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Table 2.2Major drainage and sub-drainage area1 names and areas

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Major drainage and sub-drainage areanames and areas
  Drainage area code Area
           code                      square kilometres
Maritime Provinces 1  
Saint John and Southern Bay of Fundy, New Brunswick 01A 41,987
Gulf of St. Lawrence and Northern Bay of Fundy, New Brunswick 01B 60,653
Prince Edward Island 01C 5,943
Bay of Fundy and Gulf of St. Lawrence, Nova Scotia 01D 21,499
Southeastern Atlantic Ocean, Nova Scotia 01E 23,222
Cape Breton Island 01F 10,685
Maritime Provinces total … 163,990
St. Lawrence 2  
Northwestern Lake Superior 02A 51,541
Northeastern Lake Superior 02B 61,283
Northern Lake Huron 02C 45,421
Wanapitei and French, Ontario 02D 19,669
Eastern Georgian Bay 02E 28,778
Eastern Lake Huron 02F 33,728
Northern Lake Erie 02G 35,302
Lake Ontario and Niagara Peninsula 02H 39,336
Upper Ottawa 02J 50,670
Central Ottawa 02K 40,753
Lower Ottawa 02L 54,719
Upper St. Lawrence 02M 6,139
Saint-Maurice 02N 42,251
Central St. Lawrence 02O 35,600
Lower St. Lawrence 02P 37,780
Northern Gaspé Peninsula 02Q 13,383
Saguenay 02R 88,072
Betsiamites, coast 02S 27,473
Manicouagan and aux Outardes 02T 65,221
Moisie and St. Lawrence Estuary 02U 39,589
Gulf of St. Lawrence, Romaine 02V 36,416
Gulf of St. Lawrence, Natashquan 02W 53,841
Petit Mécatina and Strait of Belle Isle 02X 50,320
Northern Newfoundland 02Y 66,153
Southern Newfoundland 02Z 44,441
St. Lawrence total … 1,067,879
Northern Quebec and Labrador 3  
Nottaway, coast 03A 67,938
Broadback and Rupert 03B 77,195
Eastmain 03C 45,930
La Grande, coast 03D 112,203
Grande rivière de la Baleine, coast 03E 62,753
Eastern Hudson Bay 03F 46,383
Northeastern Hudson Bay 03G 100,054
Western Ungava Bay 03H 78,208
Aux Feuilles, coast 03J 63,722
Koksoak 03K 45,542
Caniapiscau 03L 90,094
Eastern Ungava Bay 03M 106,790
Northern Labrador 03N 92,911
Churchill Newfoundland and Labrador 03O 95,003
Central Labrador 03P 35,678
Southern Labrador 03Q 37,889
Northern Quebec and Labrador total … 1,158,292
Southwestern Hudson Bay 4  
Hayes, Manitoba 04A 109,482
Southwestern Hudson Bay 04B 28,384
Severn 04C 99,533
Winisk, coast 04D 79,224
Ekwan, coast 04E 50,484
Attawapiskat, coast 04F 57,243
Upper Albany 04G 64,914
Lower Albany, coast 04H 42,345
Kenogami 04J 52,370
Moose, Ontario 04K 17,949
Missinaibi and Mattagami 04L 60,593
Abitibi 04M 29,291
Harricanaw, coast 04N 43,509
Southwestern Hudson Bay total … 735,320
Nelson River 5  
Upper South Saskatchewan 05A 46,410
Bow 05B 25,628
Red Deer 05C 50,315
Upper North Saskatchewan 05D 27,983
Central North Saskatchewan 05E 42,275
Battle 05F 30,241
Lower North Saskatchewan 05G 49,652
Lower South Saskatchewan 05H 55,268
Qu'Appelle 05J 74,589
Saskatchewan 05K 81,194
Lake Winnipegosis and Lake Manitoba 05L 82,719
Assiniboine 05M 51,259
Souris 05N 39,591
Red 05O 25,266
Winnipeg 05P 55,104
English 05Q 52,550
Eastern Lake Winnipeg 05R 63,642
Western Lake Winnipeg 05S 41,819
Grass and Burntwood 05T 42,390
Nelson 05U 49,119
Nelson River total … 987,015
Western and Northern Hudson Bay 6  
Beaver, Alberta and Saskatchewan 06A 49,940
Upper Churchill, Manitoba 06B 44,288
Central Churchill, upper, Manitoba 06C 45,892
Reindeer 06D 67,357
Central Churchill, lower, Manitoba 06E 51,295
Lower Churchill, Manitoba 06F 54,799
