Census division - Definition and Overview

Census division is the next smallest political region below province or territory, in Canada, similar to a county. They are outlined by Statistics Canada to take national population counts every five years.

In New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island, census divisions are the same as counties. In Quebec and British Columbia, they follow regional municipality lines. In Ontario they follow lines of "upper-tier" municipalities, which can be counties, districts, regional municipalities or even cities depending on the part of the province (see the link below).

In Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba census divisions are numbered, and take in groups of municipalities such as cities and townships. In Newfoundland and Labrador, census division boundaries were drawn arbitrarily and are also numbered.

The Northwest Territories and Nunavut are both divided into regions. The Yukon has no census divisions, and is considered a census division in itself.

There are also smaller divisions known as census subdivisions, which generally correspond to municipal units.

Related Links:

• List of Newfoundland and Labrador Census Divisions
• List of Nova Scotia counties
• List of Prince Edward Island counties
• List of New Brunswick counties
• List of Quebec Regional County Municipalities
• List of Ontario Census Divisions
• List of Manitoba Census Divisions
• List of Saskatchewan Census Divisions
• List of Alberta Census Divisions
• List of British Columbia Regional Districts
• List of Northwest Territories Regions
• List of Nunavut Regions

• Map of Census Divisions (http://geodepot.statcan.ca/Diss/Maps/ReferenceMaps/n_cd_e.cfm)