About This Quiz
Canada is widely known for its vast, unpopulated wilderness — current statistics show that two out of every three Canadians live within 100 kilometres of the United States border. With a population that is expected to reach 38 million in the next couple of years, Canada's cities are growing both in terms of residential and geographical size. Some of these cities are well-known for being provincial capitals, and others are celebrated for their contributions to Canada's economic and cultural landscape. This quiz also features a sampling of Canadian cities that might not be as familiar to you. Each of the cities mentioned in the following questions is located in one of Canada's 10 provinces, which is where your geography skills will come in handy!
You may find it helpful to clear your mind and picture a map of Canada as you go through this quiz — hopefully, you'll be able to get a rough idea of where a particular city is located in the context of its home province. You'll learn all about the cities that shape the country's identity as well as the one-of-a-kind features that make them so unique. You'll also discover that the largest cities aren't necessarily the most historic or politically relevant — in fact, it's some of Canada's smaller cities that hold the most importance in terms of their contributions to Canada's identity as a nation.
Commonly referred to as "The Garden City," the city of Victoria is located on British Columbia's Vancouver Island. A major draw for tourists, Victoria is the capital of British Columbia and is home to the British Columbia Parliament Buildings and the second oldest China Town in North America.
With a population nearing 400,000, the city of London is located in southwestern Ontario. Home to the University of Western Ontario and Fanshawe College, London also boasts several major research hospitals, — all of which are main employers for the surrounding area.
If you want to visit Vancouver, you'll have to travel to the province of British Columbia! The Greater Vancouver area has a population total of just under 2,500,000 — this makes it the third most-populated city in all of Canada (following behind Toronto and Montreal.)
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Located in the province of Quebec, Montreal has the second-highest population of any city in Canada. A truly bilingual city, Montreal blends Old World aesthetics and tradition with modern culture, as evidenced by its annual Montreal International Jazz Festival and the Osheaga Music Festival.
If you guessed that the city of Québec (or Québec City) is located in the province of Québec, then you're correct! About 95% of Québec citizens speak French as their first language; according to census data, less than 2% of the population are native Anglophones.
The capital city of Newfoundland and Labrador, St. John's is located on the tip of the Avalon Peninsula. In addition to being the easternmost city in North America, St. John's is also one of the oldest established cities on the continent — it has been found marked on maps from 1519!
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Charlottetown, named after Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (a consort of King George III), is the capital city of the province of Prince Edward Island. Every year the city hosts the Charlottetown Festival, where fans of Canadian literature can attend a performance of "Anne of Green Gables: The Musical."
Theatre lovers from all over the globe will know that Stratford is located in southwestern Ontario! The Stratford Festival, previously known as the Stratford Shakespeare Festival, is world-renowned for its annual theatrical performances from May to October.
If you want to visit the city of Moose Jaw, you'll need to find your way to Saskatchewan (about 80 kilometres west of Regina.) Moose Jaw residents — or Moose Javians, as they prefer to be called — will tell you the city's name is based on the moose jaw-like shape of a nearby creek.
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With a population of just under 300,000, Saskatoon is the largest city in the province of Saskatchewan. Saskatoon is celebrated for its dedication to theatre, music and the arts — iconic Canadian singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell calls Saskatoon her hometown.
Winnipeg is the provincial capital of Manitoba — and the province's largest city. Famous for its frigid temperatures, winters in January sit at an average temperature of -21degrees Celsius — owning a parka is a must for residents of this city.
Home of the Toronto International Film Festival, Toronto is the largest city in Canada — with a population of almost 3 million — and Ontario's provincial capital. Toronto has several suburbs that make up the Greater Toronto Area, a census area with a population of almost 3 million.
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The capital of Canada, Ottawa, is located in southeast Ontario. Ottawa is the political hub of Canada and is home to Parliament Hill, which includes the Parliament Buildings, Peace Tower, Library of Parliament as well as the Senate and Commons chambers.
The city of St. Catharines is in Ontario — close to Lake Ontario! St. Catharines is well-known for its collection of public gardens, parks and trails and is nicknamed "The Garden City" in honour of its greenery.
Beautiful historic Halifax is the provincial capital of Nova Scotia, with a population of approximately 350,000 residents. Halifax is famous for its pre-Victorian buildings and heritage wooden houses. Halifax's Dalhousie University, a particularly beautiful set of buildings, is regularly featured in TV shows and films.
