Map of Canada: Provinces, Territories and Regions

Interactive map of Canada: 10 provinces, 3 territories, 5 regions.

Canada has 10 provinces and 3 territories, grouped into five regions: Atlantic Canada, Central Canada, the Prairies, the West Coast and the North. The population was 41,798,407 on 1 July 2026 (Statistics Canada, preliminary estimate), and the capital is Ottawa, Ontario. On the interactive map of Canada above, click any region or province to see its capital, population, area, time zone, French-speaking share, top cities and UNESCO World Heritage sites, or type a city name in the search box to find its province.

How to use this Canada map

This Canada map draws all 13 provinces and territories, and every one is clickable.

We publish the same kind of map for other countries: regions of Italy, regions of Japan, regions of Brazil and regions of India. For the continent, see North America, and for Canada's neighbour to the south, the states that border Canada.

The 5 regions of Canada

On this page the regions of Canada are Atlantic Canada, Central Canada, the Prairies, the West Coast and the North. The provinces and territories are the only official units. The five regions are the grouping used in school geography, and no law defines them, so other sources draw the lines differently. Click a column heading to sort by population, area or number of units.

The 5 regions of Canada, population estimate for 1 July 2026
RegionProvinces and territoriesPopulationShareArea (km²)Largest city
Atlantic Canada4 provinces2,722,3926.5%539,064Halifax
Central Canada2 provinces25,329,23560.6%2,618,451Toronto
The Prairies3 provinces7,896,83118.9%1,960,681Calgary
West Coast1 province5,710,59813.7%944,735Vancouver
The North3 territories139,3510.3%3,921,739Whitehorse

Population is the Statistics Canada estimate for 1 July 2026. Central Canada holds 60.6% of the population on 26.2% of the area. The North is the opposite: 39.3% of the area and 0.3% of the people, 139,351 in all. The West Coast is one province, British Columbia, with 5,710,598 people.

Statistics Canada uses six regions instead of five for its own tables: Atlantic, Quebec, Ontario, the Prairies, British Columbia and the Territories. It splits Central Canada into Quebec and Ontario. The other groupings match the ones on this map.

Maritimes vs Atlantic Canada

The Maritime provinces are Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island. Atlantic Canada, also called the Atlantic provinces, is those three plus Newfoundland and Labrador. The Maritimes are the narrower term, and Newfoundland and Labrador is not part of it.

TermProvincesPopulationArea (km²)
The MaritimesNova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island2,169,930133,852
Atlantic CanadaThe Maritimes plus Newfoundland and Labrador2,722,392539,064

Newfoundland and Labrador adds 552,462 people and 405,212 km², three times the area of the three Maritime provinces together. The Maritimes keep Atlantic Time. In Newfoundland and Labrador the island and the southeastern Labrador coast run half an hour ahead of it, and most of Labrador uses Atlantic Time. For the coastline, see our lists of bays in Nova Scotia and bays in Newfoundland.

The regions of Canada one by one

Atlantic Canada (Newfoundland and Labrador, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick) lies on the Atlantic coast and the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Prince Edward Island is the smallest province at 5,660 km² and the most densely settled, with 32.2 people per km² of land. New Brunswick is the only officially bilingual province.

Central Canada (Quebec and Ontario) is the most populous region, with 25,329,235 people. It holds the national capital, Ottawa, and the two largest cities, Toronto and Montreal. Quebec is the largest province by area at 1,542,056 km². For its wild side, see the national parks in Quebec and the ghost towns of Quebec.

The Prairies (Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta) have 7,896,831 people. The grassland covers only the southern part of each province. The north of all three is boreal forest, and Alberta also reaches the Rocky Mountains. Alberta is the largest of the three with 5,101,050 people, and its population grew 15.1% between the 1 July 2021 and 1 July 2026 estimates, the second-fastest rate in the country. For parks, see the national parks in Saskatchewan.

The West Coast is British Columbia, the only province on the Pacific Ocean. Vancouver is its largest city and Victoria, on Vancouver Island, is the capital. Mountain ranges and interior plateaus separate the coast from the Rockies.

