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.