Just as the title states, Canada is not just Quebec. This is a distinction that I never thought I would (or should) have to make, but recent events have shown me that this is not the case. Many friends and family members have asked me over the past few months if all of my classes would be in French, or if I am able to speak French well enough to get by at my new university. Almost every single one of them are surprised when I inform them that I am not, in fact, in Quebec, or even a French speaking province. In order to finally get this point across once and for all, I will be giving a brief introduction to each of the provinces of Canada, accompanied with maps (from Wikipedia) that outline where each province is.
Alberta
Alberta is one of the prairie provinces, and is also one of the western most provinces of Canada. Its famous cities include Edmonton, which is the provincial capital, and Calgary, the largest city in the province. The Athabasca Oil Sands are located in Alberta, where roughly one million gallons of oil are produced each day, despite facing frequent criticisms regarding the environmental impact of extracting the oil.
British Columbia
British Columbia is the western most province of Canada. Its famous cities include Victoria, which is the provincial capital, and Vancouver, the largest city in the province. Both cities are relatively close to the state of Washington. The 2010 Winter Olympics and Paralympics were held in Vancouver, and was the first Olympic event where Canada won a gold medal on Canadian soil.
Manitoba
Manitoba is one of the central prairie provinces of Canada. Its most famous city is Winnipeg, which is also the provincial capital. Four of the provinces five universities are located in Winnipeg.
New Brunswick
New Brunswick is one of the maritime provinces, located in the eastern part of the country. Its famous cities include Saint John, Moncton, and Fredericton, the provincial capital. New Brunswick is the only officially bilingual province, with roughly 33% of the population being French speaking.
Newfoundland and Labrador
Newfoundland and Labrador is the eastern most province of Canada, sometimes included with the other maritime provinces. Its largest city is St. John's, which is also the capital of the province. Newfoundland was one of the last provinces to become a part of Canada in 1949, with its name officially being changed to "Newfoundland and Labrador" in 2001.
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia is one of the maritime provinces, located in the eastern part of Canada. Its most famous city is Halifax, which is also the provincial capital. Nova Scotia is the second smallest province in Canada. Cape Breton Island is a part of Nova Scotia.
Nova Scotia is also where I currently am, attending Acadia University in the town of Wolfville. Wolfville is roughly an hour and a half drive northwest from Halifax.
Ontario
Prince Edward Island
Quebec
Quebec is the largest province in Canada. It is famous for being the only officially French speaking province in Canada. The most famous cities are Montreal and Quebec City, which is the provincial capital. Quebec City is one of the oldest cities in North America, and is also claimed to be "The Only Walled City in North America" because of the old walls still standing in Quebec's Old Town.
Saskatchewan
Hopefully this article helps to clear up some confusion that many people seem to have about Canada, and helps many to see that Quebec is not the only part of Canada worth knowing.
