Canada Geography Quiz
Provinces, capitals, lakes and the world's highest tides: 15 questions on the second largest country on Earth.
How many provinces does Canada have?
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10
Canada has ten provinces plus three territories. The provinces are BC, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland and Labrador.
Newfoundland was the last province to join, voting narrowly to enter Confederation in 1949 after decades as a separate British dominion.
Which is Canada's largest province by area?
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Quebec
Quebec covers about 1.5 million square kilometres (595,000 square miles), more than twice the size of Texas, making it the largest province, although the territory of Nunavut is larger still.
Quebec is the only Canadian province where French is the sole official language, and more than 80 percent of its residents speak it as a first language.
Which city is the capital of British Columbia?
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Victoria
Victoria, on the southern tip of Vancouver Island, has been the capital of British Columbia since the colony and mainland united in 1866, even though Vancouver is far larger.
Victoria is closer to Seattle and the US border than it is to Vancouver, and its parliament buildings were lit with thousands of bulbs as early as 1897.
Which is Canada's most populous city?
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Toronto
Toronto, the capital of Ontario, is home to nearly 3 million people in the city proper and well over 6 million in its metropolitan area, ahead of Montreal in second place.
The CN Tower in Toronto was the world's tallest free-standing structure for more than 30 years after it opened in 1976.
Which city is the capital of Alberta?
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Edmonton
Edmonton became Alberta's capital when the province was created in 1905, beating larger rival Calgary, and it remains the most northerly major city in North America.
West Edmonton Mall was the largest shopping centre in the world when it opened in 1981 and still houses an indoor water park and a hockey rink.
Which Canadian territory was created in 1999?
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Nunavut
Nunavut was carved out of the eastern Northwest Territories on 1 April 1999 as a homeland for the Inuit, giving Canada its third territory and its largest single jurisdiction by area.
Its capital, Iqaluit, is the only Canadian capital city not connected to the rest of the country by road.
Which is the smallest Canadian province by area?
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Prince Edward Island
Prince Edward Island covers just 5,660 square kilometres (2,185 square miles), smaller than many Canadian lakes, yet it hosted the 1864 Charlottetown Conference that led to Confederation.
The 12.9 kilometre (8 mile) Confederation Bridge, opened in 1997, links the island to New Brunswick and is the longest bridge over ice-covered water in the world.
Which city is the capital of Nova Scotia?
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Halifax
Halifax has been Nova Scotia's capital since its founding in 1749 and is the largest city in Atlantic Canada, with one of the deepest natural ice-free harbours in the world.
In 1917 a munitions ship exploded in Halifax Harbour, the largest man-made explosion before the atomic bomb, killing nearly 2,000 people.
Banff, Canada's first national park, is in which province?
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Alberta
Banff National Park in the Alberta Rockies was established in 1885 around hot springs discovered by railway workers, making it Canada's oldest national park and the third oldest in the world.
Lake Louise in Banff gets its turquoise colour from rock flour, fine glacial sediment suspended in the meltwater.
Which river carries water from the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean?
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St. Lawrence River
The St. Lawrence flows from Lake Ontario past Montreal and Quebec City into the Gulf of St. Lawrence, and the St. Lawrence Seaway lets ocean ships reach ports as far inland as Thunder Bay.
Jacques Cartier named the river in 1535 after sailing into it on the feast day of Saint Lawrence.
Which is the highest mountain in Canada?
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Mount Logan
Mount Logan in Yukon's Kluane National Park rises to 5,959 metres (19,551 feet), the second highest peak in North America after Denali, and it has the largest base circumference of any non-volcanic mountain.
A 1992 survey using GPS settled the height; before that some maps gave 6,050 metres, and the mountain is still rising a fraction of a millimetre a year.
Which is the largest lake located entirely within Canada?
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Great Bear Lake
Great Bear Lake in the Northwest Territories covers about 31,000 square kilometres (12,000 square miles); Lakes Superior and Huron are larger but are shared with the United States.
