Newfoundland and Labrador covers 405,720 square kilometers of land. It is seven times larger than Nova Scotia. Labrador makes up 72.5% of the province. It contains 5.3% of the population.
Newfoundland holds the most northeastern part of the Appalachian mountain range in North America. Labrador is the most eastern part of the Canadian Shield. The Canadian Shield is a region that stretches from Labrador to Western Canada and the northern United States. This region is made up of volcanic rocks and coniferous trees.
During the Ice Age, glaciers covered Newfoundland and Labrador. These smoothed the landscape, dug lakes and carved deep valleys. Valleys along the coast were flooded by the sea. This left deep fjords. Glaciers carved a large number of protected harbours.
Glacial scouring action was not even throughout the province. Moving glaciers carry gravel and sand. This is called glacial till. Much of Newfoundland and Labrador is covered by glacial till that was left behind. This material often determined where farming and wildlife would succeed later.