Provinces and territories of Canada

top-level subdivisions of Canada

Canada is a country and sovereign state in the north of North America. It is made up of thirteen administrative divisions: ten provinces and three territories.

The different levels of government in Canada are based on the principles of a federation: the governments of each province and territory share power with the federal government. The territories' governments have a more limited set of powers than the federal government.

The provinces are in the south of Canada, near the border with the United States. They go from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west. The territories are to the north, where fewer people live, close to the Arctic Circle and Arctic Ocean.

Here is a list of the provinces and territories, and their standard abbreviations, with their capitals (the cities where their governments are based) and largest cities. Canada's national capital, where the federal government meets, is Ottawa.

Province name Abbreviation Capital city[1] Largest city (if not the capital)
Alberta AB Edmonton Calgary
British Columbia BC Victoria Vancouver
Manitoba MB Winnipeg
New Brunswick NB Fredericton Moncton
Newfoundland and Labrador NL St. John's
Nova Scotia NS Halifax
Ontario ON Toronto
Prince Edward Island PE Charlottetown
Quebec QC Quebec City Montreal
Saskatchewan SK Regina Saskatoon
Territory name Abbreviation Capital city Largest city (if not the capital)
Yukon YT Whitehorse
Nunavut NU Iqaluit
Northwest Territories NT Yellowknife
  1. "Provinces and Territories". Government of Canada. 2013. Archived from the original on February 9, 2010. Retrieved August 6, 2013.
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