What If the United States Were Divided Into 10 Canadian-Style Provinces?

Canada's provinces look nothing like the American states, and this is for a good reason. While the two countries share many similarities, they developed and expanded in very different ways. So what would the United States look like if it had developed Canadian-like provinces instead? We're going to get to the 10 provinces of America, but first, let's dive into why Canada and the U.S. are so different. When we look at a map of Canada, one of the first things that strikes us is the sheer size of its provinces. Quebec, at nearly 600,000 square miles, is larger than every European country except for Russia, which arguably is mostly Asian in terms of where the country actually is, and only the U.S. state of Alaska is larger as far as national subdivisions go in North America. The same can be said for provinces like British Columbia, Ontario, Alberta, and Saskatchewan, all of which stretch for hundreds of thousands of square miles. Even Canada's smaller provinces can still be quite large, Prince Edward Island aside. Regardless, this vastness isn't accidental. It's a direct reflection of the way in which Canada divided itself moving westward, and the realities of its geography. Of course, one of the primary reasons for the enormous size of the Canadian provinces is the comparatively sparse population across much of the country. Unlike many parts of the United States, where population density often led to smaller, more numerous subdivisions, vast swaths of Canada remained, and still remain, lightly settled. Consider northern British Columbia or Manitoba, for instance. While geographically immense, their populations are very small and dispersed. If we take the top three-quarters of both provinces, we end up with populations of just 380,000 and 160,000 respectively. There simply wasn't, and often still isn't, the demographic imperative to create smaller, more numerous administrative units. Admittedly, both of these populations are larger than the current province of Prince Edward Island, but the way in which Prince Edward Island came to be a province at all is very unique. If you're interested, I have a whole video about it. So, as Canada expanded westward, particularly after Confederation in 1867, it did so by acquiring immense tracts of land, most notably Rupert's Land and the Northwestern Territory from the Hedson's Bay Company in 1870. Rather than immediately subdividing these vast holdings into numerous smaller provinces, the Canadian government initially organized them largely as one massive Northwest Territory. The creation of new provinces from this territory was a more gradual process, driven by a combination of increasing settlement, the development of agricultural lands, and a desire to encourage immigration. For instance, the small province of Manitoba was carved out in 1870, largely in response to the Métis resistance in the Red River Colony. Later, in 1905, as settlement significantly increased on the prairies, the two large provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan were created from portions of the then Northwest Territories. These new provinces were designed to be sizable, reflecting the agricultural potential and the still relatively dispersed population across the vast plains. This method of creating a few large provinces from vast, newly acquired territories stands in contrast to the more incremental and politically driven subdivisions seen in the United States. Canada's growth was less about continuously slicing up land to maximize political representation and more about extending governance over immense, often empty landmasses as population slowly warranted the creation of new, albeit still very large, provincial entities. Which is the perfect segue into how the U.S. carved itself up. The United States, with its 50 relatively small states, is visually very different from its northern neighbor. This is largely because the growth of the United States had a bit more nuance built into it, to say the very least. And this started from the very beginning. As the United States expanded westward from its original 13 colonies, it didn't just spread its existing states, such as Virginia and North Carolina, over its new territories. Instead, it embarked on a unique process of constant subdivision. Larger territories, such as the Northwest Territory, Louisiana Purchase, and Oregon Territory, often acquired through purchase or conquest, were systematically carved into smaller and smaller units that eventually became states. But here's the interesting part. If the United States and Canada are so similar, why did they develop and partition so differently? While population certainly played a role in the U.S., there was actually a more, dare I say, political reason for how states came to be. You see, each new state admitted to the Union was granted two senators automatically, regardless of its population size. This provision meant that creating more states, even from less populous territories, could significantly alter the balance of power in the U.S. Senate, granting specific political parties or regional interests more influence. For example, during the period leading up to the Civil War, the admission of new states became a contentious issue, as both pro-slavery and anti-slavery factions vied to create more states that would align with their cause and boost their representation in Congress. This is partly why Nevada was made into a state, despite having a population of only about 8,000 at the time of statehood. Furthermore, each new state also became part of the Electoral College, a system used to elect the President of the United States. This meant that the creation of new states also had a direct impact on presidential elections, adding another layer of political incentive for subdivision. So unlike Canada's more centralized approach to integrating its vast northern lands into a territorial system, the American process was characterized by a territories. In Canada, there was no politically motivated reason to create new provinces because their political system didn't reward the creation of new provinces. The U.S. model, therefore, was less about managing sparse populations over vast areas and more about systematically breaking down large territories into numerous, politically significant, but smaller, units. Which brings us to the whole point of this video. Let's turn the U.S. into a system of 10 provinces, just like our neighbor to the north. 