layers, we can better understand and quantify critical trends and interrelationships at the North American level.

Explore this interactive story for a better understanding of how the Atlas can be useful to you.

Explore more than one thousand publications and articles that utilized data from the North American Environmental Atlas.

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Map Files

North American Protected Areas, 2025

2025 Protected Areas

The new map of North American Protected Areas is an update of the map published in 2021 by the Commission for Environmental Cooperation.

Land Cover Change 30m, 2015-2020 (Landsat)

2024 Land Cover

This map demonstrates land cover change between 2015 and 2020 in North America at a spatial resolution of 30 meters.

North American Land Cover, 2020 (Landsat, 30m)

2024 Land Cover

This map of North American land cover provides a harmonized view of the physical cover of Earth’s surface across the continent at a spatial resolution of 30 meters, based on Landsat satellite imagery for Canada, Mexico, and the United States.

Land Cover Change 30m, 2010-2015 (Landsat)

2024 Land Cover

This map demonstrates land cover change between 2010 and 2015 in North America at a spatial resolution of 30 meters.

Land Cover 30m, 2015 (Landsat and RapidEye)

2024 Land Cover

This map of North American land cover at a spatial resolution of 30 meters provides a harmonized view of the physical cover of Earth's surface across the continent based on 2015 Landsat satellite imagery for Canada and the United States, and RapidEye imagery for Mexico.

Land Cover, 2010 (Landsat, 30m)

2024 Land Cover

This map of North American land cover at a spatial resolution of 30 meters provides a harmonized view of the physical cover of Earth's surface across the continent based on 2010 Landsat satellite imagery.

Landfills

2024 Pollutants

The North American Landfills dataset represents the approximate location of known landfills and dumpsites (open and closed) in North America, based mostly on governmental data from Canada, Mexico, and the United States.

North American Roads, 2020

2024 Transportation

As part of the North American Environmental Atlas, this reference dataset displays the roads network and ferry routes in 2020 across North America under three different categories:

Elevation, 2023

2023 Ecoregions, Land Cover

The 250m elevation map of North America illustrates the region's terrain in relation to mean sea level, utilizing elevation data sourced from the Global Multi-resolution Terrain Elevation Data 2010 (GMTED2010).

North American Lakes and Rivers, 2023

2023 Water

This North American Environmental Atlas dataset displays the coastline, linear hydrographic features (major rivers, streams, and canals), and area hydrographic features (major lakes and reservoirs) of North America at a reference spatial scale of 1:1,000,000.

Political Boundaries, 2021

2022 Humans

This reference map from the North American Environmental Atlas depicts political entities in North America, with jurisdictional areas represented as polygons and political boundaries, including international boundaries, and provincial, state, or territory boundaries, as lines.

Population Density, 2020

2022 Humans

Tools

Map Viewer

The North American Environmental Atlas map viewer provides access to several data layers, including terrestrial and marine ecosystems as well as human influence.

MapMonday

From tracking Uber orders in Montreal to understanding the effect of coastal farming activity in Sinaloa, Mexico– maps help us navigate and understand the world around us.

North American Land Change Monitoring System

A collaborative initiative between Canada, Mexico, and the United States to monitor land cover - the observed physical cover on the surface of the Earth - and its change over time.