Canada has the second largest landmass in the world, just shy of 10 million square kilometres. The ocean areas within Canadian jurisdiction are almost equal in size, resulting in a second, seaward Canada.

Ours is the world’s largest coastline measuring 243,792 kilometres. Stretched out as a single continuous line, Canada’s coastline would circle the Earth more than six times. We border three oceans: the Atlantic, Pacific and Arctic. These waters contain some of the world’s largest untapped reserves of offshore oil and natural gas.

East Coast 200 mile zone	1,400,000 km2
West Coast 200 mile zone	980,000 km2
Arctic 200 mile zone	2,920,000 km2
Internal Arctic waters	3,380,000 km2
Continental Margin outside the 200 mile zone	1,800,000 km2
TOTAL	9,880,000 km2

The ocean area for which Canada is responsible to defend under a combination of NATO and Canada-US Defence treaties and agreements is over 12 million square kilometres.

Nearly seven million Canadians live in coastal communities where many depend on the coast and the sea to make a living. Approximately one-quarter of all political ridings border one of Canada’s oceans.