Atlantic Canada and Central Canada

Lesson 2 of 3 · 5 min read

The four Atlantic provinces built their economies on the sea, while Ontario and Quebec form Canada's manufacturing and population heartland.

Atlantic Canada and Central Canada sit on opposite ends of the country's economic story: one built around the sea, the other around cities, factories, and rivers.

The Atlantic Provinces

The four Atlantic Provinces — Newfoundland and Labrador, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick — have cool winters and humid summers, and their economies have long depended on fishing, farming, forestry, and mining.

Newfoundland and Labrador is the most easterly point in North America, has its own time zone, and is the oldest colony of the British Empire. Long known for its fisheries, it now also has offshore oil and gas, and Labrador has immense hydro-electric resources.
Prince Edward Island, Canada's smallest province, is known for its beaches, red soil, and potato farming, and is connected to the mainland by the Confederation Bridge.
Nova Scotia is the most populous Atlantic province, the historic gateway to Canada. Its Bay of Fundy has the highest tides in the world, and Halifax, Canada's largest east coast port (deep-water and ice-free), is home to the largest naval base. Its Celtic and Gaelic traditions sustain over 700 festivals a year.
New Brunswick, in the Appalachian Range, was founded by United Empire Loyalists and has the St. John River system. It is Canada's only officially bilingual province: about one-third of its people live and work in French. Saint John is the largest city, Moncton the main Acadian centre, and Fredericton the capital.

Central Canada

Central Canada — Ontario and Quebec — is home to more than half of Canada's population, clustered near the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence River. Together, the two provinces produce more than three-quarters of Canada's manufactured goods.

In Quebec, more than three-quarters of people speak French as their first language, and most live along the St. Lawrence. The resources of the Canadian Shield support forestry, energy and mining; Quebec is Canada's main producer of pulp and paper and its largest producer of hydro-electricity, and a leader in pharmaceuticals and aeronautics. Montreal is Canada's second largest city and the second largest mainly French-speaking city in the world, after Paris.

Ontario's people make up more than one-third of Canadians. Toronto, its capital, is Canada's largest city and main financial centre. The Niagara region is known for vineyards, wines and fruit. Founded by United Empire Loyalists, Ontario also has the largest French-speaking population outside Quebec.

Five Great Lakes lie between Ontario and the United States: Ontario, Erie, Huron, Michigan (entirely in the U.S.) and Superior, the largest freshwater lake in the world.

Key facts

The Atlantic Provinces are Newfoundland and Labrador, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick, historically built on fishing, farming, forestry, and mining.
New Brunswick is Canada's only officially bilingual province, and about one-third of its residents speak French.
Prince Edward Island is Canada's smallest province, known for its red soil and potato farming, and is linked to the mainland by the Confederation Bridge.
Nova Scotia's Bay of Fundy has the highest tides in the world, and Halifax, Canada's largest east coast port, is home to the largest naval base.
Ontario and Quebec together produce more than three-quarters of Canada's manufactured goods and are home to more than half of Canada's population.
Ontario's people make up more than one-third of Canadians. Toronto is Canada's largest city and main financial centre; Montreal is the second largest, and the second largest mainly French-speaking city in the world after Paris.

Common mistakes

Mistake: Assuming all of Atlantic Canada is officially bilingual.Correct: Only New Brunswick is officially bilingual; the other Atlantic provinces are not.
Mistake: Thinking Ottawa, Canada's capital, is in a different region from Ontario.Correct: Ottawa is located in Ontario, part of Central Canada, even though it serves as the national capital for the whole country.

Discover Canada — Canada's Regions

Review questions

Answer all 3 to mark this lesson done.

1. Which is Canada's only officially bilingual province?

2. Which body of water is known for having the highest tides in the world?

3. Which two provinces make up Central Canada and produce most of Canada's manufactured goods?

The Atlantic Provinces

Newfoundland and Labrador is the most easterly point in North America, has its own time zone, and is the oldest colony of the British Empire. Long known for its fisheries, it now also has offshore oil and gas, and Labrador has immense hydro-electric resources.

Prince Edward Island, Canada's smallest province, is known for its beaches, red soil, and potato farming, and is connected to the mainland by the Confederation Bridge.

Nova Scotia is the most populous Atlantic province, the historic gateway to Canada. Its Bay of Fundy has the highest tides in the world, and Halifax, Canada's largest east coast port (deep-water and ice-free), is home to the largest naval base. Its Celtic and Gaelic traditions sustain over 700 festivals a year.

New Brunswick, in the Appalachian Range, was founded by United Empire Loyalists and has the St. John River system. It is Canada's only officially bilingual province: about one-third of its people live and work in French. Saint John is the largest city, Moncton the main Acadian centre, and Fredericton the capital.