Canada's provinces and territories: the essentials for the citizenship test
The Discover Canada guide has a whole chapter on the regions of the country (pp. 44 to 51). Here are the provinces, territories and capitals to know, summed up from our study sheet 3.
The provinces and territories, in the order they joined
| Year | Province or territory | Capital |
|---|---|---|
| 1867 | Ontario, the most populous province | Toronto |
| 1867 | Quebec | Quebec City |
| 1867 | Nova Scotia | Halifax |
| 1867 | New Brunswick | Fredericton |
| 1870 | Manitoba | Winnipeg |
| 1870 | Northwest Territories | Yellowknife |
| 1871 | British Columbia | Victoria |
| 1873 | Prince Edward Island | Charlottetown |
| 1898 | Yukon | Whitehorse |
| 1905 | Alberta | Edmonton |
| 1905 | Saskatchewan | Regina |
| 1949 | Newfoundland and Labrador, the last province to join | St. John's |
| 1999 | Nunavut, the newest territory | Iqaluit |
The four founding provinces of 1867 are Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. In 1880, the Arctic Islands were transferred to the Northwest Territories.
Canada's 5 regions
| Region | Provinces and territories |
|---|---|
| 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, Canada's "gateway" to Asia-Pacific |
| Northern Territories | Nunavut, Northwest Territories, Yukon |
Key points to remember
- Ottawa, the national capital, was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1857.
- New Brunswick is the only officially bilingual province.
- Canada is the world's 2nd-largest country by area (about 10 million km²), bordered by 3 oceans: Pacific, Atlantic and Arctic.
- Prince Edward Island is the smallest province; Toronto is the largest city.
- Nunavut (1999) is the newest territory; about 85% of its people are Inuit.
- Yukon holds Canada's cold record: −63 °C.
- Canada now has more than 40 million people (the older guide says 34 million).
Test yourself
In the full practice test, you can also add questions about your own province (premier, lieutenant governor, capital): current facts that don't come from the guide.
Summary taken from our study sheet 3; see the Discover Canada guide, pp. 19 and 44 to 51.