Centre of Canada
There are several ways of determining the centre of Canada giving different locations.
Longitude
[edit]
The Rural Municipality of Taché, Manitoba, east of Winnipeg on the Trans-Canada Highway, has a sign at 96°48'35"W that proclaims it the longitudinal centre of Canada.[1] The sign was upgraded with the opening of Centre of Canada Park in 2017.[2] In effect, it marks the north-south line midway between the extreme points of Canada on the east and west, including islands (including Newfoundland since 1949).
Latitude
[edit]The latitudinal centre of Canada (including islands, but excluding Canada's claim to the North Pole) is a line at 62 degrees 24 minutes North.
Intersection of latitude and longitude
[edit]The intersection of these two lines is one definition of the centre point of Canada, as explained by the Atlas of Canada's website:
The centre of Canada can be measured in many ways. The most readily understood would be by taking the mid-point of the extremities of the Canadian landmass section, above. The resulting location 62°24′N 096°28′W / 62.400°N 96.467°W is located just south of Yathkyed Lake in Nunavut, west of Hudson Bay.
— The Atlas of Canada website, Natural Resources Canada[3]
The nearest inhabited places to this point are Baker Lake, Nunavut well to the north, and Arviat to the east. A sign that proclaims the point as the geographic centre of Canada was added in 1959.[1]
Pole of inaccessibility
[edit]The pole of inaccessibility of Canada (the point furthest from any coastline or land border) is near Jackfish River, Alberta at 34-115-17-W4 (Latitude: 59°1′ 48" N, Longitude: 112°49′ 12" W). [citation needed]
References
[edit]- ^ a b Campbell, Meagan (29 June 2015). "The centre of controversy: Where is Canada's middle?". Maclean's. Retrieved 23 January 2025.
- ^ "Meet in the middle: Centre of Canada park opens in RM of Taché, Man". CBC News. 17 August 2017. Retrieved 23 January 2025.
- ^ "The Atlas of Canada - Frequently Asked Questions About Canada". 22 January 2013. Archived from the original on 2013-01-22.