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.
Map Files
Ecoregions, Land Cover
Elevation, 2023
The 250m elevation map of North America illustrates the region's terrain in relation to mean...
2023
Ecoregions
North American Forests, 2022
The North American Forest map shows the distribution of eighteen different primary ecological zones pertaining...
2022
Ecoregions
Terrestrial Ecoregions: Level I
Ecological regions are areas of general similarity in ecosystems and in the type, quality, and...
2021
Ecoregions
Terrestrial Ecoregions: Level II
Ecological regions are areas of general similarity in ecosystems and in the type, quality, and...
2021
Climate, Ecoregions
Climate Zones of North America
The North American Climate Zones map shows the distribution of climate types across Canada, Mexico,...
2021
Ecoregions
Terrestrial Ecoregions: Level III
Ecological regions are areas of general similarity in ecosystems and in the type, quality, and...
2021
Ecoregions
North American Forests, 2011
The North American Forest map shows the distribution of eighteen different primary ecological zones pertaining...
2011
Ecoregions
Marine Ecoregions
These marine ecoregions are areas of general similarity in terms of physiographic, oceanographic and biological...
2009
Ecoregions
Baja to Bering Region
The Baja California to Bering Sea Region (B2B) is one of fourteen Ecologically Significant Regions,...
2009
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.
Publications
GIS Updates
Be the first to hear when we publish new GIS data and updates. We promise we won’t send you anything else.
Contact
Questions about the North American Environmental Atlas? Contact:
Dominique Croteau
Specialist, Geospatial and Environmental Information
(514) 350-4307