The lake straddles the Arctic Circle and is frozen for about eight months of the year, with an ice road across it in winter.
The Bay of Fundy, home to the world's highest tides, lies between which two provinces?
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New Brunswick and Nova Scotia
The Bay of Fundy separates New Brunswick from the Nova Scotia peninsula, and its funnel shape pushes the tidal range to about 16 metres (52 feet) at the head of the bay.
The Hopewell Rocks on the New Brunswick shore can be walked around at low tide and kayaked around a few hours later.
Which city is the capital of the Northwest Territories?
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Yellowknife
Yellowknife, on the northern shore of Great Slave Lake, became the capital of the Northwest Territories in 1967; Whitehorse is the capital of Yukon and Iqaluit of Nunavut.
Founded as a gold rush town in the 1930s, Yellowknife later boomed again when diamonds were discovered nearby in the 1990s.
Which is the largest island in Canada?
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Baffin Island
Baffin Island in Nunavut covers about 507,000 square kilometres (196,000 square miles), the fifth largest island in the world and bigger than the whole of Spain.
Despite its size, Baffin Island has only around 13,000 residents, most of them in the Nunavut capital, Iqaluit.
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All Geography quizzes →About the Canada Geography Quiz
Canada is the second largest country in the world, stretching across six time zones, and it has more lake area than any other nation. Its newest territory, Nunavut, was created only in 1999 and is bigger than Mexico. The Bay of Fundy on the east coast sees the highest tides on the planet, rising and falling by as much as 16 metres (52 feet) twice a day.
These 15 questions cover the ten provinces and three territories, their capital cities, the great lakes and rivers, the highest mountain, and a few landmarks every visitor should know. It suits Canadians who want to prove they paid attention in school, travellers planning a trip, and quiz fans who can never remember whether Alberta's capital is Calgary or Edmonton.
You will find 15 multiple choice questions here, each with four options. Difficulty: Medium. Most people finish in about 6 minutes, and every answer comes with a short explanation and one extra fact worth keeping.
How to play
Read the question and pick one of the four answers. The correct answer is revealed straight away with a short explanation, then press Next question to keep going. At the end you get your score out of 15 and a full review of your round. Play again any time and the questions arrive in a fresh order. There is no timer and no account.
Good to know before you play
How many provinces and territories does Canada have?
Ten provinces and three territories. The provinces run from British Columbia in the west to Newfoundland and Labrador in the east; the territories are Yukon, Northwest Territories and Nunavut.
What is the capital of Canada?
Ottawa, in Ontario, on the border with Quebec. Toronto is the largest city but not the capital.
What is the highest mountain in Canada?
Mount Logan in Yukon, at 5,959 metres (19,551 feet). It is the second highest peak in North America after Denali in Alaska.
Answer key: all 15 questions with explanations
- How many provinces does Canada have?
10 Canada has ten provinces plus three territories. The provinces are BC, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland and Labrador. Newfoundland was the last province to join, voting narrowly to enter Confederation in 1949 after decades as a separate British dominion. - Which is Canada's largest province by area?
Quebec Quebec covers about 1.5 million square kilometres (595,000 square miles), more than twice the size of Texas, making it the largest province, although the territory of Nunavut is larger still. Quebec is the only Canadian province where French is the sole official language, and more than 80 percent of its residents speak it as a first language. - Which city is the capital of British Columbia?
Victoria Victoria, on the southern tip of Vancouver Island, has been the capital of British Columbia since the colony and mainland united in 1866, even though Vancouver is far larger. Victoria is closer to Seattle and the US border than it is to Vancouver, and its parliament buildings were lit with thousands of bulbs as early as 1897. - Which is Canada's most populous city?
