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Canada in numbers

Canada's world records, the natural resources each province is rich in (Alberta oil, Saskatchewan potash, Quebec hydro) and what Canada exports, with sources.

Canada on the world stage

• 2nd — Largest country on Earth. 9,984,670 km² — only Russia is larger. Statistics Canada — Canada Year Book, Geography
• #1 — Longest coastline in the world. 243,042 km along three oceans: Pacific, Atlantic and Arctic. Statistics Canada — Canada Year Book, Geography
• #1 — Longest international border. 8,890 km shared with the United States. Statistics Canada — Canada Year Book, Geography
• #9 — Vancouver: one of the most liveable cities on Earth. Ranked 9th in the world in 2026 — the only North American city in the top 10. EIU Global Liveability Index 2026 (reported by Forbes)
• 75%+ — Of the world's maple syrup. Canada made more than three quarters of the world's maple syrup in 2025. Quebec alone makes 90% of Canada's. Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada — Maple industry overview 2025
• #1 — World's largest potash producer. 31% of world output (2024), almost all from Saskatchewan. Potash is a key crop fertilizer. U.S. Geological Survey — Canada mineral profile (2024 data)
• #2 — Uranium producer. Second in the world (2024), from the Athabasca Basin in northern Saskatchewan. U.S. Geological Survey — Canada mineral profile (2024 data)
• #3 — Proven oil reserves. About 11% of the world's reserves — after Venezuela and Saudi Arabia. 97% are in the oil sands. Canada Energy Regulator — Canada Energy Profile
• #4 — Crude oil producer. Fourth in the world (2023); Canada set a new production record in 2025. Canada Energy Regulator — record crude oil production in 2025
• #3 — Hydroelectricity generator. Third in the world (2023). About 60% of Canada's electricity comes from water. Canada Energy Regulator — Canada Energy Profile
• 9% — Of the world's forests. 362 million hectares of forest. Natural Resources Canada — State of Canada's Forests
• #2 — Gem-quality diamonds. Second in the world (2024), from mines in the Northwest Territories. U.S. Geological Survey — Canada mineral profile (2024 data)

Natural resources

• Oil (Alberta, Saskatchewan, Newfoundland and Labrador): #3 reserves · #4 producer. Alberta produces 84% of Canada's crude oil. Canada Energy Regulator — Canada Energy Profile
• Natural gas (British Columbia, Alberta): #5 producer (2023). LNG Canada in Kitimat, B.C., began shipping overseas in 2025. Canada Energy Regulator — Canada Energy Profile
• Potash (Saskatchewan): #1 in the world — 31% of global output. U.S. Geological Survey — Canada mineral profile (2024 data)
• Uranium (Saskatchewan): #2 in the world. Fuels nuclear power plants. U.S. Geological Survey — Canada mineral profile (2024 data)
• Gold (Ontario, Quebec, British Columbia, Nunavut, Yukon): #4 in the world. Gold exports jumped in 2025. U.S. Geological Survey — Canada mineral profile (2024 data)
• Diamonds (Northwest Territories): #2 for gem-quality diamonds. U.S. Geological Survey — Canada mineral profile (2024 data)
• Nickel (Ontario, Quebec, Newfoundland and Labrador, Manitoba): #4 in the world. Used in steel and electric-car batteries. U.S. Geological Survey — Canada mineral profile (2024 data)
• Aluminum (Quebec, British Columbia): #4 in the world, made with clean hydroelectric power. U.S. Geological Survey — Canada mineral profile (2024 data)
• Hydroelectricity (Quebec, British Columbia, Manitoba, Newfoundland and Labrador): #3 in the world. 60% of Canada's electricity. Canada Energy Regulator — Canada Energy Profile
• Iron ore (Newfoundland and Labrador, Quebec, Nunavut): Mined in the Labrador Trough and on Baffin Island.
• Forests and lumber (British Columbia, Quebec, Ontario, New Brunswick): 9% of the world's forests. Natural Resources Canada — State of Canada's Forests
• Wheat, canola and lentils (Saskatchewan, Alberta, Manitoba): The Prairies are one of the world's great grain baskets.
• Fish and seafood (Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, British Columbia): Lobster, crab and shrimp on the Atlantic; salmon on the Pacific.
• Maple syrup (Quebec, Ontario, New Brunswick): More than 75% of the world's supply. Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada — Maple industry overview 2025
• Fresh water (Ontario, Manitoba, Northwest Territories, Quebec): 891,163 km² of lakes and rivers, including about a third of the Great Lakes. Statistics Canada — Canada Year Book, Geography