The North (Yukon, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut) covers about 39% of Canada. Nunavut alone is 2,093,190 km², the largest unit in the country, with 43,091 people. Density is 0.11 per km² in Yukon, 0.04 in the Northwest Territories and 0.02 in Nunavut. For places to see, read about the national parks in Nunavut and the ghost towns of Yukon, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut.

10 provinces and 3 territories: what is the difference?

Canada has 13 first-level units: 10 provinces and 3 territories. The count has been 13 since Nunavut was created on 1 April 1999. Before that it was 10 provinces and 2 territories.

The territories cover 3,921,739 km², or 39.3% of Canada, and hold 139,351 people, or 0.3%. The newest province is Newfoundland and Labrador, which joined on 31 March 1949. The newest territory, and the newest unit of any kind, is Nunavut, separated from the Northwest Territories on 1 April 1999.

The 3 territories of Canada
TerritoryCapitalCreatedPopulation 2026Area (km²)
YukonWhitehorse189850,356482,443
Northwest TerritoriesYellowknife187045,9041,346,106
NunavutIqaluit199943,0912,093,190

All 10 provinces and 3 territories of Canada

The table lists every province and territory with its abbreviation, capital, largest city, region, population, area and the year it joined Confederation or was created. Click a heading to sort. The 2021 Census column is the last full count. The 2026 column is an estimate for 1 July 2026, so the two are not on the same basis.

All 13 provinces and territories
The 10 provinces and 3 territories of Canada, population estimate for 1 July 2026
Abbr.NameCapitalLargest cityRegionPopulation 2026Census 2021Area (km²)Joined
NLNewfoundland and LabradorSt. John'sSt. John'sAtlantic Canada552,462510,550405,2121949
PEPrince Edward IslandCharlottetownCharlottetownAtlantic Canada182,989154,3315,6601873
NSNova ScotiaHalifaxHalifaxAtlantic Canada1,103,419969,38355,2841867
NBNew BrunswickFrederictonMonctonAtlantic Canada883,522775,61072,9081867
QCQuebecQuebec CityMontrealCentral Canada9,067,1148,501,8331,542,0561867
ONOntarioTorontoTorontoCentral Canada16,262,12114,223,9421,076,3951867
MBManitobaWinnipegWinnipegThe Prairies1,517,3791,342,153647,7971870
SKSaskatchewanReginaSaskatoonThe Prairies1,278,4021,132,505651,0361905
ABAlbertaEdmontonCalgaryThe Prairies5,101,0504,262,635661,8481905
BCBritish ColumbiaVictoriaVancouverWest Coast5,710,5985,000,879944,7351871
YTYukonWhitehorseWhitehorseThe North50,35640,232482,4431898
NTNorthwest TerritoriesYellowknifeYellowknifeThe North45,90441,0701,346,1061870
NUNunavutIqaluitIqaluitThe North43,09136,8582,093,1901999

The four original provinces joined on 1 July 1867: Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. All 13 units together add up to 9,984,670 km² of land and fresh water. Museums are listed for every province and territory on one page, and the airports are in our list of airports in Canada.

Provinces and capitals of Canada

Every province and territory has its own capital, and the capital of Canada is Ottawa. Several capitals are not the biggest city in their unit, and that is where most mistakes come from:

The rest follow the largest city: Winnipeg for Manitoba, Halifax for Nova Scotia, Charlottetown for Prince Edward Island and St. John's for Newfoundland and Labrador.

Map of Canada with cities

To get a map of Canada with cities, type a place in the search box above the map. It searches the 2021 Census subdivisions, which are the cities, towns and municipalities Statistics Canada counts (5,161 in all), plus other named places from GeoNames, and it shows the result on the map with its province and region. The top five cities of each province and territory are on its card.

The largest cities, by 2021 Census population of the city proper, are Toronto (2,794,356), Montreal (1,762,949), Calgary (1,306,784), Ottawa (1,017,449) and Edmonton (1,010,899). Vancouver has 662,248 in the city itself. Those are municipal limits, so they are smaller than the metropolitan figures you may see elsewhere. To compare cities by land, read the largest cities in Canada by area, and for an alphabetical list see Canada cities and towns A-Z.

