The Most And Least Populated Provinces And Territories Of Canada?

Canada is located in the northern half of North America and is the second largest country in the world by total area covering 3.85 million square miles. The nation of Canada is subdivided into three territories and ten provinces with the most populated regions laying close to the southern border with the United States.

An Overview Of The Population Of Canada

Canada has an estimated population of about 36,443,632 people as of 2016 which accounts for 0.5% of the total population in the world. However, the population of Canada is not uniformly distributed since parts of the country with the largest surface areas have the lowest population density. Although Canada has a low population density on average, some regions are very dense, such as Southern Ontario.The four most populous provinces in Canada are Ontario, Quebec, British Columbia, and Alberta. Collectively, these four provinces account for 86% of Canada’s population. The two least populated territories in Canada include Yukon and Nunavut which account for 0.3% of Canada’s total population.

The Most Populated Province In Canada

Ontario, located in east-central Canada, is the most populous province and the second largest by total area in the country. Ontario has an estimated population of 13,983,000 which accounts for almost 40% of Canada’s total population. Ontario is not only home to the country’s capital city, Ottawa, but also the most populated city which is Toronto. Immigration plays a huge role in the population growth of Ontario which has been experiencing an influx of Latin American, Asian, African, European, and Caribbean immigrants. Urbanization due to industrialization has also played a role in the population growth of Ontario because it provides job opportunities, better living environments together with good educational institutions. The region is a vast area of arable land which also helps encourage population density.

The Least Populated Province In Canada

Nunavut, located in the northern region of Canada, is the largest territory as well as the least populated. Nunavut has an estimated population of 37,100 inhabitants. Despite its size in the area, Nunavut is least populated because of extremely harsh climatic conditions with land that is not arable. The harsh climate in Nunavut makes it hard for economic development which in turn limits the number of people moving in and out of the area thus resulting in low population density.

The Population Of Canadian Territories

Canada has three territories of Yukon, the Northwest Territories, and Nunavut. Of the three territories, the Northwest Territories is the most populated accounting for 44,500 inhabitants followed by Yukon with 37,500, and Nunavut which is the least populated region and territory in Canada with an estimated 37,100 population. The Canadian territories have low population densities because of their location in the northern part of the country characterized by limited arable land and harsh weather. Parts of the territories experience subarctic climates, and their landscapes are featureless with barren grounds, rock, ice and snow. The extreme northern parts of Canada comprise of frozen land that is inhabitable and due to its proximity to the Arctic, experiences 24 hours of sunlight in summer and 24 hours of darkness in winter. Despite temperatures in the Canadian territories being subarctic most of the land is not arable because it is considered desert and suitable for the survival of only a few plant and animal species.