The Continental Ranges are a major grouping of mountain ranges in the Rocky Mountains primarily located in the Canadian Rockies of eastern British Columbia and western Alberta, with small portions extending into the U.S. states of Idaho and Montana. It is a physiographic designation primarily geologists and is not used by the general public; it is not recognized in Alberta, and does not appear on topographic maps, although the names of its subranges are in common use. It is the largest and most well known of the Canadian Rockies' three main subdivisions.