How big is Canada?
Canada is among the world’s largest countries, and its territory is second to Russia only. The country has a total area of 3.8 million sq. miles or 9.9 million sq. km, including 291,571 sq. miles (755,170 sq. km) of water. Canada touches three oceans – the Pacific, the Arctic, and the Atlantic, and its coastline is 151,473 miles or 243,791 kilometers long. The border between the U.S and Canada is the longest undefended border. It is 5,525 miles (8,891 km) long.
The country has 32 islands with a territory greater than 966 sq. miles (2500 sq. km), among which Baffin Island, Victoria Island,
Newfoundland, Ellesmere Island, and others. Baffin Island is the world’s 5th largest island and the largest Canadian island. It has an area of 195,928 sq. miles or 507,451 sq. km. The capital of Nunavut, Iqaluit is found on the south-eastern coast. The two largest lakes found on Baffin Island are Amadjuak Lake and Nettilling Lake. Victoria Island is the 2nd largest island, and it straddles the boundary between the
Northwest Territories and
Nunavut. Victoria Island is almost double the size of Newfoundland, and it is the world’s 8th largest island. The permanent population is around 1,700 residents.
At 243,000 km, the shoreline of Canada is the world’s longest. A journey along the shoreline, at a pace of twenty kilometres a day, will take around 33 years to complete. Some regions of the coast have low cliffs made of mud, gravel, and sand. Other areas are dominated by hard bedrock. A journey along the shoreline may take longer than 33 years because of the numerous river deltas, sand dunes, marshes, and mud flats.
Canada’s coastline is not only the world’s longest – it is important for economic growth. For this reason, the country invests around $1 billion a year to maintain harbours and ports and to develop recreational facilities. The funds are used for aquaculture and pollution control as well as for erosion protection.
The country also has the world’s 2nd largest bay, Hudson Bay, which is a large body of saltwater in the north-eastern part of
Canada. Hudson Bay drains a huge area of 1,560,400 sq. miles (4,041,400 sq. km), which includes parts of
Alberta,
Saskatchewan,
Quebec,
Ontario, and most of
Manitoba. The bay forms part of the Atlantic Ocean. The Hudson Strait and Hudson Bay basins are also considered part of the Arctic, but their waters flow mostly to the Atlantic. Finally, Canada has the world’s
largest lake inside a lake. Lake Manitou is found on Manitoulin Island and has an area of about 40 sq. miles or 104 sq. km. The island itself is found in Lake Huron and is a freshwater island drained by the Manitou River. Lake Manitou contains many small islands, and they are islands in a lake, found on an island in a lake.
While Canada is one of the largest countries in the world, it covers less than 2 percent of the total earth’s surface.