Canada's Regions: Canadian Citizenship Test Questions

Q1.What is the capital city of Canada?

• Toronto
• Ottawa
• Montreal
• Vancouver

Answer: Ottawa, on the Ottawa River, is the capital of Canada. It was chosen as the capital by Queen Victoria in 1857.

Q2.Canada is the world's ____ country by area.

• Largest
• Second largest
• Fifth largest
• Tenth largest

Answer: Only Russia is bigger: Canada covers about 10 million square kilometres, making it the world's second-largest country.

Q3.Which three oceans border Canada?

• Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian
• Pacific, Atlantic, and Arctic
• Atlantic, Arctic, and Southern
• Pacific, Arctic, and Caribbean

Answer: Three oceans border Canada: the Pacific (west), the Atlantic (east), and the Arctic (north).

Q4.Which provinces are the Atlantic Provinces?

• Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba, and Alberta
• Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Newfoundland and Labrador
• British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba
• Nova Scotia, Quebec, Ontario, and PEI

Answer: The four Atlantic Provinces are Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Newfoundland and Labrador.

Q5.Which provinces are the Prairie Provinces?

• Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta
• Ontario, Quebec, and Manitoba
• Alberta, British Columbia, and Yukon
• Saskatchewan, Ontario, and Alberta

Answer: The Prairie Provinces are Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta — rich in farmland and energy resources.

Q6.Which two provinces make up 'Central Canada'?

• Manitoba and Ontario
• Ontario and Quebec
• Quebec and New Brunswick
• Ontario and Alberta

Answer: Central Canada — the manufacturing heartland — is made up of Ontario and Quebec, where more than half of Canadians live.

Q7.What is the capital of Ontario?

• Ottawa
• Toronto
• Hamilton
• Kingston

Answer: Toronto is the capital of Ontario. It is also Canada's largest city and main financial centre. (Ottawa is the national capital.)

Q8.What is the capital of Quebec?

• Montreal
• Québec City
• Laval
• Gatineau

Answer: Québec City is the capital of the province of Quebec. Montreal is the province's largest city.

Q9.What is the capital of British Columbia?

• Vancouver
• Victoria
• Kelowna
• Surrey

Answer: Victoria is the capital of British Columbia. Vancouver is the province's largest city and busiest port.

Q10.What are Canada's three territories?

• Yukon, Nunavut, and Alberta
• Yukon, Northwest Territories, and Nunavut
• Nunavut, Labrador, and Yukon
• Northwest Territories, Nunavut, and Newfoundland

Answer: Canada's three territories are Yukon, the Northwest Territories, and Nunavut.

Q11.What is the capital of Nunavut?

• Yellowknife
• Whitehorse
• Iqaluit
• Churchill

Answer: Iqaluit is the capital of Nunavut, a territory created in 1999 whose name means 'our land' in Inuktitut.

Q12.Which province is the smallest and is known as the 'Birthplace of Confederation'?

• Nova Scotia
• Prince Edward Island
• New Brunswick
• Newfoundland and Labrador

Answer: Prince Edward Island is the smallest province and is known as the birthplace of Confederation. It is linked to the mainland by the Confederation Bridge.

Q13.Which province is Canada's largest producer of oil and gas?

• Saskatchewan
• Alberta
• British Columbia
• Ontario

Answer: Alberta produces more oil and gas than any other province, and its oil sands are a major energy source. It also has famous cattle ranches and Banff National Park.

Q14.The Bay of Fundy, home to the highest tides in the world, is located in which region?

• The West Coast
• The Atlantic Provinces (Nova Scotia/New Brunswick)
• The North
• The Prairies

Answer: The Bay of Fundy, between Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, has the highest tides in the world.

Q15.Which is Canada's largest city?

• Montreal
• Toronto
• Vancouver
• Calgary

Answer: Toronto, in Ontario, is Canada's biggest city and its main financial centre.

Q16.What is the capital of Alberta?

• Calgary
• Edmonton
• Red Deer
• Banff

Answer: Edmonton is the capital of Alberta; Calgary is the province's largest city.

Q17.What is the capital of Manitoba?

• Regina
• Winnipeg
• Brandon
• Saskatoon

Answer: Winnipeg is the capital of Manitoba. Its Exchange District includes the famous intersection of Portage and Main.

Q18.Which province is Canada's largest producer of hydro-electricity and pulp and paper?

• Ontario
• Quebec
• British Columbia
• Manitoba

Answer: Quebec, with its huge supply of fresh water, is Canada's largest producer of hydro-electricity and its main producer of pulp and paper.

Q19.Outside of Quebec, which province has the largest French-speaking population?