Toronto Toronto, the capital of Ontario, is home to nearly 3 million people in the city proper and well over 6 million in its metropolitan area, ahead of Montreal in second place. The CN Tower in Toronto was the world's tallest free-standing structure for more than 30 years after it opened in 1976. - Which city is the capital of Alberta?
Edmonton Edmonton became Alberta's capital when the province was created in 1905, beating larger rival Calgary, and it remains the most northerly major city in North America. West Edmonton Mall was the largest shopping centre in the world when it opened in 1981 and still houses an indoor water park and a hockey rink. - Which Canadian territory was created in 1999?
Nunavut Nunavut was carved out of the eastern Northwest Territories on 1 April 1999 as a homeland for the Inuit, giving Canada its third territory and its largest single jurisdiction by area. Its capital, Iqaluit, is the only Canadian capital city not connected to the rest of the country by road. - Which is the smallest Canadian province by area?
Prince Edward Island Prince Edward Island covers just 5,660 square kilometres (2,185 square miles), smaller than many Canadian lakes, yet it hosted the 1864 Charlottetown Conference that led to Confederation. The 12.9 kilometre (8 mile) Confederation Bridge, opened in 1997, links the island to New Brunswick and is the longest bridge over ice-covered water in the world. - Which city is the capital of Nova Scotia?
Halifax Halifax has been Nova Scotia's capital since its founding in 1749 and is the largest city in Atlantic Canada, with one of the deepest natural ice-free harbours in the world. In 1917 a munitions ship exploded in Halifax Harbour, the largest man-made explosion before the atomic bomb, killing nearly 2,000 people. - Banff, Canada's first national park, is in which province?
Alberta Banff National Park in the Alberta Rockies was established in 1885 around hot springs discovered by railway workers, making it Canada's oldest national park and the third oldest in the world. Lake Louise in Banff gets its turquoise colour from rock flour, fine glacial sediment suspended in the meltwater. - Which river carries water from the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean?
St. Lawrence River The St. Lawrence flows from Lake Ontario past Montreal and Quebec City into the Gulf of St. Lawrence, and the St. Lawrence Seaway lets ocean ships reach ports as far inland as Thunder Bay. Jacques Cartier named the river in 1535 after sailing into it on the feast day of Saint Lawrence. - Which is the highest mountain in Canada?
Mount Logan Mount Logan in Yukon's Kluane National Park rises to 5,959 metres (19,551 feet), the second highest peak in North America after Denali, and it has the largest base circumference of any non-volcanic mountain. A 1992 survey using GPS settled the height; before that some maps gave 6,050 metres, and the mountain is still rising a fraction of a millimetre a year. - Which is the largest lake located entirely within Canada?
Great Bear Lake Great Bear Lake in the Northwest Territories covers about 31,000 square kilometres (12,000 square miles); Lakes Superior and Huron are larger but are shared with the United States. The lake straddles the Arctic Circle and is frozen for about eight months of the year, with an ice road across it in winter. - The Bay of Fundy, home to the world's highest tides, lies between which two provinces?
New Brunswick and Nova Scotia The Bay of Fundy separates New Brunswick from the Nova Scotia peninsula, and its funnel shape pushes the tidal range to about 16 metres (52 feet) at the head of the bay. The Hopewell Rocks on the New Brunswick shore can be walked around at low tide and kayaked around a few hours later. - Which city is the capital of the Northwest Territories?
Yellowknife Yellowknife, on the northern shore of Great Slave Lake, became the capital of the Northwest Territories in 1967; Whitehorse is the capital of Yukon and Iqaluit of Nunavut. Founded as a gold rush town in the 1930s, Yellowknife later boomed again when diamonds were discovered nearby in the 1990s. - Which is the largest island in Canada?
Baffin Island Baffin Island in Nunavut covers about 507,000 square kilometres (196,000 square miles), the fifth largest island in the world and bigger than the whole of Spain. Despite its size, Baffin Island has only around 13,000 residents, most of them in the Nunavut capital, Iqaluit.
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