There are ten provinces in Canada namely Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Quebec, and Saskatchewan. Along with that, there are three territories: Northwest Territories, Nunavut, and Yukon.
In Canada, a province and a territory are distinguished based on governance. The territories are grouped together and regulated by the federal government, and they have delegated powers under the jurisdiction of the Parliament of Canada. The provinces, on the other hand, have independent constitutional powers. This power imbalance is progressively being addressed, with territories receiving local decision-making authority.
Each province and territory has its own distinct attraction for travellers, with tourism organizations that assist them in planning their trip. These areas also provide many outdoor adventures like camping, hiking paths, lakes, and other natural phenomena for their travellers. Though, many of them have their own distinct character and terrain.
ALBERTA
Alberta is renowned as a prairie province. It is Canada’s fourth largest province, with a total size of 661,000 square kilometres (255,214 sq mi). It has a population of about four million people, most of whom live in the big cities of Calgary and Edmonton. Its environments range from towering mountains, glacial lakes, and extensive boreal forests to undulating foothills, rich plains, and desert badlands. Alberta includes about 600 lakes and 245 rivers. Its five national parks cover an extra 63,000 square kilometres (24,000 square miles), with three of them being designated as UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
BRITISH COLUMBIA
British Columbia, or BC is Canada’s westernmost province. It’s a big place, much like the rest of Canada. With a population of less than one tenth of that of the United Kingdom, British Columbia is around four times the size of the United Kingdom. British Columbia is a hilly province with several major ranges running primarily north-south from the coast to the Alberta border. In this part of Canada, “ecotourism” is a popular attraction. British Columbia is one of the top tourist places among Canadian provinces because of its beautiful natural landscapes and views.
MANITOBA
Manitoba is a prairie province in the centre of the country. In the languages of the Indigenous people who first resided in the region, Manitoba means “where the spirit lives.” It was founded in 1870. The province’s urban and rural towns, commonly known as ‘Friendly Manitoba,’ are diverse and hospitable. Manitoba provides a varied range of job opportunities, natural beauty, safe and pleasant communities, free public healthcare, and school systems that ensure a high standard of education. Living in Manitoba is affordable as housing costs here are among the lowest in the country.
NEW BRUNSWICK
New Brunswick is a Canadian province in the Atlantic region and the country’s only constitutionally bilingual province. It is the largest of Canada’s three Maritime provinces. Fredericton is the provincial capital, and Moncton is the largest city. New Brunswick was one of the first provinces to join the Dominion of Canada in 1867, along with Ontario, Québec, and Nova Scotia. New Brunswick has had small-scale immigration from all over the world, and it now has a diverse and increasingly cosmopolitan population.
NEWFOUNDLAND AND LABRADOR
In 1949, Newfoundland, the youngest of the Canadian provinces, became a member of Confederation. It has a total area of 405,720 km2, with Labrador accounting for about three-quarters of that (294,330 km2). The island of Newfoundland is the easternmost region of Canada, whereas Labrador is on the mainland to the northwest. Since the landing of John Cabot on the “new isle,” the island has been known as Terra Nova, or Newfoundland in English. Labrador is thought to have gotten its name from the Portuguese term “Terra del Lavradors.”
NORTHWEST TERRITORIES
The Northwest Territories (NWT) is the second largest of Canada’s three territories, covering a significant land area in the north of the country east of the Yukon territory. The federal government has more authority over the territory’s affairs because it is a territory rather than a province. Yellowknife is the largest and capital city of NWT. The Northwest Territories are located above the Arctic Circle. During the summer, the sun shines virtually nonstop for three months. Winter, on the other hand, ushers in darkness, with the sun barely visible for a fourth of the year.
NOVA SCOTIA
Nova Scotia, Canada’s second-smallest province (after Prince Edward Island), is situated on the country’s southeastern coast. Cape Breton, a huge island northeast of the mainland, forms part of the province. The name Nova Scotia is Latin for “New Scotland,” which reflects the origins of some of the early settlers. Nova Scotia’s economy is heavily influenced by the sea due to its closeness to the Atlantic Ocean, and its harbours have served as military facilities during numerous wars. Nova Scotia has over 3,000 lakes, and hundreds of streams and small rivers.
NUNAVUT
Nunavut is a huge northern Canadian territory that spans the majority of the Canadian Arctic. Nunavut was formed in 1999 from the eastern half of the Northwest Territories. It covers the traditional territory of the Inuit, the indigenous peoples of Arctic Canada (known as Eskimo in the United States). Its name means “Our Land” in Inuktitut, the Inuit language. Iqaluit, near the head of Frobisher Bay in southern Baffin Island, is the capital. Nunavut is the only area in Canada that is not connected to the rest of the country by any highways which makes it a unique territory.
ONTARIO
Ontario is Canada’s second-largest province by area, after Quebec. Ontario is home to more than half of all newcomers to Canada, making it the most multicultural province in the country. One in every four citizens of Ontario was born outside of the country, and a considerable portion of the population speaks languages other than English or French at home. Ontario is also the wealthiest province in the country, with a large share of the country’s natural resources and the country’s most developed and diverse industrial economy. It is both the economic engine and a strong political force in Canada.
PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND
Prince Edward Island, known as “the Island” by locals, stretches for around 140 miles (225 kilometres) from North Cape to East Point, with widths ranging from 2 to 40 miles (3 to 65 kilometres). It is one of Canada’s Maritime Provinces. The island is divided into three counties: Prince, Queens, and Kings. It is the smallest and most densely populated of Canada’s ten provinces. Prince Edward Island has two nicknames: “Garden of the Gulf” (relating to the Gulf of St. Lawrence) and “Million-Acre Farm” (pointing to the island’s fertile red soil). Because of its high potato output, it is often referred to as “Spud Island.”
QUEBEC
Quebec, sometimes known as French Québec, is a province in eastern Canada. Quebec is the largest of Canada’s ten provinces in terms of area and population, accounting for almost one-sixth of the country’s total land area. Quebec City, the capital, is Canada’s oldest city. The name Quebec, derived from an Algonquian phrase meaning “where the river narrows,” was given to the city in 1608 and calls visitors to the city’s magnificent view of the majestic St. Lawrence River and the pastoral Orleans Island.
SASKATCHEWAN
Saskatchewan is the “sunniest” province in Canada, with an average of 2,000 to 2,500 hours of sunlight per year. Regina, the province’s capital, has a population of around 240,000 people, while Saskatoon, the province’s largest city, has a population of around 300,000. Saskatchewan is home to 72 First Nations in Canada, with reserve lands spread around the province. The availability of large areas of fertile land has historically drawn people to Saskatchewan. Today, new immigrants are attracted to Saskatchewan mostly because of the province’s fast-growing modern economy.
YUKON
Yukon, originally Yukon Territory, is a region of steep mountains and high plateaus in northwest Canada. Yukon is derived from the Gwich’in term Yu-kun-ah, which means “great river” and refers to the Yukon River. Whitehorse is the capital of Yukon. The land, which is sparsely populated and mostly pristine, is one of the few remaining borders on the North American continent. The Yukon (together with Alaska) is the oldest continuously inhabited portion of North America, despite being one of the youngest parts of Canada in terms of European settlement.