• New Brunswick
• Ontario
• Manitoba
• Nova Scotia

Answer: Ontario has the largest French-speaking population outside Quebec. New Brunswick, the only officially bilingual province, has the highest share: about one-third of its people.

Q20.Which Prairie province was once called the 'breadbasket of the world' and holds the world's richest deposits of potash?

• Manitoba
• Alberta
• Saskatchewan
• British Columbia

Answer: Saskatchewan, the 'wheat province,' is Canada's largest grain producer and holds the world's richest potash and uranium deposits. Regina hosts the RCMP training academy.

Q21.What is the capital of Nova Scotia?

• Halifax
• Sydney
• Charlottetown
• Fredericton

Answer: Halifax is the capital of Nova Scotia and is home to Canada's largest east-coast naval base.

Q22.Which province, the farthest east in North America, has a time zone of its own?

• Nova Scotia
• Prince Edward Island
• Newfoundland and Labrador
• New Brunswick

Answer: Newfoundland and Labrador is the most easterly part of North America and has its own (half-hour) time zone.

Q23.What is the capital of Saskatchewan?

• Saskatoon
• Regina
• Winnipeg
• Calgary

Answer: Regina is the capital of Saskatchewan and home to the RCMP's training academy. Saskatoon is the province's largest city.

Q24.What is the capital of New Brunswick?

• Saint John
• Halifax
• Fredericton
• Charlottetown

Answer: Fredericton is New Brunswick's historic capital. Saint John is the province's main port and manufacturing centre.

Q25.What is the capital of Prince Edward Island?

• Charlottetown
• St. John's
• Halifax
• Fredericton

Answer: Charlottetown is the capital of Prince Edward Island, Canada's smallest province, which is linked to the mainland by the Confederation Bridge.

Q26.What is the capital of Newfoundland and Labrador?

• Saint John
• Charlottetown
• St. John's
• Halifax

Answer: St. John's is the capital of Newfoundland and Labrador. Don't confuse it with Saint John, a port city in New Brunswick.

Q27.What is the capital of Yukon?

• Yellowknife
• Iqaluit
• Victoria
• Whitehorse

Answer: Whitehorse is Yukon's capital. In 1900 the White Pass and Yukon Railway linked it to Skagway, in neighbouring Alaska; today the line carries tourists over steep mountain passes.

Q28.Which city is known as the 'diamond capital of North America'?

• Whitehorse
• Yellowknife
• Iqaluit
• Sudbury

Answer: Yellowknife, the capital of the Northwest Territories, has earned the nickname 'diamond capital of North America'. Gold, lead, copper and zinc are also mined in the North.

Q29.Canada is divided into five regions. Which of these is one of them?

• The Great Lakes
• The Rocky Mountains
• The West Coast
• The St. Lawrence Valley

Answer: Going from west to east and north, the five regions are the West Coast (British Columbia), the Prairie Provinces, Central Canada, the Atlantic Provinces and the Northern Territories.

Q30.Which is Canada's second-largest city?

• Vancouver
• Montreal
• Calgary
• Ottawa

Answer: Montreal, in Quebec, is Canada's second-largest city after Toronto. It is famous for its cultural diversity.

Q31.Which of the Great Lakes is the largest freshwater lake in the world?

• Lake Ontario
• Lake Erie
• Lake Huron
• Lake Superior

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

Q32.About what share of Canadians live in Ontario?

• About one-tenth
• About one-fifth
• More than one-third
• More than two-thirds

Answer: More than one-third of all Canadians live in Ontario. Its capital, Toronto, is Canada's largest city and main financial centre.

Q33.Ontario's Niagara region is known for what?

• Vineyards, wine and fruit crops
• Oil sands and cattle ranches
• Potash and uranium mines
• Fishing villages and lighthouses

Answer: Niagara, in southern Ontario, is famous for its vineyards, wine and fruit growing. Elsewhere in the province, farmers raise cattle and poultry and grow vegetables and grain.

Q34.Which is the most populous of the Atlantic Provinces?

• Newfoundland and Labrador
• New Brunswick
• Nova Scotia
• Prince Edward Island

Answer: Nova Scotia has more people than any other Atlantic province. Its capital, Halifax, is Canada's largest east coast port and home to its largest naval base.

Q35.The St. John River system, one of the biggest on North America's Atlantic side, is in which province?

• Nova Scotia
• New Brunswick
• Newfoundland and Labrador
• Prince Edward Island

Answer: New Brunswick, in the Appalachian Range, was founded by the United Empire Loyalists. Its St. John River system is the second-largest on North America's Atlantic coast.

Q36.Which city is the main centre of New Brunswick's Francophone Acadians?

