Canada’s 10 Provinces and 3 Territories, Explained
Canada has 10 provinces and 3 territories. Here is each one with its capital, size and population, how they group into five regions, and what actually separates a province from a territory.
Canada is made up of 10 provinces and 3 territories, 13 in all. The provinces are British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland and Labrador. The territories are Yukon, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut.
All 13 at a glance
Areas include land and fresh water. Populations are from the 2021 Census, the most recent full count.
| Province or territory | Capital | Joined Canada | Total area (km²) | Population (2021) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ontario | Toronto | 1867 | 1,076,395 | 14,223,942 |
| Quebec | Québec City | 1867 | 1,542,056 | 8,501,833 |
| Nova Scotia | Halifax | 1867 | 55,284 | 969,383 |
| New Brunswick | Fredericton | 1867 | 72,908 | 775,610 |
| Manitoba | Winnipeg | 1870 | 647,797 | 1,342,153 |
| Northwest Territories | Yellowknife | 1870 | 1,346,106 | 41,070 |
| British Columbia | Victoria | 1871 | 944,735 | 5,000,879 |
| Prince Edward Island | Charlottetown | 1873 | 5,660 | 154,331 |
| Yukon | Whitehorse | 1898 | 482,443 | 40,232 |
| Alberta | Edmonton | 1905 | 661,848 | 4,262,635 |
| Saskatchewan | Regina | 1905 | 651,036 | 1,132,505 |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | St. John’s | 1949 | 405,212 | 510,550 |
| Nunavut | Iqaluit | 1999 | 2,093,190 | 36,858 |
| Canada | Ottawa | 9,984,670 | 36,991,981 |
The national capital, Ottawa, is in Ontario. It is not a province or territory of its own.
What is the difference between a province and a territory?
The difference is constitutional, not geographic. In the federal government’s words, provinces “exercise their constitutionally recognized legislative powers”, while territories exercise powers that Parliament has delegated to them. A province’s authority comes from the Constitution. A territory’s authority comes from federal law, and it has grown over time as Ottawa has handed over more responsibilities.
In everyday travel terms you will not notice the difference. Each territory has its own elected government, capital, licence plates and parks, just as each province does.
The five regions
Canadians usually group the 13 into five regions. This is the grouping the federal citizenship guide uses, and the one the WorldTripMap Canada map uses for its Regional Explorer achievement.
- Atlantic Provinces: Newfoundland and Labrador, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick
- Central Canada: Quebec, Ontario
- Prairie Provinces: Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta
- West Coast: British Columbia
- The North: Yukon, Northwest Territories, Nunavut
Biggest, smallest, most and least populated
- Largest by area: Nunavut, at 2,093,190 km². It is about a fifth of Canada.
- Largest province: Quebec, at 1,542,056 km². Only Nunavut is larger, and it is a territory.
- Smallest by area: Prince Edward Island, at 5,660 km². Nunavut is roughly 370 times larger.
- Most people: Ontario, with 14.2 million in 2021, which is more than one in three Canadians.
- Fewest people: Nunavut, with 36,858.
Size and population pull in opposite directions in the North. The three territories cover about 39% of Canada’s area and are home to about 0.3% of its people.
Why this matters for a travel map. If you have been to all three territories and nowhere else, a provinces-and-territories map says you have explored 3 of 13, or 23%. By area, those three cover 39% of the country. Neither number says how much of Canada you have actually seen. That is why WorldTripMap always labels its percentage as a share of provinces and territories, and shows the area figure separately.
The order they joined
Canada began on 1 July 1867 with four provinces: Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. Manitoba and the Northwest Territories followed in 1870, British Columbia in 1871 and Prince Edward Island in 1873. Yukon was created in 1898. Alberta and Saskatchewan became provinces on 1 September 1905. Newfoundland joined on 31 March 1949 and was renamed Newfoundland and Labrador in 2001. Nunavut was separated from the Northwest Territories on 1 April 1999, which makes it the newest of the 13.
Postal abbreviations
You will see these two-letter codes on maps, addresses and the WorldTripMap posters: AB, BC, MB, NB, NL, NS, NT, NU, ON, PE, QC, SK, YT.
Going further inside each province
Marking a province says you have been there, not how much of it you have seen. On the Canada map each province and territory opens into a list of its cities, national parks, World Heritage Sites and well-known places, and gets a percentage of its own. Three guides cover those lists:
Sources
- Provinces and territories, Government of Canada, Intergovernmental Affairs. Checked October 11, 2026.
- Discover Canada: Canada’s Regions, Government of Canada, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. Checked October 11, 2026.
- Land and freshwater area, by province and territory (table 15.7), Statistics Canada, from Natural Resources Canada’s Atlas of Canada. Checked October 11, 2026.
- Population and dwelling counts: Canada, provinces and territories, 2021 Census, Statistics Canada. Checked October 11, 2026.
Spotted something out of date? Tell us and we will check it against the sources and correct it.