List of provincial and territorial nicknames in Canada

This partial list of provincial and territorial nicknames in Canada compiles the aliases, sobriquets and slogans that the provinces and territories are known by (or have been known by historically), officially and unofficially, to provincial and territorial governments, local people, outsiders or their tourism boards or chambers of commerce.

Provincial and territorial nicknames can help in establishing a provincial or territorial identity, helping outsiders recognize a community or attracting people to a community because of its nickname; promote provincial or territorial pride; and build community unity. They are also believed to have economic value, but their economic value is difficult to measure.

Some unofficial nicknames are positive, while others are derisive. The unofficial nicknames listed here have been in use for a long time or have gained wide use.

 British Columbia

• "Beautiful British Columbia", currently used on licence plates
• "The Pacific Province"
• "British California"

 Alberta

• "Wild Rose Country", currently used on licence plates
• "The Princess Province"
• "The Energy Province"
• "The Sunshine Province" ^[1]

 Saskatchewan

• "Land of the Living Skies", currently used on licence plates
• "The Bread Basket of Canada" ^[2]
• "The Wheat Province"
• "The Land of seed and Honey"

 Manitoba

• "Friendly Manitoba", currently used on licence plates
• "The Keystone Province" ^[3]
• "The Postage Stamp Province" ^[4]
• "Land of 100,000 Lakes"

 Ontario

• "The Heartland Province"
• "The Province of Opportunity" (dated, official provincial slogan, formerly seen on provincial highway construction project signs)
• "Yours to Discover", currently used on licence plates

 Quebec

• "Je me souviens" (French for "I remember"), currently used on licence plates
• "La Belle Province" (French for "The Beautiful Province", formerly used on license plates)^[5]

 New Brunswick

• "The Picture Province"
• "The Loyalist Province"
• "The Drive-Through Province" (derogatory, a reference to the perceived lack of a tourist industry in the province, leading many to simply drive through to the other Atlantic provinces)

 Nova Scotia

• "The Sea Bound Coast"
• "The Land of Evangeline"
• "Canada's Ocean Playground", currently used on licence plates ^[6]
• "Bluenoser Province" ^[7]

 Prince Edward Island

• "Spud Island"
• "Million Acre Farm"
• "The Garden of Gulf"
• "Abegweit"
• "Minegoo"
• "The Island"
• "The Cradle of Confederation"

 Newfoundland and Labrador

• "The Rock"^[8]
• "The Big Land" (Labrador)

 Northwest Territories

• "Canada's Last Frontier"
• "Land of the Polar Bear"
• "North of Sixty"

 Yukon

• "The Land of the Midnight Sun"

 Nunavut

• "Nunavut" means "our land" in Inuktitut
• "Our land, our strength"

See also

• List of city nicknames in Canada
• List of U.S. state nicknames
• Lists of nicknames – nickname list articles on Wikipedia

References

1. http://www.roadsidethoughts.com/prov_ab.htm
2. http://www.studycanada.ca/english/about-sask.htm
3. http://www.umanitoba.ca/outreach/cm/vol14/no20/manitoba.html
4. http://www.gov.mb.ca/chc/hrb/plaques/plaq0945.html
6. http://www.gov.ns.ca/nsarm/virtual/tourism/default.asp?Language=
7. http://www.schoonerbluenose.ca/
8. http://www.ttrn.com/dcsandraphinneynewfoundlandoffbeatenpath.htm

External links

• http://www.canadaproject.ecsd.net/provincial_and_territorial_trivi.htm
• http://www.johncletheroe.org/usa_can/states/index.htm