As in all the Maritimes, the physical structure of New Brunswick is relatively simple. Topographically the province is a rolling or hilly plain with a north-to-south band of hills slightly west of the center. The entire province is within the geographical division called the Appalachian Region, which runs almost the entire length of eastern North America. In New Brunswick two subdivisions of this vast physiographic region are recognized: a lowland area and the New Brunswick Highlands. A line drawn southwest from Bathurst, in northeastern New Brunswick, to a point slightly west of Fredericton, then east to Moncton and Chignecto Bay divides New Brunswick into these two regions. To the east of the line are the lowlands, a part of the great structural basin called the Gulf of St. Lawrence Plain. North, west, and south of the lowlands are the rougher and higher areas of the New Brunswick Highlands.

The lowlands of New Brunswick occupy a little less than half of the province. Although elevations in the area are generally less than 150 m (500 ft) above sea level, the region shows a landscape of considerable local relief. The numerous rivers and streams have cut deeply into the surface, creating a rough terrain. Most of the region is covered with a thick sandy mantle of glacially transported and deposited materials. The effect of the glacial deposition has been the creation of a large number of lakes and swamps.

The higher areas that border the lowlands can be divided into two sections. In the northern and western parts of the province is the northwestern extension of the New England Upland of the United States. This area is plateaulike in character because there has been considerable leveling of the land as a result of erosion. The principal rocks found in this area are from the early Paleozoic Era more than 500 million years ago. Also in this region there is a line of hills or ridges that trend in a generally southwest-to-northeast direction. In these hills is the highest peak of the province, Mount Carleton, which has an elevation of 820 m (2,690 ft).

A small upland region lies in the south of the province and parallels the Bay of Fundy. In this area a line of hills, called the Caledonia and Kent hills, rises to elevations of about 425 m (about 1,400 ft).

Deep bays, inlets, and estuaries give New Brunswick a very irregular coastline. Chaleur Bay on the north and the Bay of Fundy on the south are the largest bays. Other large bays are Passamaquoddy, Miramichi, and Nepisiguit bays. Chignecto Bay and its arm, Cumberland Basin, also constitute a significant body of water.

The 257-km (160-mi) long Bay of Fundy creates some spectacular features in New Brunswick. The bay is narrow, especially in its headwaters area, where waters entering it from the ocean become bottled up. As a result, the variation between high tides and low tides normally runs from 10 to 15 m (30 to 50 ft). However, spring tides, or exceptionally high tides, raise the water level by as much as 18 m (60 ft). The St. John and Petitcodiac rivers are especially affected by the bay. On the St. John River the result is the famous Reversing Falls, where the force of the incoming tide reverses a series of low waterfalls where the river meets the sea. The water then rushes uphill in a tidal wall against the normal flow of the falls, defying gravity. On the Petitcodiac River near Moncton, high tides also produce a tidal bore. There the waters of the incoming tide rush in with such speed and force that they enter the river as a solid wall as much as 2 m (6 ft) high. The exceptional tidal activity in the Bay of Fundy helps keep its ports, most notably Saint John, ice-free in winter.

New Brunswick has an extensive network of rivers. The St. John River, 673 km (418 mi) long, flows north to south in the western part of the province and forms part of the border with Maine, as does the Saint Croix River. Other major rivers include the Restigouche and the Nepisiguit, in the north; the Miramichi, in the east; and the Petitcodiac, in the south. Grand Lake is in the lowlands, east of Fredericton. Most other lakes are located in the northern and southwestern parts of the New Brunswick Highlands.

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