This collection is a legacy product that is no longer supported. It may not meet current government standards.

A boundary line between watersheds, or a shoreline or international boundary.

The North American Atlas – Basin Watersheds data set shows watersheds in North America at 1:10,000,000.  A watershed is an area encompassing part or all of a surface drainage  basin, a combination of drainage basins, or a distinct hydrologic feature.  Watersheds are mapped in a hierarchical system, with the largest units encompassing the entire drainage areas of major rivers or river systems, or encompassing seaboard areas.  Within these large units, subsequently smaller units encompass the drainage areas of smaller rivers and streams.  Watersheds are classified differently in Canada, Mexico and the United States; the data set includes a continental classification (the North American Watershed, or NAW level), as well as the classification unique to each country.  This data set was compiled from each country’s watershed file and adjustments were made to the data to resolve misalignments and mismatches across international borders. 

• Boundaries
• Canada
• Countries
• Hydrography
• Inland waters
• Lakes
• Mexico
• Mid-latitude
• North America
• Northern Hemisphere
• Rivers
• United States of America
• Water
• Watercourses
• Western Hemisphere

Please see, https://open.canada.ca/en/open-government-licence-canada 

The North American Atlas data are intended for geographic display and analysis at the national and continental level.  These data should be displayed and analyzed at scales appropriate for 1:10,000,000-scale data.  No responsibility is assumed by Natural Resources Canada, Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Geografía, National Atlas of the United States, or the Commission for Environmental Cooperation in the use of these data.

Source: https://natural-resources.canada.ca/science-and-data/science-and-research/earth-sciences/geography/topographic-information/download-directory-documentation/17215

The Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC) is an international organization created by Canada, Mexico, and the United States of America under the North American

Agreement on Environmental Cooperation (NAAEC).  The CEC was established to address regional environmental concerns, help prevent potential trade and environmental conflicts, and to promote the effective enforcement of environmental law.  The Agreement complements the environmental provisions of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).  Further information on the CEC is available from http://www.cec.org/ or from

Commission for Environmental Cooperation

393, rue St-Jacques Ouest

Bureau 200

Montréal (Québec)

H2Y 1N9 Canada

Telephone: 1 514 350 4300

Facsimile: 1 514 350 4314

Electronic mail: info@cec.org

These data are distributed in both geographic coordinates (through National Atlas of Canada, INEGI, and National Atlas of the United States), and Lambert Azimuthal Equal Area projection (CEC).  The following parameters are used for the Lambert Azimuthal Equal Area projection:

Longitude_of_Projection_Center: -100.00

Latitude_of_Projection_Center: 45.00

False_Easting (metres): 0.0

False_Northing (metres): 0.0

Semi-major_Axis: 6370997.0

Denominator_of_Flattening_Ratio: 1.0

Ellipsoid_Name: Sphere

Units: metres