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Look no further than Laval, Quebec, if you love all things space-related! Laval's Cosmodome, a space museum and centre for space education, is the official Space Camp Canada and Space Science Centre locale.
The provincial capital of Saskatchewan, the city of Regina, is named after Queen Victoria — Canada's monarch between the years of 1837 and 1901. The Regina Symphony Orchestra can lay claim to being Canada's oldest continuously performing orchestra; it can still be found performing regularly at the Saskatchewan Centre of the Arts.
Look no further than Richmond, British Columbia, for the best authentic Asian food in the country! Richmond's population is largely made up of immigrants — it has the highest immigrant population in Canada — which makes it the perfect foodie destination for fans of Chinese, Filipino and Japanese cuisines (to name just a few!).
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Trois-Rivierès — which translates to "three rivers" — is a city located in the province of Quebec. It is named after the three mouths of the Saint-Maurice River where it meets the Saint Lawrence River, and the residents of Trois-Rivierès are referred to as Trifluviens.
You'll want to make sure the province of Alberta follows the city of Red Deer when you address your letter! The third most-populated city in Alberta, Red Deer was also the third city in the province to surpass 100,000 residents!
Look no further than Southern Ontario if you're heading to the Canadian side of Niagara Falls! Besides the actual Falls themselves, the city is made up of an impressive combination of hotels, casinos, light exhibitions, museums and live music venues.
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The city of Moncton is located in the province of New Brunswick! Moncton is officially considered a bilingual Canadian city — approximately two-thirds of its population consider English their first language while the remaining third identify French as their native language.
Saint John, New Brunswick — not to be confused with St. Johns, Newfoundland and Labrador — is a major port city in the Canadian Maritimes. Saint John has a rich Maritime history and is the country's oldest chartered city (ahead of Montreal, Winnipeg, Vancouver and Lloydminister.)
Known for its surrounding natural gas fields, the prairie city of Medicine Hat is situated in southeast Alberta. Hikers take note: Medicine Hat has over 100 kilometres of walkable trails and parks, including Police Point Park, Strathcona Island Park and Central Park.
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The city of Fredericton is the provincial capital of New Brunswick (although it's only the third-largest city in the province in terms of population.) The University of New Brunswick and St. Thomas University are both located in Fredericton — the former of the two schools is the oldest university in North America.
As a new resident of the city of Warman, you'll need a Saskatchewan driver's license! Warman is Canada's fastest-growing municipality — from 2011 to 2016, the city's population grew by an unprecedented 55%.
The city of Newmarket can be found in the province of Ontario! Along with several other neighbouring cities, Newmarket is part of the Greater Toronto Area and is situated in the Golden Horseshoe — a region of Ontario between Lake Ontario and Lake Simcoe.
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The community of Dartmouth is stationed in Nova Scotia, specifically the Halifax Regional Municipality of Nova Scotia. Thanks to the community's proximity to 23 nearby lakes, Dartmouth is also known as "The City of Lakes."
Kingston is situated in Eastern Ontario, close to the beginning of the St. Lawrence River and the southern tip of the Rideau Canal. The city of Kingston has a rich military history and was briefly the capital of the United Province of Canada from 1841 to 1844.
The city of Saguenay was recently formed in the province of Quebec. Saguenay was officially established in 2002 when the town of La Baie was integrated with the nearby cities of Chicoutimi and Jonquière.
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The city of Windsor is located in Ontario — right on the southern shores of the Detroit River. Windsor is a major port of entry into the United States and the city of Detroit, Michigan, is situated directly across the river.
Look no further than British Columbia if you want to find out where the city of Burnaby is located! With a population of approximately 250,000 citizens, Burnaby is the third-largest city in British Columbia (behind the cities of Vancouver and Surrey.)
The West Edmonton Mall — the world's biggest mall until 2004 — is located in Edmonton, Alberta. While you're staying in Edmonton, you should also make sure to visit Canada's biggest living history museum, Fort Edmonton Park.
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The city of Calgary is located in southern Alberta, roughly 80 kilometres from the Canadian Rockies. With a population hovering around 1,300,000, Calgary is a major centre of economic activity in Canada — it boasts the highest number of millionaires per capita out of all other Canadian cities.
Brr! The city of Prince George is located in northern British Columbia, where winter temperatures as low as -50° Celsius have been recorded. If the cold weather isn't your favourite don't worry, summer temperatures in Prince George hover in the low '20s.