How many provinces and territories are in Canada?

Canada has 10 provinces and 3 territories. Each of them has its own capital city.

What is the capital of Canada?

Ottawa. It is on the Ottawa River, and Queen Victoria chose it as the capital in 1857.

Is Toronto the capital of Canada?

No. Ottawa is the capital of Canada. Toronto is the capital of Ontario, and the guide says it is Canada’s largest city.

What are the capitals of the three territories?

Whitehorse is the capital of Yukon, Yellowknife is the capital of the Northwest Territories, and Iqaluit is the capital of Nunavut.

What are the 5 regions of Canada?

The Atlantic Provinces, Central Canada, the Prairie Provinces, the West Coast and the Northern Territories.

Which capitals do I need to know for the citizenship test?

Discover Canada says you should know the capital of Canada (Ottawa) and the capital of your own province or territory.

Canadian Provinces and Capitals: All 13 for the Citizenship Test

How many provinces and territories does Canada have?

Canada has ten provinces and three territories. Every province and every territory has a capital city of its own.Discover Canada, Canada's Regions › Provinces and Territories, p. 44 (opens the official guide on canada.ca)

The guide says you should know the capital of the province or territory where you live, as well as the capital of Canada.

The five regions of Canada

Discover Canada divides the country into five regions:Discover Canada, Canada's Regions › The Regions of Canada, p. 44 (opens the official guide on canada.ca)

The Atlantic Provinces
Central Canada
The Prairie Provinces
The West Coast
The Northern Territories

Provinces, territories and capitals, region by region

This is the list of provinces and territories with their capitals, in the same regions and order as the table in Discover Canada.Discover Canada, Canada's Regions › Provinces and Territories, p. 44 (opens the official guide on canada.ca)Discover Canada, Canada's Regions › The Regions of Canada, p. 44 (opens the official guide on canada.ca)

Atlantic Provinces: Newfoundland and Labrador. Capital: St. John’s.Discover Canada, Canada's Regions › Population, p. 44 (opens the official guide on canada.ca)
Atlantic Provinces: Prince Edward Island. Capital: Charlottetown.
Atlantic Provinces: Nova Scotia. Capital: Halifax.
Atlantic Provinces: New Brunswick. Capital: Fredericton.
Central Canada: Quebec. Capital: Québec City.
Central Canada: Ontario. Capital: Toronto.
Prairie Provinces: Manitoba. Capital: Winnipeg.
Prairie Provinces: Saskatchewan. Capital: Regina.
Prairie Provinces: Alberta. Capital: Edmonton.
West Coast: British Columbia. Capital: Victoria.
North: Nunavut. Capital: Iqaluit.
North: Northwest Territories. Capital: Yellowknife.
North: Yukon (called Yukon Territory in the guide’s table). Capital: Whitehorse.

Ottawa, the capital of Canada

Ottawa is Canada’s capital. It sits on the Ottawa River. Queen Victoria chose it as the capital in 1857.Discover Canada, Canada's Regions › The National Capital, p. 44 (opens the official guide on canada.ca)

The area of about 4,700 square kilometres around Ottawa is called the National Capital Region. It protects and improves the area’s historic buildings and its natural environment.

What the guide says about some capitals

Halifax, Nova Scotia: Canada’s largest port on the east coast. Its harbour is deep and free of ice. Halifax has been important for Atlantic trade and defence, and Canada’s largest naval base is there.Discover Canada, Canada's Regions › Nova Scotia, p. 46 (opens the official guide on canada.ca)
Fredericton, New Brunswick: the guide calls it the province’s historic capital. Saint John, not Fredericton, is New Brunswick’s largest city.Discover Canada, Canada's Regions › New Brunswick, p. 46 (opens the official guide on canada.ca)
Toronto, Ontario: Canada’s largest city and its main financial centre. It is a provincial capital, not the national capital.Discover Canada, Canada's Regions › Ontario, p. 48 (opens the official guide on canada.ca)Discover Canada, Canada's Regions › Population, p. 44 (opens the official guide on canada.ca)Discover Canada, Canada's Regions › The National Capital, p. 44 (opens the official guide on canada.ca)
Regina, Saskatchewan: the training academy of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) is in Regina. Saskatoon is the province’s largest city.Discover Canada, Canada's Regions › Saskatchewan, p. 48 (opens the official guide on canada.ca)
Victoria, British Columbia: a tourist centre and the headquarters of the navy’s Pacific fleet.Discover Canada, Canada's Regions › British Columbia, p. 48 (opens the official guide on canada.ca)
Whitehorse, Yukon: in 1900, the White Pass and Yukon Railway opened between Skagway, Alaska, and Whitehorse.Discover Canada, Canada's Regions › Yukon, p. 50 (opens the official guide on canada.ca)
Yellowknife, Northwest Territories: it is known as the “diamond capital of North America.”Discover Canada, Canada's Regions › Northwest Territories, p. 50 (opens the official guide on canada.ca)
Iqaluit, Nunavut: its old name was Frobisher Bay, after the English explorer Martin Frobisher.Discover Canada, Canada's Regions › Nunavut, p. 50 (opens the official guide on canada.ca)

Study the regions for your test

Read our plain-English study notes on Canada’s regions at /discover-canada/canadas-regions, then try the free quiz on this chapter at /chapters/canadas-regions. For a page on each province and territory, see /provinces.

Common questions

How many provinces and territories are in Canada?: Canada has 10 provinces and 3 territories. Each of them has its own capital city.Discover Canada, Canada's Regions › Provinces and Territories, p. 44 (opens the official guide on canada.ca)
What is the capital of Canada?: Ottawa. It is on the Ottawa River, and Queen Victoria chose it as the capital in 1857.Discover Canada, Canada's Regions › The National Capital, p. 44 (opens the official guide on canada.ca)
Is Toronto the capital of Canada?: No. Ottawa is the capital of Canada. Toronto is the capital of Ontario, and the guide says it is Canada’s largest city.Discover Canada, Canada's Regions › The National Capital, p. 44 (opens the official guide on canada.ca)Discover Canada, Canada's Regions › Population, p. 44 (opens the official guide on canada.ca)Discover Canada, Canada's Regions › Ontario, p. 48 (opens the official guide on canada.ca)
What are the capitals of the three territories?: Whitehorse is the capital of Yukon, Yellowknife is the capital of the Northwest Territories, and Iqaluit is the capital of Nunavut.Discover Canada, Canada's Regions › Population, p. 44 (opens the official guide on canada.ca)
What are the 5 regions of Canada?: The Atlantic Provinces, Central Canada, the Prairie Provinces, the West Coast and the Northern Territories.Discover Canada, Canada's Regions › The Regions of Canada, p. 44 (opens the official guide on canada.ca)
Which capitals do I need to know for the citizenship test?: Discover Canada says you should know the capital of Canada (Ottawa) and the capital of your own province or territory.Discover Canada, Canada's Regions › Provinces and Territories, p. 44 (opens the official guide on canada.ca)Discover Canada, Canada's Regions › The National Capital, p. 44 (opens the official guide on canada.ca)