Canada’s international borders have changed several times, and the country has grown from the original four provinces to the current ten provinces and three territories. Unlike the provinces, the territories of Canada have no inherent sovereignty and have only those powers delegated to them by the federal government. 

The majority of Canada’s population is concentrated in areas close to the Canada–US border. Its four largest provinces by area (Quebec, Ontario, British Columbia, and Alberta) are also its most populous; together they account for 86% of the country’s population. 

The territories (the Northwest Territories, Nunavut, and Yukon) account for over a third of Canada’s area but are only home to 0.3% of its population, which skews the national population density value.