The submerged lands

The submerged part of a continent is called the continental shelf. In Canada, the Atlantic continental shelf extends 100 to 450 kilometres out to sea, forming a shallow platform that includes Newfoundland and Labrador's Grand Banks as well as Georges Bank and Browns Bank off Nova Scotia. The Pacific continental shelf is much narrower, measuring 80 metres to 160 kilometres. As for the Arctic continental shelf, it extends up to 120 kilometres from the coast. According to expert estimates, Canada's continental shelves, especially those under the Beaufort Sea and the Grand Banks, may conceal huge reserves of crude petroleum and natural gas that could represent 82% and 72%, respectively, of unidentified resources.