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Distribution of Freshwater
Overall, Canada may be considered a freshwater-rich country: on an average annual basis, Canadian rivers discharge close to 9% of the world's renewable water supply, while Canada has less than 1% of the world's population. Water is also highly visible in Canada: probably no country in the world has as much of its surface area covered by freshwater as does Canada. Of particular note are the Great Lakes. This set of lakes, which is shared with the United States, makes up the largest surface area of freshwater found in one place anywhere in the world.
List of Distribution of Freshwater Maps:
Location of Freshwater
Table 1 shows the distribution of freshwater by province and territory. Most provinces and territories have large areas covered by lakes or rivers, in particular provinces or territories that also have large areas underlain by the Canadian Shield. Readers should note when using this table that it refers to the surface area of standing water only. When assessing water availability, it is important to consult other data such as the amount of streamflow on specific river systems, data on groundwater, and, of course, climate data.
Table 1. Canadian Provinces and Territories Ranked by their Freshwater Surface Area
| Provinces /Territories | Total Area (land + water) (km²) | Freshwater Area (km²) | Percentage of Jurisdiction Covered by Freshwater | Percentage of Total Canadian Freshwater Area |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quebec | 1 542 056 | 176 928 | 11.5 | 19.9 |
| Northwest Territories | 1 346 106 | 163 021 | 12.1 | 18.3 |
| Ontario | 1 076 395 | 158 654 | 14.7 | 17.8 |
| Nunavut | 2 093 190 | 157 077 | 7.5 | 17.5 |
| Manitoba | 647 797 | 94 241 | 14.5 | 10.6 |
| Saskatchewan | 651 036 | 59 366 | 9.1 | 6.7 |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | 405 212 | 31 340 | 7.7 | 3.5 |
| British Columbia | 944 735 | 19 549 | 2.1 | 2.2 |
| Alberta | 661 848 | 19 531 | 2.9 | 2.2 |
| Yukon | 482 443 | 8 052 | 1.7 | 0.9 |
| Nova Scotia | 55 284 | 1 946 | 3.5 | 0.2 |
| New Brunswick | 72 908 | 1 458 | 2.0 | 0.2 |
| Prince Edward Island | 5 660 | 0.0 | less than 0.1 | |
| Canada | 9 984 670 | 891 163 | 8.9 | 100.0 |