Largest and smallest provinces and territories

Nunavut is the largest unit by area and Ontario has the most people. Prince Edward Island is the smallest by area and Nunavut has the fewest people.

MeasureLargestSmallest
Area, all unitsNunavut, 2,093,190 km²Prince Edward Island, 5,660 km²
Area, provincesQuebec, 1,542,056 km²Prince Edward Island, 5,660 km²
Area, territoriesNunavut, 2,093,190 km²Yukon, 482,443 km²
Population, all unitsOntario, 16,262,121Nunavut, 43,091
Population, provincesOntario, 16,262,121Prince Edward Island, 182,989
Density per km² of landPrince Edward Island, 32.2Nunavut, 0.02

Ontario holds 38.9% of Canadians. Ontario, Quebec, British Columbia and Alberta together hold 36,140,883 people, or 86.5%. Nunavut leads in GDP per capita at CAD 136,763 in 2024, followed by the Northwest Territories (113,155) and Alberta (96,686), the highest of any province. The fastest growth from the 1 July 2021 to the 1 July 2026 estimate was in Yukon (17.2%) and Alberta (15.1%). The slowest was in the Northwest Territories (3.0%). Rankings by other measures are in our posts on the largest provinces in Canada by population and the smallest provinces in Canada by population.

How the map of Canada changed, 1867 to 1999

Canada began with four provinces and reached its present 13 units in 132 years. Each step below changed the map.

YearChange
1867Confederation on 1 July: Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick.
1870Manitoba joined on 15 July as the fifth province. The same day the North-Western Territory and Rupert's Land were transferred to Canada, forming the Northwest Territories.
1871British Columbia joined on 20 July as the sixth province.
1873Prince Edward Island joined on 1 July. The Charlottetown Conference of 1864, which began the Confederation process, was held there.
1898Yukon was created as a separate territory on 13 June, during the Klondike Gold Rush.
1905Alberta and Saskatchewan were created from the Northwest Territories and joined on 1 September.
1949Newfoundland joined on 31 March as the tenth province. It had been the Dominion of Newfoundland.
1999Nunavut separated from the Northwest Territories on 1 April and became the third territory.

Canada time zones as of November 2026

Canada has six standard time zones: Pacific, Mountain, Central, Eastern, Atlantic and Newfoundland. The rules for changing clocks were rewritten in 2026, so many Canada time zone maps and lists are out of date. This table shows each province and territory as it stands from 1 November 2026, with the date each rule took effect.

