This page lists the etymologies of the names of the Provinces and territories of Canada.
- British Columbia takes its name partly from Britain and partly from the Columbia whose crew first explored the area. Columbia in turn is a poetic name for the American continent discovered by Christopher Columbus.
- Manitoba is most commonly believed to have come from the Cree word manitowapow or the Ojibwa word manitobau, both meaning "the strait of the spirit".
- Northwest Territories named for its location northwest of Lake Superior. The territory once comprised virtually all Canadian land northwest of that lake; it has since been split up into several other provinces and territories, but has retained its name.
- Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland". In the 1620s a group of Scots was sent by Charles I to set up a colony, and the Latin name is used in Sir William Alexander's 1621 land grant. Although this settlement was abandoned because of a treaty between Britain and France, the name remains.
- Ontario got its name from a Native American language, most likely from onitariio, meaning "beautiful lake", or kanadario, translated as "sparkling" or "beautiful", or possibly from Wyandot (Huron) ontare ("lake").
See also
Last updated: 07-29-2005 22:13:00