Seal, coast 06G 75,970
Western Hudson Bay, Southern 06H 73,301
Thelon 06J 85,479
Dubawnt 06K 68,952
Kazan 06L 70,690
Chesterfield Inlet 06M 67,783
Western Hudson Bay, central 06N 63,743
Western Hudson Bay, northern 06O 54,523
Hudson Bay, Southampton Island 06P 48,764
Foxe Basin, Southampton Island 06Q 13,285
Foxe Basin, Melville Peninsula 06R 59,727
Foxe Basin, Baffin Island 06S 211,083
Hudson Strait, Baffin and Southampton Islands 06T 46,342
Western and Northern Hudson Bay total … 1,253,213
Great Slave Lake 7  
Upper Athabasca 07A 34,856
Central Athabasca, upper 07B 40,496
Central Athabasca, lower 07C 57,030
Lower Athabasca 07D 29,942
Williston Lake 07E 72,362
Upper Peace 07F 67,824
Smoky 07G 51,508
Central Peace, upper 07H 35,412
Central Peace, lower 07J 59,401
Lower Peace 07K 36,510
Fond-du-Lac 07L 70,913
Lake Athabasca, shores 07M 39,560
Slave 07N 19,009
Hay 07O 51,405
Southern Great Slave Lake 07P 38,067
Great Slave Lake, east arm, south shore 07Q 103,895
Lockhart 07R 27,124
Northeastern Great Slave Lake 07S 74,222
Marian 07T 24,262
Western Great Slave Lake 07U 41,056
Great Slave Lake total … 974,853
Pacific 8  
Alsek 08A 31,192
Northern coastal waters, British Columbia 08B 22,767
Stikine, coast 08C 49,997
Nass, coast 08D 29,036
Skeena, coast 08E 55,751
Central coastal waters, British Columbia 08F 54,658
Southern coastal waters, British Columbia 08G 41,986
Vancouver Island 08H 34,882
Nechako 08J 47,332
Upper Fraser 08K 67,088
Thompson 08L 55,777
Lower Fraser 08M 61,880
Columbia 08N 102,925
Queen Charlotte Islands 08O 10,049
Skagit 08P 1,027
Pacific total … 666,349
Yukon River 9  
Headwaters Yukon 09A 94,018
Pelly 09B 50,485
Upper Yukon 09C 44,206
Stewart 09D 51,360
Central Yukon 09E 29,820
Porcupine 09F 61,566
Tanana 09H 1,470
Copper 09M 4,112
Yukon River total … 337,036
Arctic 10  
Upper Liard 10A 61,858
Central Liard 10B 72,031
Fort Nelson 10C 54,771
Central Liard and Petitot 10D 30,563
Lower Liard 10E 55,571
Upper Mackenzie, Mills Lake 10F 51,042
Upper Mackenzie, Camsell Bend 10G 57,858
Central Mackenzie, Blackwater Lake 10H 67,210
Great Bear 10J 158,140
Central Mackenzie, The Ramparts 10K 46,736
Lower Mackenzie 10L 77,259
Peel and Southwestern Beaufort Sea 10M 107,693
Southern Beaufort Sea 10N 99,387
Amundsen Gulf 10O 91,087
Coppermine 10P 50,741
Coronation Gulf and Queen Maud Gulf 10Q 174,679
Back 10R 135,956
Gulf of Boothia 10S 114,752
Southern Arctic Islands 10T 373,180
Baffin Island, Arctic drainage 10U 299,813
Northern Arctic Islands 10V 424,812
Arctic total … 2,605,138
Mississippi River 11  
Missouri 11A 27,097
Mississippi River total … 27,097
Canada total … 9,976,182
1.
A sub-drainage area, also called a watershed or drainage basin, is an area where all contributing surface waters share the same drainage outlet. Drainage areas channel runoff from precipitation and snow melt into stream flow. The resulting hierarchy of streams and rivers and their associated sub-drainage areas form the National Hydrological Network of Canada. There are 11 major drainage areas and 164 sub-drainage areas in Canada. Canada's entire land and fresh water area has been allocated to individual drainage areas.
Source(s):
Natural Resources Canada, 2005, National Scale Frameworks Hydrology - Drainage Areas, Canada, Version 5.0, http://www.geogratis.cgdi.gc.ca (accessed June 21, 2007).
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