Abstract

In 1905, Alberta and Saskatchewan are created as provinces with the boundaries they have today. The District of Keewatin is transferred back to the Northwest Territories.

Canada’s long and diversified settlement history is reflected in the two distinct patterns of boundaries that differentiate between eastern and western Canada. The eastern boundaries closely conform to natural features such as drainage basins, while the boundaries of western and northern Canada reflect the administrative organisation of these lands by, first, the Hudson’s Bay Company and later the Government of Canada.