What each province is rich in

British Columbia

• Forestry and lumber
• Natural gas and LNG (Kitimat)
• Mining: copper, coal, gold
• Salmon and seafood
• Port of Vancouver — Canada's largest port
• Film and technology
• Okanagan fruit and wine

Alberta

• Oil sands — 84% of Canada's crude oil
• Natural gas
• Beef cattle
• Wheat and canola

Saskatchewan

• Potash — the world's largest supply
• Uranium (Athabasca Basin)
• Wheat, canola, lentils and peas
• Oil

Manitoba

• Hydroelectricity
• Wheat and canola
• Nickel (Thompson)
• Port of Churchill on Hudson Bay

Ontario

• Car and truck manufacturing
• Banking and finance (Toronto)
• Gold and nickel (Sudbury)
• Niagara fruit and wine
• Technology

Quebec

• Hydroelectricity
• Aluminum smelting
• Maple syrup — 90% of Canada's
• Aerospace (Montreal)
• Forestry
• Iron ore

New Brunswick

• Forestry
• Lobster and seafood
• Oil refining (Saint John)
• Potatoes and food processing

Nova Scotia

• Lobster and fishing
• Shipbuilding (Halifax)
• Wild blueberries
• Offshore energy

Prince Edward Island

• Potatoes
• Lobster and mussels
• Tourism

Newfoundland and Labrador

• Offshore oil (Hibernia)
• Fishing
• Iron ore (Labrador)
• Hydroelectricity (Churchill Falls)
• Nickel (Voisey's Bay)

Yukon

• Gold mining (Klondike)
• Tourism

Northwest Territories

• Diamond mines
• Oil (Norman Wells)

Nunavut

• Gold mines
• Iron ore (Mary River)
• Arctic char and turbot
• Inuit art

Canadian cities

British Columbia

• Vancouver — population 662,248 (2021). Incorporated in April 1886; a fire destroyed most of the new city that June, and it was rebuilt within months. The Port of Vancouver is Canada's largest port. Hosted Expo 86 and the 2010 Winter Olympics. Ranked 9th most liveable city in the world in 2026 (EIU). Wikipedia
• Victoria — population 91,867 (2021). Began as a Hudson's Bay Company fort in 1843. Capital of British Columbia; the Parliament Buildings opened in 1898. Known for the mildest winters in Canada. Wikipedia
• Surrey — population 568,322 (2021). One of the fastest-growing cities in Canada. Second-largest city in British Columbia. Wikipedia
• Burnaby — population 249,125 (2021). Named after Robert Burnaby, a 19th-century explorer and legislator. Home of Simon Fraser University, opened in 1965 on Burnaby Mountain. Metrotown is one of the largest shopping centres in British Columbia. Wikipedia
• Kelowna — population 144,576 (2021). Centre of the Okanagan Valley, known for orchards and wineries. Home of UBC's Okanagan campus. Wikipedia
• Prince George — population 76,708 (2021). The largest city in northern British Columbia, built on forestry. Where the Fraser and Nechako rivers meet. Wikipedia

Alberta

• Calgary — population 1,306,784 (2021). Began as a North-West Mounted Police fort in 1875. The Calgary Stampede has been held since 1912. Hosted the 1988 Winter Olympics. Head office city of much of Canada's energy industry. Wikipedia
• Edmonton — population 1,010,899 (2021). Began as a fur-trade post, Fort Edmonton, in 1795. Capital of Alberta since the province was created in 1905. West Edmonton Mall, opened in 1981, is the largest mall in North America. Wikipedia
• Red Deer — population 100,844 (2021). Halfway between Calgary and Edmonton. Wikipedia
• Fort McMurray — population 72,326 (2021). Centre of the Athabasca oil sands. In 2016 a wildfire forced about 88,000 people to leave the city. Population shown is the whole Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo. Wikipedia
• Lethbridge — population 98,406 (2021). Its High Level Bridge (1909) is one of the longest and highest railway trestle bridges in the world. Wikipedia

Saskatchewan

• Regina — population 226,404 (2021). First called Pile of Bones; renamed Regina, Latin for "queen", in honour of Queen Victoria. Capital of the North-West Territories, then of Saskatchewan from 1905. Home of the RCMP training academy, Depot Division. Wikipedia
• Saskatoon — population 266,141 (2021). Largest city in Saskatchewan. One of the world's first cobalt-60 cancer treatment units was built here in 1951. Home of the Canadian Light Source synchrotron. Wikipedia

