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What is the Abbreviation for Canada? And Other Related Questions

ByMarianne Giordano Updated on

What is the Abbreviation for Canada?

Canada is a vast and beautiful country, known for its stunning natural landscapes, friendly people, and multicultural heritage. As a proud Canadian, it’s important to understand and recognize the country’s abbreviations, especially when communicating with others. In this blog post, we will explore the most commonly used abbreviation for Canada, and why it’s important to know. Whether you’re a proud Canadian, a curious traveller, or just looking for fun facts, this post has something for everyone. So, without further ado, let’s dive in and learn the answer to the question “what is the abbreviation for Canada?”

So you may be wondering why we would be choosing to write about country abbreviations on a travel blog. But when you really think about it, it makes a ton of sense!

If you are looking up an address for a hotel or attraction, or are looking at a map, the country and province/territory (or state) will show up in an abbreviated form. You don’t want to mix up Nunavut for Nevada, or Manitoba for Minnesota!

And for those of you who are still old-school and still send postcards, you will want to make sure your card is getting to its rightful destination!

Canadian Flag

What is a Country Abbreviation Anyway?

Country abbreviations are short forms used when writing out the name of a country. These abbreviations are mainly used by Canada Post (or USPS in the United States), to represent the 13 provinces and territories on all addressed mail.

These abbreviations consist of 2 capital letters with no spaces or punctuation between. And the primary purpose of this system is to allow an automated sorting of the mail at the post office.

Nowadays, Canada and the United States use a 2-letter abbreviation for the country as well as their respective provinces/territories and states. This was not always the case.

As a kid, I remember when our provinces used to be abbreviated to 3 letters. At the time, there were no officially designated abbreviations, and there were a lot of inconsistencies in their usage.

This all changed in the early 1990s when officials decided to streamline Canada’s system and create consistent province codes. This occurred even earlier in the United States, with their codes having been streamlined in October of 1963.

Both Canada and the US felt that due to the limited amount of space available on mailing labels, four-letter abbreviations combined with the five or six-digit area/zip code were just too many digits.

Canada Souvenirs - Canada wall hanging

What is the Abbreviation for Canada?

The abbreviation for Canada is CA. Simple to remember.

How are Abbreviations Chosen?

Many people would think that the above abbreviation is derived from the first two letters of the word Canada. Unfortunately, they would be wrong.

When the 2 letter system came into effect, there was actually a process used to choose the letters to represent all of the provinces and territories. Of course, as is the case with most things involving the government, it’s not a simple process!

The sources of the 2 letter abbreviations vary. Some are derived from the first initials of two of the words in the name of a country, province/territory or state. For example, the United States of America (US).

Others abbreviations, like in the case of Canada, are taken from the first and final letter in the name – CANADA. And of course, the exception to this rule exists when an abbreviation is taken from the first and some other letter in the name – Saskatchewan (SK).

These abbreviations are all based on the English form of the names. But because Canada is a bilingual country, abbreviations also exist in French.

Luckily, many of the English names also correspond to their French equivalents. For example, NT could be derived from the first and last letters of Nord-Ouest, or the first initials of the name Northwest Territories.

Is-Canada-in-America-Person-holding-red-camping-mug-with-Canada-written-on-it

Is the Abbreviation for Canada and California the Same?

Yes. Unfortunately, the abbreviation for both Canada and California is CA.

And to be honest, we weren’t able to find a reason why. If I had to hazard a guess, it would be because one is a country and one is a state. This means that there would never be any confusion.

In fact, when the 2 letter abbreviations came into effect, the US and Canada went to pretty great lengths to ensure that none of the states and provinces/territories would share the same two letters. They wanted to avoid any overlap between the neighbouring countries.

For example, the USPS changed the abbreviation for the US state of Nebraska from NB to NE in November 1969. This was in an effort to avoid a conflict with New Brunswick.

What is the 3-Letter Abbreviation for Canada?

The 3 letter abbreviation for Canada is CAN.

