Canadian Capitals

Canada's fourteen capitals

Ottawa, plus ten provincial and three territorial capitals, and — like the American list — several of them aren't the city you'd expect. British Columbia's capital is Victoria, on Vancouver Island, not Vancouver. Alberta's is Edmonton, not Calgary. Quebec's is Quebec City rather than Montreal, and Saskatchewan's is Regina, not Saskatoon. Toronto, Winnipeg, Halifax, and St. John's are the ones where the largest city and the capital coincide.

The provincial legislatures are the attraction. Victoria's sits on the Inner Harbour, lit up at night; Quebec City's Parliament Building is the centerpiece of the only walled city north of Mexico; Manitoba's in Winnipeg has a famous golden boy on the dome and a cult following among people who read conspiracy theories into its architecture. Charlottetown's Province House is where Confederation was negotiated in 1864, and Fredericton's is a quiet riverside town that people forget is a capital at all.

The territorial three

Whitehorse, Yellowknife, and Iqaluit are the ones that turn this into a real expedition. Whitehorse and Yellowknife are reachable by road and have regular flights; Yellowknife in winter is one of the best places in the world to see the northern lights. Iqaluit, capital of Nunavut since 1999, has no road connection to anywhere — it's a three-hour flight from Ottawa, and it's the tick that finishes most people's map. Click a badge or its pin to mark a capital visited, again for want-to-go. The provinces map tracks the territories themselves.

Ottawa and the compromise capital

Ottawa was Queen Victoria's choice in 1857, selected over Montreal, Toronto, Quebec City, and Kingston partly because it sat on the Ontario–Quebec line and partly because it was far enough from the American border to be defensible. The Parliament Buildings on the hill above the river are the country's most recognizable architecture, and the Rideau Canal running through the city is a World Heritage Site and, in winter, the world's largest skating rink. It's the obvious first tick on this map and one of the easier capitals in the world to enjoy for a long weekend.