Manitoba

• Winnipeg — population 749,607 (2021). The Forks, where the Red and Assiniboine rivers meet, has been a meeting place for about 6,000 years. Scene of the Winnipeg General Strike of 1919. Home of the Canadian Museum for Human Rights, opened in 2014. Wikipedia
• Brandon — population 51,313 (2021). Second-largest city in Manitoba, a farming and rail centre. Wikipedia
• Churchill — population 870 (2021). Known as the polar bear capital of the world. A seaport on Hudson Bay, reached by rail or air — there is no road. Wikipedia

Ontario

• Toronto — population 2,794,356 (2021). Founded as York in 1793; renamed Toronto in 1834. Canada's largest city and its main financial centre. The CN Tower (1976) was the world's tallest free-standing structure for over 30 years. Insulin was discovered at the University of Toronto in 1921–22. Wikipedia
• Ottawa — population 1,017,449 (2021). Founded as Bytown in 1826 while the Rideau Canal was being built. Chosen as the capital by Queen Victoria in 1857. The Rideau Canal is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and becomes a skateway in winter. Wikipedia
• Mississauga — population 717,961 (2021). Home of Toronto Pearson, Canada's busiest airport. Named after the Mississauga First Nation. Wikipedia
• Hamilton — population 569,353 (2021). Canada's "Steel City". Home of McMaster University and the Canadian Football Hall of Fame. Wikipedia
• London — population 422,324 (2021). The world's first cancer patient treated with cobalt-60 radiation was treated here in 1951. Home of Western University. Wikipedia
• Greater Sudbury — population 166,004 (2021). Sits in a huge crater made by a meteorite impact about 1.8 billion years ago. One of the world's great nickel mining centres; the Big Nickel is a famous landmark. Wikipedia
• Thunder Bay — population 108,843 (2021). Formed in 1970 from Fort William and Port Arthur. Fort William was the inland headquarters of the North West Company fur traders. Terry Fox's Marathon of Hope ended near here in 1980. Wikipedia
• Niagara Falls — population 94,415 (2021). Faces the Horseshoe Falls, the largest of the three Niagara waterfalls. Wikipedia
• Kingston — population 132,485 (2021). Began as the French Fort Frontenac in 1673. First capital of the Province of Canada, 1841–1844. Home town of Sir John A. Macdonald, the first prime minister. Wikipedia

Quebec

• Montreal — population 1,762,949 (2021). Founded as Ville-Marie in 1642 by Paul de Chomedey de Maisonneuve and Jeanne Mance. Hosted Expo 67 and the 1976 Summer Olympics. One of the largest French-speaking cities in the world. Wikipedia
• Quebec City — population 549,459 (2021). Founded by Samuel de Champlain in 1608. Old Quebec is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the only walled city north of Mexico. The Battle of the Plains of Abraham was fought here in 1759. Wikipedia
• Laval — population 438,366 (2021). Quebec's third-largest city, on Île Jésus north of Montreal. Wikipedia
• Gatineau — population 291,041 (2021). Across the Ottawa River from Parliament Hill. Home of the Canadian Museum of History. Wikipedia
• Sherbrooke — population 172,950 (2021). Main city of the Eastern Townships, home of the Université de Sherbrooke. Wikipedia

New Brunswick

• Fredericton — population 63,116 (2021). Founded by Loyalists and capital of New Brunswick since 1785. The University of New Brunswick (1785) is one of the oldest English-language universities in North America. Wikipedia
• Moncton — population 79,470 (2021). In 2002 it became Canada's first officially bilingual city. Famous for Magnetic Hill, where cars seem to roll uphill. Wikipedia
• Saint John — population 69,895 (2021). Canada's oldest incorporated city, chartered in 1785. The Reversing Falls flow backwards when the Bay of Fundy tide comes in. Wikipedia

Nova Scotia

• Halifax — population 439,819 (2021). Founded by the British in 1749 as a naval base. The Halifax Explosion of 1917 killed about 2,000 people. About one million immigrants entered Canada through Pier 21 between 1928 and 1971. Wikipedia
• Lunenburg — population 2,396 (2021). Old Town Lunenburg is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The schooner Bluenose, shown on the Canadian dime, was built here in 1921. Wikipedia

Prince Edward Island

• Charlottetown — population 38,809 (2021). Called the Birthplace of Confederation: the Charlottetown Conference met here in 1864. Wikipedia
• Summerside — population 16,001 (2021). Second-largest city on Prince Edward Island. Wikipedia