• Fredericton
• Saint John
• Halifax
• Moncton

Answer: Moncton is the main centre of New Brunswick's Francophone Acadians. About one-third of the province's people live and work in French, and New Brunswick is Canada's only officially bilingual province.

Q37.Which province is known for its beaches, red soil and potatoes?

• Nova Scotia
• Prince Edward Island
• Newfoundland and Labrador
• Manitoba

Answer: Prince Edward Island, the smallest province, is known for its beaches, its red soil and its farms, especially potatoes. It is the setting of Anne of Green Gables, Lucy Maud Montgomery's story of a red-haired orphan girl.

Q38.Which province was once the oldest colony of the British Empire?

• Nova Scotia
• Newfoundland and Labrador
• Quebec
• Prince Edward Island

Answer: Newfoundland and Labrador, the British Empire's oldest colony, was a prize much fought over early in Canada's history. It is famous for its fisheries, its fishing villages and its distinct culture.

Q39.Which province has the highest share of Aboriginal people of any province?

• Saskatchewan
• British Columbia
• Manitoba
• Ontario

Answer: Aboriginal people make up more than 15% of Manitoba's population, a bigger share than in any other province. Ukrainian culture also has a strong presence in Manitoba.

Q40.St. Boniface, home to Western Canada's largest Francophone community, is part of which city?

• Winnipeg
• Edmonton
• Regina
• Saskatoon

Answer: St. Boniface, Winnipeg's French Quarter, has the largest Francophone community in Western Canada.

Q41.What is the largest city in Saskatchewan?

• Regina
• Moose Jaw
• Saskatoon
• Prince Albert

Answer: Saskatoon is Saskatchewan's largest city, the headquarters of its mining industry and a centre for education, research and technology. Regina is the capital.

Q42.Alberta and Lake Louise were both named after whom?

• A daughter of Queen Victoria
• The wife of Sir John A. Macdonald
• A French explorer's daughter
• The mother of Queen Elizabeth II

Answer: Both were named after Princess Louise Caroline Alberta, Queen Victoria's fourth daughter. Lake Louise is in the Rocky Mountains.

Q43.Alberta's Badlands are famous for what?

• Hot springs and glaciers
• Fossils and dinosaur remains
• Diamond and gold mines
• Vineyards and fruit orchards

Answer: Alberta's rugged Badlands are among the richest places on earth for prehistoric fossils and dinosaur bones. The province also has five national parks, including Banff, established in 1885.

Q44.Which is Canada's largest and busiest port?

• The Port of Halifax
• The Port of Montreal
• The Port of Vancouver
• The Port of Saint John

Answer: Vancouver's port is the biggest and busiest in Canada. Billions of dollars' worth of goods pass through it, and it is Canada's gateway to Asia and the Pacific.

Q45.The Okanagan Valley, known for its fruit orchards and wine, is in which province?

• Ontario
• Prince Edward Island
• British Columbia
• Nova Scotia

Answer: The Okanagan Valley is in British Columbia, which is also known for forestry, mining and fishing. Ontario's Niagara region is another wine-growing area.

Q46.Why is the North often called the 'Land of the Midnight Sun'?

• In summer, it can stay light for 24 hours
• Its sunsets are brighter than anywhere else
• The sun never sets there all year
• Its people mostly work at night

Answer: At the height of summer, daylight in the North can last a full 24 hours. In winter the sun disappears for about three months.

Q47.What is the tundra?

• A thick forest of pine and spruce trees
• A mountain range along the Pacific coast
• A huge freshwater lake in the North
• A vast, rocky Arctic plain where no trees grow

Answer: The tundra covers much of Canada's North. Because the Arctic climate is so cold, no trees grow there and the ground stays frozen all year.

Q48.What brought thousands of miners to the Yukon in the 1890s?

• The fur trade
• The Gold Rush
• The new railway
• An oil discovery

Answer: In the 1890s the Gold Rush drew thousands of miners to the Yukon, a story the poet Robert W. Service wrote about. Mining is still important to the territory's economy.

Q49.Where is Mount Logan, Canada's highest mountain?

• In Alberta
• In British Columbia
• In Yukon
• In Nunavut

Answer: Mount Logan, Canada's highest mountain, is in Yukon. It is named after Sir William Logan, a world-famous geologist who founded the Geological Survey of Canada. Yukon also holds Canada's record for the coldest temperature ever recorded: -63°C.

Q50.The Mackenzie River, North America's longest river system after the Mississippi, is in which part of Canada?

• Yukon and Alaska
• Nunavut
• Northern Quebec and Labrador
• The Northwest Territories

Answer: The Mackenzie River, about 4,200 kilometres long, runs through the Northwest Territories; its basin covers some 1.8 million square kilometres.