Canadian Provinces Quiz

Name all Canadian provinces and territories.

All ten provinces and three territories of Canada — the second-largest country in the world, and one most people can name three parts of.

Ten provinces and three territories

The distinction matters and quizzes test it. Provinces have constitutional powers of their own. Territories are administered under federal authority with powers delegated to them.

The ten provinces, west to east: British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland and Labrador.

The three territories: Yukon, Northwest Territories, Nunavut.

Learn it west to east

Canada reads naturally as a line, which makes it far easier than a scattered map. The four western provinces, then the two large central ones, then the four Atlantic provinces, with the three territories along the top.

The Prairie provinces — Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba — are the block people blur together, and they run in that order from west to east.

The Atlantic provinces are New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador. The Maritimes means the first three only, excluding Newfoundland — a distinction quizzes like.

The facts worth knowing

Nunavut was created in 1999, carved out of the Northwest Territories, making it the newest addition to the map of Canada. It is enormous and very sparsely populated.

Quebec is the largest province by area and the only one where French is the sole official language.

Prince Edward Island is the smallest province by both area and population, small enough to be easy to miss on a map.

Newfoundland and Labrador is one province with two parts — an island and a mainland section — and it was the last to join Confederation, in 1949.

Ontario holds the largest population and contains both Toronto, the largest city, and Ottawa, the national capital.

The capital trap

Canada's capital is Ottawa, not Toronto — chosen in 1857 as a compromise between English and French Canada, sitting on the Ontario–Quebec border. Toronto is much larger and is guessed constantly.

Provincial capitals are their own quiz: Victoria for British Columbia rather than Vancouver, and Quebec City for Quebec rather than Montreal, follow the same not-the-largest-city pattern seen across US states.

Where to go next

US States by Shape and US State Capitals cover the same kind of sub-national geography for Canada's southern neighbour. Which provinces touch which states is its own quiz: States That Border Canada and Mexico.

Frequently asked questions

How many provinces does Canada have?

Ten provinces and three territories. Provinces hold constitutional powers of their own, while territories are administered under federal authority with delegated powers — a distinction quizzes frequently test.

What is the newest Canadian territory?

Nunavut, created in 1999 from the eastern portion of the Northwest Territories. It is vast in area and very sparsely populated, and its creation was the most significant change to Canada's internal map in decades.

What is the capital of Canada?

Ottawa, in Ontario, on the border with Quebec. It was selected in 1857 as a compromise between English-speaking and French-speaking Canada. Toronto is much larger and is the most common wrong answer.

What is the difference between the Maritimes and Atlantic Canada?

The Maritimes means New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. Atlantic Canada means those three plus Newfoundland and Labrador, which joined Confederation later, in 1949.

Play Canadian Provinces offline in the app

Canadian Provinces Quiz and the rest of the arcade are in the free Geography Quiz Arcade app: Get it on Google Play · Download on the App Store.