Newfoundland and Labrador

• St. John's — population 110,525 (2021). One of the oldest European-founded settlements in North America. Guglielmo Marconi received the first transatlantic wireless signal on Signal Hill in 1901. Nearby Cape Spear is the easternmost point of North America. Wikipedia
• Gander — population 11,880 (2021). On September 11, 2001, Gander took in about 6,600 passengers and crew from 38 diverted planes — the story behind the musical Come From Away. Wikipedia
• Corner Brook — population 19,316 (2021). Largest city in western Newfoundland, built around a paper mill. Wikipedia

Yukon

• Whitehorse — population 28,201 (2021). Grew as a stop on the way to the Klondike gold fields in 1898. Capital of Yukon since 1953, when the capital moved from Dawson City. Wikipedia
• Dawson City — population 1,577 (2021). Heart of the Klondike Gold Rush of 1896–1899. Capital of Yukon from 1898 to 1953. Wikipedia

Northwest Territories

• Yellowknife — population 20,340 (2021). Founded after gold was found in the 1930s; today it serves the territory's diamond mines. One of the best places in the world to see the northern lights. Wikipedia
• Inuvik — population 3,137 (2021). The Inuvik–Tuktoyaktuk Highway, opened in 2017, was Canada's first all-season road to the Arctic Ocean. Wikipedia

Nunavut

• Iqaluit — population 7,429 (2021). Formerly called Frobisher Bay. Capital of Nunavut since the territory was created in 1999. Wikipedia
• Rankin Inlet — population 2,975 (2021). Largest community in the Kivalliq Region; gold mining nearby. Wikipedia

Invented in Canada

• 1921 — Insulin (Frederick Banting, Charles Best, J.J.R. Macleod, James Collip; Toronto). Isolated at the University of Toronto; first used on a patient in 1922. Banting and Macleod won the 1923 Nobel Prize. It has saved millions of lives with diabetes. Wikipedia
• 1876 — Telephone (Alexander Graham Bell; Brantford, Ont.). Bell, born in Scotland, worked out the idea at his family home in Brantford in 1874 and made the first long-distance call, from Brantford to Paris, Ontario, in 1876. Wikipedia
• 1846 — Kerosene (Abraham Gesner; Charlottetown, P.E.I.). Gesner, a Nova Scotian geologist, demonstrated his lamp fuel in Charlottetown. Kerosene lit homes around the world before electricity. Wikipedia
• 1859 — Steam foghorn (Robert Foulis; Saint John, N.B.). The first steam-powered foghorn warned ships in the Bay of Fundy. Wikipedia
• 1879 — Standard time zones (Sandford Fleming; Toronto). Fleming proposed dividing the world into 24 time zones; the idea led to the world system adopted in 1884. Wikipedia
• 1884 — Peanut paste (peanut butter) (Marcellus Gilmore Edson; Montreal). Edson, a Montreal pharmacist, patented peanut paste in 1884. Wikipedia
• 1906 — Voice radio broadcasting (Reginald Fessenden; Born in Quebec; broadcast from Massachusetts). Fessenden, born in Quebec, sent the first voice and music radio broadcast on Christmas Eve 1906. Wikipedia
• 1908 — Robertson screw (P.L. Robertson; Milton, Ont.). The square-socket screw does not slip out of the screwdriver. Still the standard in Canadian hardware stores. Wikipedia
• 1911 — Egg carton (Joseph Coyle; Smithers, B.C.). Invented to stop a dispute between a farmer and a hotel over broken eggs. Wikipedia
• 1925 — Snowblower (Arthur Sicard; Quebec). Sicard built a truck-mounted snow thrower to clear roads in Quebec winters. Wikipedia
• 1930 — Pablum baby cereal (Frederick Tisdall, Theodore Drake, Alan Brown; Toronto). Developed at the Hospital for Sick Children to fight rickets in babies. Wikipedia
• 1937 — Snowmobile (Joseph-Armand Bombardier; Valcourt, Que.). Bombardier's B7 snow vehicle (1937) led to the one-person Ski-Doo in 1959. Wikipedia
• 1937 — Walkie-talkie (Donald Hings; Trail–Rossland, B.C.). Hings built a portable two-way radio for mining work; it was used by soldiers in the Second World War. Wikipedia
• 1938 — First North American electron microscope (James Hillier and Albert Prebus; Toronto). Built at the University of Toronto; it could magnify thousands of times more than light microscopes. Wikipedia
• 1940 — Paint roller (Norman Breakey; Toronto). Made painting walls much faster than brushes. Wikipedia
• 1950 — Heart pacemaker (John Hopps, with Wilfred Bigelow and John Callaghan; Toronto). The first external pacemaker; today's implanted pacemakers keep millions of hearts beating. Wikipedia
• 1950 — Green garbage bag (Harry Wasylyk (with Larry Hansen); Winnipeg). Polyethylene garbage bags, first sold to hospitals, then to homes. Wikipedia
• 1951 — Cobalt-60 cancer therapy (Harold Johns (Saskatoon); Ivan Smith and team (London, Ont.); Saskatoon and London, Ont.). The first cobalt-60 radiation treatments for cancer, given in 1951; the "cobalt bomb" treated millions worldwide. Wikipedia
• 1952 — Electric wheelchair (George Klein; Ottawa (National Research Council)). Built for veterans of the Second World War with spinal injuries. Wikipedia
• 1961 — Proof of stem cells (James Till and Ernest McCulloch; Toronto). They proved that stem cells exist, the basis of bone-marrow transplants and regenerative medicine. Wikipedia
• 1962 — Hawaiian pizza (Sam Panopoulos; Chatham, Ont.). A Greek-Canadian restaurant owner first put pineapple on pizza. Wikipedia
• 1962 — Instant mashed potato flakes (Edward Asselbergs; Ottawa). Developed at the federal Department of Agriculture. Wikipedia
• 1968 — IMAX (Graeme Ferguson, Roman Kroitor, Robert Kerr, William Shaw; Toronto area). Giant-screen film system; the first IMAX film was shown at Expo '70 in Osaka. Wikipedia
• 1969 — Caesar cocktail (Walter Chell; Calgary). Created for the opening of an Italian restaurant; often called Canada's national cocktail. Wikipedia
• 1974 — Canola (Baldur Stefansson and Keith Downey; Winnipeg and Saskatoon). Bred from rapeseed into a healthy cooking oil. The name comes from "Canada" and "oil". Wikipedia
• 1979 — Trivial Pursuit (Chris Haney and Scott Abbott; Montreal). Invented by two journalists over a game of Scrabble; it sold tens of millions of copies. Wikipedia
• 1981 — Canadarm (Spar Aerospace and the National Research Council; Toronto). The robotic arm of the U.S. Space Shuttle, first flown in 1981. Canadarm2 works on the International Space Station. Wikipedia
• 1995 — Java programming language (James Gosling; Born in Calgary; built in California). Gosling, a Canadian, led the team that created Java, one of the most used programming languages. Wikipedia
• 1999 — BlackBerry (Research In Motion (Mike Lazaridis); Waterloo, Ont.). The first popular smartphone-style email device. Wikipedia