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So while we will end up with 10 provinces just like Canada, they won't be oriented in the same way. That said, I have made the effort to keep the populations of each United Province at the same ratio as its Canadian counterpart. Basically, if a Canadian province has 15% of Canada's total population, I aim to match that with the respective United Province. All right, now we can get to the United Provinces of America. To start, we have the great, big, beautiful province of Superior. This enormous province weighs in at a staggering 720,000 square miles, making it larger than the current largest US state of Alaska, as well as larger than any current Canadian province. It would largely make up the entirety of the Great Lakes states, parts of the Midwest prairies, and much of the northeast and mid-Atlantic parts of the country. And not only would it be the largest province by area size, but it would also be the most populous by far with nearly 133 million people. This would make it roughly equivalent in prominence as the Canadian Province of Ontario, which comprises about 38% of Canada's total population. But unlike Ontario, Superior would be home to most of the country's largest cities, including New York City, Chicago, Philadelphia, Washington D.C., Detroit, and many more. To say the very least, Superior would dominate the United Provinces of America. Moving south, we have the province of Ozark. While another really large province in both size and population, Ozark is the best attempt to mirror the culturally distinguished Canadian Province of Quebec. But coming in at just 430,000 square miles, it would be significantly smaller than its Canadian cousin. Still, with about 71 million people, it would comprise about 20% of the United Provinces' population, which roughly falls in line with Quebec. Also, given its unique southern culture, including the French-built regions of Louisiana, it marks the most significantly cultural melting pot of the country, with Miami, Atlanta, Charlotte, and New Orleans leading the province. Let's hop all the way over to the west for now with the province of American Mojave. This province is the best attempt to recreate the Canadian Province of With 49 million people over a vast 350,000 square miles of land, American Mojave would make up about 13% of the country's population. I also found some other interesting similarities here, such as both American Mojave and British Columbia having a large border city on its far southwest border, with San Diego and Vancouver respectively. But what's perhaps most unique about this province is that it's really not at all that different from the California we know today. Physically larger, of course, but otherwise still heavily dominated by the coastal cities of San Diego, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. Moving back east, we have the province of Texaca, which, of course, I had to make the parallel of Canada's Alberta. Both are oil-rich and very politically conservative regions of each respective country, New Mexico aside. And coming in at about 39 million people on 502,000 square miles of land, Texaca makes up a vast swath of the middle part of the country, which would continue to be led primarily by the Texas Triangle of cities, Dallas, Houston, Austin, and San Antonio, but would also inherit the far west Arizona city of Phoenix. Oh, and it's worth pointing out that this would also be the warmest province overall, as Texaca would overwhelmingly be dominated by the dry, arid deserts of the American southwest. Just north from Texaca is the revived and engorged province of Dakota. Coming in at 13 million people on 569,000 square miles of land, Dakota, much like its Canadian cousin of Manitoba, marks the big step down in terms of population for the United Provinces, with it making up just 3.5% of the country's population. And with that lack of population comes a distinct lack of major cities as well. All of Dakota's major urban centers would be in the south and led by the cities of Denver, Salt Lake City, and Colorado Springs. Its vast northern areas, comprising the actual Dakota states, would largely be empty. West of Dakota is the province of Oridana, a fun mishmash of Oregon, Idaho, and Montana. This province, with about 10 million people on 342,000 square miles of land, is the United Provinces' answer to Canada's Saskatchewan, both of which make up about 3% of the population. Also though, Oridana, perhaps more so than any other province outside of American Mojave, would be the United Provinces' agricultural heartland, with the valleys of Oregon and Idaho providing much of the country's food. This province would be overwhelmingly led by the city of Portland, with the cities of Eugene, Spokane, and Boise rounding out the population centers. Heading all the way back east, we have the province of Nova Anglia, with nearly 8 million people on just 13,500 square miles of land. This province, of course, is the cousin of Nova Scotia, both of which translate to New England and New Scotland in Latin respectively. As an Atlantic province comprising just 2.5% of the country's population, Nova Anglia would far and away be the densest province of the United Provinces. It would also be home to the most educated population, with the most universities per capita, settling in as the country's small but brainy province. Nova Anglia, of course, is led by the cities of Boston, Providence, Worcester, Hartford, and Bridgeport. Just north of Nova Anglia is the province of Green Mountain, the cousin province to New Brunswick. This province would be home to just 6 million people on a little more than 51,000 square miles, and like New Brunswick, it really wouldn't have any major urban centers. Instead, its population would be more dispersed and rural, with an emphasis on the smaller urban areas of Portland, Manchester, and Burlington. But what it lacks in population centers, it more than makes up for in untouched forests and striking coastlines. Speaking of striking coastlines, over in the far northwest is the province of Cascadia and Alaska. Coming in at about 7 million people on a whopping 605,000 square miles of land, this split province is the cousin of Canada's Newfoundland and Labrador, albeit on different oceans. Cascadia and Alaska would make up about 1% of the United Provinces' population, and exude many of the same wet, windy, and very cold weather as its Canadian cousin. And like Newfoundland and Labrador, the population split between its regions would be heavily tilted to one side, with the Seattle metro region pulling in the vast amount of the province's population, with only Anchorage as Alaska's prominent city. Finally, in the very far southwest, in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, is the island province of Hawaii. Coming in at just 1.5 million people on just 6,400 square miles of land, Hawaii makes for the almost perfect cousin to Canada's Prince Edward Island. And while one is very tropical and the not, they both are small in size and population, and both have unique ways in which they came to be part of each country. Hawaii, with such a small population, would be led by the capital city of Honolulu, with not much else. Most other cities are just a scattering of towns around the various islands. And so there you have it. The United Provinces of America divided up in a way that most closely resembles Canada's provinces, with Superior, Ozark, American Mojave, Texaca, Dakota, Oridana, Nova Anglia, Green Mountain, Cascadia and Alaska, and Hawaii carved into 10 big, blocky provinces. Canada would be proud. Obviously, this is not how the United States divided itself, but it is a fun thought experiment in comparing the two countries. Mostly because, had the United States not won its war for independence, the British administrators of the region likely would have divided up the country in a manner similar to Canada or even Australia, with much larger tracts of land arranged for bureaucratic administration rather than politics. Hey, this week I'm in the doubtful sound in the far southwest part of New Zealand, on a cruise with my friends at Real New Zealand. If you're interested in a similar journey, check out their link in the description below, and definitely check out that video, because it is absolutely stunning. I hope you enjoyed learning all about the difference between Canada's provinces and the US states. If you did, maybe you should check out this video all about how the United States is actually 12 nations. Thanks for watching, see you next time.