The West and the North

The western and northern parts of Canada stretch from some of the world's richest farmland to vast, sparsely populated territories in the Arctic.

The Prairie Provinces

Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta make up the Prairie region, known for fertile farmland, dry winters and hot summers, and abundant energy resources.

• Manitoba's economy relies on agriculture, mining, and hydroelectric power. Winnipeg's Exchange District includes "Portage and Main," often called Canada's most famous street intersection, Winnipeg's St. Boniface has Western Canada's largest Francophone community, and Manitoba has the largest Aboriginal population of any province (over 15%) and is an important centre of Ukrainian culture.
• Saskatchewan has long been called the "breadbasket of the world," with 40 percent of Canada's arable land, and is the country's largest producer of grains and oilseeds. It also holds some of the world's richest uranium and potash deposits, and Regina is home to the RCMP training academy.
• Alberta, the most populous Prairie province, is home to Banff, Canada's first national park, established in 1885. Alberta is Canada's largest producer of oil and gas, with the northern oil sands developing as a major energy source. Its vast cattle ranches make Canada one of the world's major beef producers, and the Badlands hold some of the world's richest dinosaur fossil deposits. Alberta and Lake Louise were named after Princess Louise Caroline Alberta, a daughter of Queen Victoria.

The West Coast

British Columbia is Canada's westernmost province, known for its mountains and its role as the country's gateway to the Pacific. The Port of Vancouver is Canada's largest and busiest port. Forestry produces about half the province's goods, making it Canada's most valuable forestry sector, and the Okanagan Valley is known for fruit orchards and wine. B.C. has the most extensive park system in Canada, and its capital, Victoria, is headquarters of the navy's Pacific fleet. Warm Pacific air gives the coast a temperate climate.

The Northern Territories

Yukon, the Northwest Territories, and Nunavut together make up one-third of Canada's land mass but have a population of only about 100,000 people. Mining for gold, diamonds, and other minerals is a major part of the northern economy.

• Yukon's identity was shaped by the Gold Rush of the 1890s. It is home to Mount Logan, Canada's highest mountain, and holds the record for Canada's coldest temperature, -63°C.
• The Northwest Territories' capital, Yellowknife, is known as the "diamond capital of North America," and more than half its population is Aboriginal (Dene, Inuit, or Métis). The Mackenzie River, 4,200 km long, is North America's second-longest river system after the Mississippi.
• Nunavut, created in 1999, means "our land" in Inuktitut. It was created from the eastern part of the Northwest Territories. About 85 percent of its residents are Inuit, and Inuktitut is an official language and the first language in schools. Its capital, Iqaluit, was formerly Frobisher Bay.

Much of the North is tundra, a vast rocky Arctic plain too cold for trees, where the soil is permanently frozen. The Canadian Rangers, part of the Canadian Forces Reserves, patrol the Arctic by snowmobile and all-terrain vehicle, drawing on Indigenous knowledge to keep the flag flying.

The North experiences extreme seasons — nearly 24-hour daylight in summer and months of darkness in winter — earning it the name "Land of the Midnight Sun."