Sports and games born in Canada

• Indigenous origin — Lacrosse (Played by First Nations for centuries; rules set in Montreal, 1867). An Indigenous game, called baggataway and tewaarathon. William George Beers wrote its first written rules in 1867. Canada's national summer sport since 1994. Wikipedia
• 1875 — Ice hockey (Montreal). The first organized indoor game was played at Montreal's Victoria Skating Rink on March 3, 1875. Canada's national winter sport since 1994. Wikipedia
• 1860s — Canadian football (Montreal and Toronto). Grew out of rugby at universities in the 1860s. The Grey Cup has been awarded since 1909. Wikipedia
• 1876 — Crokinole (Perth County, Ont.). A table game of flicking discs. The oldest known board was made in 1876 by Eckhardt Wettlaufer. Wikipedia
• 1891 — Basketball (Invented by a Canadian in Springfield, Massachusetts). James Naismith, born in Almonte, Ontario, invented basketball as a gym teacher in the United States. Wikipedia
• 1893 — Stanley Cup (Ottawa). Donated by Governor General Lord Stanley; the oldest trophy competed for by professional athletes in North America. Wikipedia
• 1909 — Five-pin bowling (Toronto). Thomas Ryan created a smaller, faster version of bowling for his Toronto club. Wikipedia
• 1959 — Goalie mask in the NHL (Montreal). Jacques Plante of the Montreal Canadiens became the first goalie to wear a mask regularly. Wikipedia
• 1963 — Ringette (North Bay, Ont.). Created by Sam Jacks as a winter team sport for girls, played on ice with a straight stick and a rubber ring. Wikipedia
• 1977 — Wheelchair rugby (Winnipeg). Created by Canadian athletes with quadriplegia; now a Paralympic sport. Wikipedia

Exports

In 2025, Canada exported $779.0 billion of goods; about 72% went to the United States. Global Affairs Canada — Canada's merchandise trade, 2025

World's Top Exports — Canada's top 10 exports 2025 (Government of Canada and ITC data)

Global Affairs Canada — Canada's merchandise trade, 2025