Province or territoryZoneClock ruleIn effect since
British Columbia, most of the province (including the Peace River region, Fort Nelson and Creston)PacificUTC-7 all year8 March 2026
British Columbia, East Kootenay (Cranbrook, Fernie) and GoldenMountainUTC-6 all year, following Alberta1 November 2026
AlbertaAlberta TimeUTC-6 all year1 November 2026
Saskatchewan (including Lloydminster)CentralUTC-6 all yearNo change
ManitobaCentral DaylightUTC-5 all year1 November 2026
Ontario, northwest of 90°W (including Kenora and Atikokan)Central DaylightUTC-5 all year1 November 2026 (announced 13 October 2026)
Ontario, the restEasternUTC-5 in winter, UTC-4 in summerNo change
Quebec, most of the provinceEasternUTC-5 in winter, UTC-4 in summerNo change
Quebec, Magdalen Islands and ListugujAtlanticUTC-4 in winter, UTC-3 in summerNo change
Quebec, Basse-Côte-Nord from Kegaska east to Blanc-SablonAtlanticUTC-4 all yearNo change
New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward IslandAtlanticUTC-4 in winter, UTC-3 in summerNo change
Newfoundland and Labrador, island of Newfoundland and southeastern LabradorNewfoundlandUTC-3:30 in winter, UTC-2:30 in summerNo change
Newfoundland and Labrador, most of LabradorAtlanticUTC-4 in winter, UTC-3 in summerNo change
YukonYukon StandardUTC-7 all year8 March 2020
Northwest TerritoriesNorthwest Territories TimeUTC-6 all year1 November 2026
Nunavut, east of 85°W (including Iqaluit)EasternUTC-5 in winter, UTC-4 in summerNo change
Nunavut, Southampton Island (Coral Harbour)EasternUTC-5 all yearNo change
Nunavut, 85°W to 102°W (Rankin Inlet, Baker Lake, Arviat)CentralUTC-6 in winter, UTC-5 in summerNo change
Nunavut, Kitikmeot region (Cambridge Bay, Kugluktuk)MountainUTC-7 in winter, UTC-6 in summerNo change
Clock offsets in Canada from 1 November 2026
ClockNameWhere
UTC-3:30 (winter) / UTC-2:30 (summer)NewfoundlandNewfoundland and Labrador (Island of Newfoundland and the southeastern Labrador coast)
UTC-4 (winter) / UTC-3 (summer)AtlanticNewfoundland and Labrador (Most of Labrador); Prince Edward Island (Whole province); Nova Scotia (Whole province); New Brunswick (Whole province); Quebec (Magdalen Islands and Listuguj)
UTC-4 all yearAtlanticQuebec (Basse-Cote-Nord from Kegaska east to Blanc-Sablon (no clock changes))
UTC-5 (winter) / UTC-4 (summer)EasternQuebec (Most of the province); Ontario (Most of the province); Nunavut (East of 85 W, including Iqaluit)
UTC-5 all yearCentral Daylight, EasternOntario (Northwestern Ontario west of 90 W, including Kenora and Atikokan (no clock changes; announced 13 October 2026)); Manitoba (Whole province (no clock changes)); Nunavut (Southampton Island, including Coral Harbour (no clock changes))
UTC-6 (winter) / UTC-5 (summer)CentralNunavut (85 W to 102 W, including Rankin Inlet, Baker Lake and Arviat)
UTC-6 all yearCentral, Alberta Time, Mountain, Northwest Territories TimeSaskatchewan (Whole province, including Lloydminster (no clock changes)); Alberta (Whole province (no clock changes)); British Columbia (East Kootenay (Cranbrook, Fernie) and Golden, following Alberta (no clock changes)); Northwest Territories (Whole territory (no clock changes))
UTC-7 (winter) / UTC-6 (summer)MountainNunavut (Kitikmeot region, including Cambridge Bay and Kugluktuk)
UTC-7 all yearPacific, Yukon StandardBritish Columbia (Most of the province, plus the Peace River region, Fort Nelson and Creston (no clock changes)); Yukon (Whole territory (no clock changes))

The offsets above show how the rules line up. UTC-7 all year covers most of British Columbia and Yukon. UTC-6 all year covers Alberta, Saskatchewan, the Northwest Territories and the East Kootenay. UTC-5 all year covers Manitoba and northwestern Ontario. Vancouver and Calgary are therefore one hour apart all year, and so are Calgary and Winnipeg. Winnipeg and Toronto share a clock in winter and differ by an hour in summer.

Ontario outside the northwest, Quebec, the Atlantic provinces and most of Nunavut still change their clocks. In winter five different offsets are in use (UTC-7, -6, -5, -4 and -3:30), and in summer six (UTC-7, -6, -5, -4, -3 and -2:30). Nunavut spans three zones, Eastern, Central and Mountain, more than any other unit. Switch the map to the Time zone view to see these areas, with the ones that never change their clocks hatched.

Where French is spoken in Canada

Quebec is the only province where French is the sole official language, and New Brunswick is the only officially bilingual province. In the 2021 Census, 82.2% of people in Quebec had French as their first official language spoken, and 46.4% could conduct a conversation in both English and French. In New Brunswick the shares were 30.0% and 34.0%.

Across Canada, 21.4% have French as their first official language spoken and 18.0% know both languages. Outside those two provinces the French share is small: Yukon has the highest at 4.5%, Ontario has 3.4% and Prince Edward Island 2.9%. Switch to the French speakers view to see the pattern. For the full list of languages with official status, read official languages in Canada, and for the languages spoken here first, Indigenous languages in Canada.

