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© 2016 Dwellworks
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Discovering Canada
Geographic Overview
Canada is made up of 10 provinces
and three territories, and is the
world's second-largest country by
total area – fourth-largest by land
area. With a diverse topography that
varies widely regionally, the
Canadian landscape contains several
geographic elements, such as the
arctic tundra in the north, rain forests
in the west, prairie wheat fields in
center, and the breadth of the
coastline to the west, east, and north.
The country is sparsely populated,
with the majority of its land territory
being dominated by forest, tundra,
and the Rocky Mountains; about 80%
of the country's population of 35
million people live in the southern region bordering the U.S. The Pacific Ocean borders Canada to
the west, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Arctic Ocean to the north. Canada's southern
border with the United States is the world's longest land border. The great lakes line the
southeastern border of Canada, including Huron, Superior, Erie, and Ontario. Canada’s landmass is
also 8% water, due to the two million lakes that dot its landscape.
Major Cities
Ottawa is the capital city of Canada is, and is the sixth-largest city in the country. The other
major cities are:
Toronto, Ontario:
With a population of over 5.1 million people, Toronto is the capital of
province of Ontario. It is one of the largest cities in North America
Montreal, Québec:
This city in Québec has over 3 million people, and serves as the
largest city in the province as a whole
Vancouver, British Columbia:
Located on the coast, Vancouver has over 2 million
people, and is the second-largest city on the U.S./Canada border
Calgary, Alberta:
Calgary has a population of over one million people, and is situated
between the Bow River and the Elbow River
Edmonton, Alberta:
As the capital city of Alberta, Edmonton has a population of just
under a million people
Other major cities:
Ottawa-Gatineau, Ontario/Québec; Québec City, Québec;
Winnipeg, Manitoba; and Hamilton, Ontario