Canada 🇨🇦
Canada is a country in North America with a population of 38,929,902. Its capital is Ottawa. The official currency is CAD, and the main languages are English, French.
Quick facts
- Capital: Ottawa
- Continent: North America
- Population: 38,929,902
- Area: 9,984,670 km²
- Density: 3.9 people per km²
- Currency: CAD
- Languages: English, French
- ISO code: CA
Where Canada sits
Canada 🇨🇦 is one of 23 countries in North America, with its capital at Ottawa. It covers 9,984,670 square kilometres — 2nd in the world — and is home to about 38,929,902 people, 38th globally.
The countries it shares a continent with include United States, Mexico, Guatemala, Haiti and Dominican Republic. If you are learning geography region by region — which works far better than alphabetically, because memory for places is spatial — those are the ones to learn alongside it.
How Canada compares
Raw figures are hard to hold on their own, so it helps to anchor them. In population, Canada sits closest to Poland and Ukraine. In land area, its nearest counterparts are United States and China.
At 3.9 people per square kilometre it is far below the world average of 59.4. It ranks higher by area than by population, so it is more spacious than its population alone suggests.
English is an official language in 58 countries here, among them Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, Bahamas and Barbados, and 53 others. The CAD is used by Canada and no one else.
To see Canada next to every other country, sort the country rankings by population, area or density; its currency and languages are listed alongside every other country's in world currencies and world languages.
How to remember Canada
Ottawa is in Ontario, where the Ottawa and Rideau rivers meet, right across from Gatineau in Quebec. For the flag, just think of the red maple leaf.
The flag of Canada: red and white
🇨🇦 The flag is a white square between two red vertical bands, with a red 11-pointed maple leaf in the centre. The maple leaf is a national symbol of Canada. The flag was adopted in 1965.
Region and neighbours
Canada is the second-largest country in the world by total area, filling the northern part of North America from the Atlantic to the Pacific and north into the Arctic Ocean. It shares land borders with one country: United States. The CIA World Factbook also lists a 1.3 km land border with Denmark (Greenland).
- United States 🇺🇸 — capital Washington, D.C.
Three facts about Canada
- Canada has the longest coastline of any country.
- Canada's border with the United States is the longest international land border.
- Canada is officially bilingual, in English and French, at the federal level.
Sources: Wikipedia: Canada, Wikipedia: Flag of Canada, Wikipedia: Ottawa, CIA World Factbook.
Quiz yourself on Canada
- North American capitals quiz — match Canada to Ottawa
- North American flags quiz — spot the Canada flag among its neighbours
Quizzes that include Canada
Three angles are worth covering for any country — where it is, what its flag looks like, and what its capital is. For Canada those are:
- North America map quiz — place it on a blank map
- North America flags quiz — identify its flag among its neighbours
- North America capitals quiz — match it to Ottawa
- Canada capital quiz — five quick questions starting with Canada
- Daily Map Challenge — five countries to find on a blank world map, the same five for everyone each day
Doing all three for one continent before moving on is far more efficient than learning flags globally, then capitals globally, then the map.
Read more about Canada
- Capital of Canada: Ottawa — the capital in detail, with size and density rankings
- All 23 countries of North America
Nearby countries
- Antigua and Barbuda 🇦🇬 — capital Saint John's
- Bahamas 🇧🇸 — capital Nassau
- Barbados 🇧🇧 — capital Bridgetown
- Belize 🇧🇿 — capital Belmopan
- Costa Rica 🇨🇷 — capital San José
- Cuba 🇨🇺 — capital Havana
- Dominica 🇩🇲 — capital Roseau
- Dominican Republic 🇩🇴 — capital Santo Domingo
- El Salvador 🇸🇻 — capital San Salvador
- Grenada 🇬🇩 — capital Saint George's
- Guatemala 🇬🇹 — capital Guatemala City
- Haiti 🇭🇹 — capital Port-au-Prince
Frequently asked questions
What are the colours of the Canada flag?
The flag of Canada is a white square between two red vertical bands, with a red 11-pointed maple leaf in the centre. The maple leaf is a national symbol of Canada. The flag was adopted in 1965.
Which countries border Canada?
Canada shares land borders with United States. The CIA World Factbook also lists a 1.3 km land border with Denmark (Greenland).
How can I remember the capital of Canada?
Ottawa is in Ontario, where the Ottawa and Rideau rivers meet, right across from Gatineau in Quebec. For the flag, just think of the red maple leaf.