46 topics · Updated 2026-09-17
Postwar Canada enjoyed record prosperity and developed social assistance programs.
Canada participates in major international organizations and military alliances.
Quebec's Quiet Revolution and sovereignty movements shaped modern Canada.
Canadians have made many important discoveries and inventions.
Canada has produced notable athletes and inspirational figures.
Canada's system of government has three defining characteristics.
Canada has federal, provincial, territorial, and municipal levels of government with divided responsibilities.
The people elect representatives who pass laws and keep the government accountable.
Key figures in the federal government have distinct roles.
Canada's Head of State is a hereditary Sovereign who reigns in accordance with the Constitution.
A bill goes through a legislative process of seven steps before becoming law.
Each province and territory has an elected legislature with a Premier.
Canada is the second largest country on earth — 10 million square kilometres. Three oceans line Canada's frontiers: the Pacific Ocean in the west, the Atlantic Ocean in the east, and the Arctic Ocean to the north. The southern edge is the Canada-United States boundary.
Ottawa, located on the Ottawa River, was chosen as the capital in 1857 by Queen Victoria, the great-great-grandmother of Queen Elizabeth II. It is Canada's fourth largest metropolitan area. The National Capital Region covers 4,700 square kilometres.
Canada has ten provinces and three territories, each with its own capital city. Canada includes five distinct regions: the Atlantic Provinces, Central Canada, the Prairie Provinces, the West Coast, and the Northern Territories. Canada has a population of about 34 million people, with the majority living in cities.
Atlantic Provinces: Newfoundland and Labrador (St. John's), Prince Edward Island (Charlottetown), Nova Scotia (Halifax), New Brunswick (Fredericton). Central Canada: Quebec (Québec City), Ontario (Toronto). Prairie Provinces: Manitoba (Winnipeg), Saskatchewan (Regina), Alberta (Edmonton). West Coast: British Columbia (Victoria). North: Nunavut (Iqaluit), Northwest Territories (Yellowknife), Yukon Territory (Whitehorse).
Canada is divided into electoral districts, each electing one member of Parliament.
Voting is a privilege and right of Canadian citizenship with specific eligibility requirements.
Canadian law secures the right to a secret ballot.
The party with the most seats forms the government and its leader becomes Prime Minister.
There are specific procedures for voting during an election period.
Municipal government and First Nations governance play important roles.
Atlantic Canada's coasts and natural resources — fishing, farming, forestry and mining — have made these provinces an important part of Canada's history and development. The Atlantic Ocean brings cool winters and cool humid summers.
Newfoundland and Labrador is the most easterly point in North America and has its own time zone. It was the oldest colony of the British Empire, long known for its fisheries and coastal fishing villages. Today off-shore oil and gas extraction contributes substantially, and Labrador has immense hydro-electric resources.
Prince Edward Island (P.E.I.) is the smallest province, known for its beaches, red soil and agriculture, especially potatoes. It is the birthplace of Confederation, connected to the mainland by the Confederation Bridge, one of the longest continuous multispan bridges in the world. Anne of Green Gables was set in P.E.I. by Lucy Maud Montgomery.
Nova Scotia is the most populous Atlantic Province with a rich history as the gateway to Canada. Known for the world's highest tides in the Bay of Fundy, its identity is linked to shipbuilding, fisheries and shipping. Halifax, the capital, is Canada's largest east coast port and home to Canada's largest naval base. The province has Celtic and Gaelic traditions and over 700 annual festivals including the Halifax military tattoo.
New Brunswick, situated in the Appalachian Range, was founded by United Empire Loyalists and has the second largest river system on North America's Atlantic coastline, the St. John River. It is the only officially bilingual province, with about one-third of the population living and working in French. Saint John is the largest city; Fredericton is the historic capital; Moncton is the principal Francophone Acadian centre.
The Canadian justice system guarantees everyone due process and presumption of innocence.
Canada has various courts and police forces to administer justice.
More than half the people in Canada live in cities and towns near the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence River in southern Quebec and Ontario, known as Central Canada — the industrial and manufacturing heartland. Together, Ontario and Quebec produce more than three-quarters of all Canadian manufactured goods.
Nearly eight million people live in Quebec, the majority near the St. Lawrence River. More than three-quarters speak French as their first language. Quebec is Canada's main producer of pulp and paper and the largest producer of hydro-electricity. Montreal is Canada's second largest city and the second largest mainly French-speaking city in the world after Paris.
At more than 12 million, the people of Ontario make up more than one-third of Canadians. Toronto is the largest city in Canada and the country's main financial centre. Ontario has the largest French-speaking population outside Quebec. There are five Great Lakes between Ontario and the U.S.: Lake Ontario, Lake Erie, Lake Huron, Lake Michigan (in the U.S.A.) and Lake Superior, the largest freshwater lake in the world.
The Crown has been a symbol of the state in Canada for 400 years.
The current Canadian flag and the maple leaf are key national symbols.
English and French are Canada's two official languages and symbols of identity.
Canada has a national anthem and a royal anthem.
The fleur-de-lys is a symbol of French heritage adopted in Quebec.
Canada adopted an official coat of arms and national motto after WWI.
The beaver is a national symbol adopted centuries ago.
Canada has official and popular sports central to its identity.
Canada recognizes outstanding citizens through its honours system.
The Parliament Buildings are important architectural symbols.
Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta are the Prairie Provinces, rich in energy resources and some of the most fertile farmland in the world. The region is mostly dry, with cold winters and hot summers.
Manitoba's economy is based on agriculture, mining and hydro-electric power. Winnipeg is the most populous city, famous for the intersection of Portage and Main. St. Boniface has Western Canada's largest Francophone community. Manitoba is an important centre of Ukrainian culture and has the largest Aboriginal population of any province at over 15%.
Saskatchewan, once known as the 'breadbasket of the world,' has 40% of the arable land in Canada and is the country's largest producer of grains and oilseeds. It has the world's richest deposits of uranium and potash. Regina, the capital, is home to the training academy of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
Alberta is the most populous Prairie province. The province and Lake Louise were named after Princess Louise Caroline Alberta, fourth daughter of Queen Victoria. Alberta has five national parks including Banff (established 1885). It is the largest producer of oil and gas, with oil sands being developed as a major energy source, and is renowned for its cattle ranches.
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