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 nameAbbreviationCapital city[1]Largest city (if not the capital)
AlbertaABEdmontonCalgary
British ColumbiaBCVictoriaVancouver
ManitobaMBWinnipeg
New BrunswickNBFrederictonMoncton
Newfoundland and LabradorNLSt. John's
Nova ScotiaNSHalifax
OntarioONToronto
Prince Edward IslandPECharlottetown
QuebecQCQuebec CityMontreal
SaskatchewanSKReginaSaskatoon
Territory nameAbbreviationCapital cityLargest city (if not the capital)
YukonYTWhitehorse
NunavutNUIqaluit
Northwest TerritoriesNTYellowknife