Three-letter country codes are used most often for international sporting events and cultural competitions. In this case, they are used to designate participants from each country (i.e. CAN for Canada and USA for the United States).

Bike-up-against-maple-leaf-wall

Is CDN Short for Canada?

Yes. CDN is another abbreviation used for Canada. Its use, however, is completely different than that of the CAN abbreviation we discussed above.

Instead, the international code for Canadian license plates is CDN. And although this abbreviation is not actually displayed on our plates as it is in European countries (i.e. CH for Switzerland), it does exist.

So logically, wouldn’t the abbreviation for Canada make more sense if it was CND? Yes, but the DN actually stands for Dominion.

And since the abbreviation was created when Canada was called ‘The Dominion of Canada’, it actually does makes sense.

What Does the Abbreviation CAD Mean in Canada?

Another abbreviation for Canada that is definitely worth mentioning is CAD. CAD is the abbreviation used when talking about Canadian currency.

CAD is short for Canadian dollars, much like USD is short for the United States of America Dollar.

Winnipeg-Canadian-Mint-boy-with-coin

Canadian Province Abbreviations

So now that we know that the abbreviation for Canada is CA and that Canada has a few other abbreviations used for other things, let’s learn about the short forms for all the provinces and territories.

What is the Abbreviation for British Columbia?

The official abbreviation for British Columbia is BC.

British Columbia is Canada’s most westerly province. It is bordered by Alberta to the east, Alaska to the west, Yukon to the north, and Washington state to the south.

You can also use the following province abbreviations for it:

  • B.C. – English abbreviation for British Columbia
  • C.-B. – French abbreviation for Columbia-Britannique
Vancouver-Skyline

What is the Abbreviation for Alberta?

The official abbreviation for Alberta is AB.

Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, Northwest Territories to the north, and the state of Montana to the south.

You can also use the following province abbreviations for it:

  • Alta. – English abbreviation Alberta
  • Alb. – French abbreviation for Alberta

What is the Abbreviation for Saskatchewan?

The official abbreviation for Saskatchewan is SK.

Saskatchewan is bordered by Alberta to the west, Manitoba to the east, Northwest Territories to the north, and the states of Montana and North Dakota to the south.

You can also use the following province abbreviations for it:

  • Sask. – English abbreviation for Saskatchewan
  • Sask. – French abbreviation for Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan-Grasslands-bench

What is the Abbreviation for Manitoba?

The official abbreviation for Manitoba is MB.

Manitoba is bordered by Saskatchewan to the west, Ontario to the east, Nunavut to the north, and the states of North Dakota and Minnesota to the south.

You can also use the following province abbreviations for it:

  • Man. – English abbreviation for Manitoba
  • Man. – French abbreviation for Manitoba

What is the Abbreviation for Ontario?

The official abbreviation for Ontario is ON.

Ontario is bordered by Manitoba to the west, Quebec to the east, Hudson Bay to the north, and the states of Michigan, Minnesota, and New York to the south.

You can also use the following province abbreviations for it:

  • Ont. – English abbreviation for Ontario
  • Ont. – French abbreviation for Ontario
Sault Ste Marie to Thunder Bay - Agawa Pictographs - photo taken from edge of the rocky shore

What is the Abbreviation for Quebec?

The official abbreviation for Quebec is QC.

Quebec is bordered by Ontario to the west, New Brunswick to the east, Hudson Bay to the north, and Maine and several other U.S. states to the south.

You can also use the following province abbreviations for it:

  • Que. – English abbreviation for Quebec
  • Qc – French abbreviation for Quebec
  • P.Q. – Unofficial French abbreviation for Province du Quebec

Why Was PQ the Old Abbreviation for Quebec?

In 1991, the code for Quebec was actually changed from PQ to QC. In this case, PQ which is short for Province du Quebec did not conform to the other naming abbreviation styles.

QC was then chosen as it uses letters only from the name of the province, rather than from the word ‘province.’

What is the Abbreviation for New Brunswick?

The official abbreviation for New Brunswick is NB.