World Heritage sites by province

Canada has 22 UNESCO World Heritage properties: 10 cultural, 11 natural and 1 mixed. Alberta has the most with 6, then Newfoundland and Labrador with 4. Nova Scotia, Quebec and British Columbia have 3 each. Ontario, Yukon and the Northwest Territories have 2 each and Manitoba has 1. Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, Saskatchewan and Nunavut have none.

Four properties span two units and count in both: the Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks (Alberta and British Columbia), Wood Buffalo National Park (Alberta and the Northwest Territories), Kluane / Wrangell-St. Elias / Glacier Bay / Tatshenshini-Alsek (British Columbia and Yukon) and Pimachiowin Aki (Ontario and Manitoba). That is why the unit counts add up to 26. The two newest are Anticosti, in Quebec, and Tr'ondëk-Klondike, in Yukon, both inscribed in 2023.

Frequently asked questions

How many provinces and territories does Canada have?

Canada has 10 provinces and 3 territories, which makes 13 in all. The count has been 13 since Nunavut was created on 1 April 1999. The last province to join was Newfoundland, on 31 March 1949.

What are the provinces and territories of Canada and their capitals?

The 10 provinces are British Columbia (Victoria), Alberta (Edmonton), Saskatchewan (Regina), Manitoba (Winnipeg), Ontario (Toronto), Quebec (Quebec City), New Brunswick (Fredericton), Nova Scotia (Halifax), Prince Edward Island (Charlottetown) and Newfoundland and Labrador (St. John's). The 3 territories are Yukon (Whitehorse), the Northwest Territories (Yellowknife) and Nunavut (Iqaluit). The table above lists them with their largest cities.

What are the regions of Canada?

This map groups Canada into 5 regions: Atlantic Canada, Central Canada, the Prairies, the West Coast and the North. The regions are informal, because no law defines them and different sources draw them differently. The provinces and territories are the official units.

What is the capital of Canada?

The capital of Canada is Ottawa, in Ontario, on the Ottawa River opposite Gatineau, Quebec. Toronto is the capital of Ontario, not of Canada, although it is the country's largest city.

How many time zones does Canada have?

Canada has six standard time zones: Pacific, Mountain, Central, Eastern, Atlantic and Newfoundland. As of November 2026, British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, the Northwest Territories, Yukon and northwestern Ontario no longer change their clocks. Nunavut spans three of the zones. The time zone table above gives the rule for every province and territory.

What are the Maritime provinces, and how are they different from Atlantic Canada?

The Maritime provinces are Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island. Atlantic Canada is those three plus Newfoundland and Labrador, so it has four provinces to the Maritimes' three.

What are the Prairie provinces?

The Prairie provinces are Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba. The grassland that gives them the name covers only the southern part of each province. The north of all three is boreal forest, and Alberta also reaches the Rocky Mountains.

Which provinces speak French?

Quebec is the only province where French is the sole official language, and 82.2% of its people have French as their first official language spoken. New Brunswick is the only officially bilingual province, with 30.0% French and 34.0% able to speak both languages. Everywhere else the French share is 4.5% or less.

What is the difference between a province and a territory?

A province holds its powers in its own right under the Constitution Act, 1867, while a territory exercises powers delegated by the federal Parliament. Canada has 10 provinces and 3 territories. The territories cover 39.3% of the land and hold 0.3% of the people.

What is the largest and smallest province or territory in Canada?

Nunavut is the largest unit by area at 2,093,190 km², and Quebec is the largest province at 1,542,056 km². Prince Edward Island is the smallest at 5,660 km². By population, Ontario is the largest with 16,262,121 people and Nunavut the smallest with 43,091.

What is the newest province or territory in Canada?

Nunavut is the newest territory, created on 1 April 1999 from the Northwest Territories. The newest province is Newfoundland and Labrador, which joined on 31 March 1949. Alberta and Saskatchewan are the next newest, both created on 1 September 1905.

How many UNESCO World Heritage Sites are in Canada?

Canada has 22 UNESCO World Heritage properties: 10 cultural, 11 natural and 1 mixed. Alberta has the most with 6. The two most recent, Anticosti and Tr'ondëk-Klondike, were inscribed in 2023.

Sources and methodology

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