New Brunswick is bordered by the state of Maine to the west, the Gulf of St. Lawrence to the east, Quebec to the north, and Nova Scotia to the south.

You can also use the following province abbreviations for it:

  • N.B. – English abbreviation for New Brunswick
  • N.-B. – French abbreviation for Nouveau-Brunswick

What is the Abbreviation for Nova Scotia?

The official abbreviation for Nova Scotia is NS.

Nova Scotia is bordered by New Brunswick to the northwest, the Gulf of St. Lawrence to the northeast, and the Atlantic Ocean to the south.

You can also use the following province abbreviations for it:

  • N.S. – English abbreviation for Nova Scotia
  • N.-É. – French abbreviation for Nouvelle-Écosse

What is the Abbreviation for Prince Edward Island?

The official abbreviation for Prince Edward Island is PE.

The smallest of all the Canadian provinces and territories, Prince Edward Island is located near Nova Scotia and New Brunswick.

You can also use the following province abbreviations for it:

  • P.E.I. – English abbreviation for Prince Edward Island
  • Î.-P.-É. – French abbreviation for Île du Prince-Édouard
Prince Edward Island Facts - St. Peter's Harbour Lighthouse

What is the Abbreviation for Newfoundland & Labrador?

The official abbreviation for Newfoundland & Labrador is NL.

Labrador makes up the mainland portion of the province of Newfoundland and Labrador and is located east of Quebec. Newfoundland is Canada’s largest island and is located east of the Maritime provinces.

Newfoundland and Labrador’s official abbreviation was changed from NF to NL on October 21, 2002. This change was made to reflect the provincial name change from “Newfoundland” to “Newfoundland and Labrador” which took place on December 6, 2001.

You can also use the following province abbreviations for it:

  • N.L. – English abbreviation for Newfoundland and Labrador
  • T.-N.-L. – French abbreviation for Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador

What is the Abbreviation for Yukon?

The official abbreviation for Yukon is YT.

The Yukon is located east of the U.S. state of Alaska, west of the Northwest Territories, north of British Columbia, and south of the Arctic Ocean.

You can also use the following province abbreviations for it:

  • Yuk. – English abbreviation for Yukon
  • Yn – French abbreviation for Yukon
  • YK – Unofficial abbreviation for Yukon

What is the Abbreviation for Northwest Territories?

The official abbreviation for Northwest Territories is NT.

The Northwest Territories are located east of the Yukon, west of Nunavut, north of Alberta, Saskatchewan, and British Columbia, and south of the Arctic Ocean.

You can also use the following province abbreviations for it:

  • N.W.T. – English abbreviation for Northwest Territories
  • T.N.-O. – French abbreviation for Territoires du Nord-Ouest

What is the Abbreviation for Nunavut?

The official abbreviation for Nunavut is NU.

Nunavut is located east of the Northwest Territories, west of Hudson Bay and the Northwestern Passage, north of Manitoba, and south of the Queen Elizabeth Islands.

You can also use the following province abbreviations for it:

  • Nvt. – English abbreviation for Nunavut
  • Nt. – French abbreviation for Nunavut

Nunavut became a separate territory on April 1, 1999. Prior to this date, it shared the abbreviation NT with the Northwest Territories.

But to avoid any confusion, the newly minted territory received its own abbreviation code of NU on December 13, 2000.

What is the Abbreviation for Canada – Final Thoughts

Knowing the abbreviation for Canada is an important part of understanding and recognizing this wonderful country. Whether you’re a proud Canadian, a curious traveller, or simply interested in learning new things, this knowledge is a valuable addition to your understanding of the country.

We hope this blog post has not only answered the question, ‘what is the abbreviation for Canada’ but has also provided you with a little more understanding about the significance of this simple, yet powerful, abbreviation.

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Marianne Giordano is the founder and writer for The Journeying Giordano's. Together with her husband, John, and their children, the family has travelled to all 10 Canadian provinces and one Territory. Marianne is responsible for planning all of her family's travel itineraries and dreaming up new adventures. A Canadian native, Marianne shares all her favourite family-friendly things to do in Canada.