What are Canada's three territories?

Discover Canada records this in one direct sentence. The guide writes: The Northwest Territories, Nunavut and Yukon contain one-third of Canada's land mass. The three territories the test wants are therefore Northwest Territories, Yukon, and Nunavut.

Three territories, one-third of Canada. Discover Canada commits to a striking figure: the three territories cover one-third of Canada's land mass. So while these areas have small populations compared with the provinces, they represent an enormous geographic share of the country — covering most of the country's Arctic and northern boreal forests.

Each territory has a different capital and identity. Discover Canada identifies the three territorial capitals: Yellowknife (Northwest Territories), Iqaluit (Nunavut), and Whitehorse (Yukon). Each territory has distinctive features: the Northwest Territories has the Mackenzie River ("the second-longest river system in North America after the Mississippi") and a majority-Aboriginal population. Nunavut, established in 1999 from the eastern part of the Northwest Territories, is about 85% Inuit and uses Inuktitut as an official language. Yukon is famous for the Gold Rush of the 1890s and contains Mount Logan — Canada's highest mountain.

The territories are one of five Canadian regions. Discover Canada divides Canada into five regions: Atlantic Provinces, Central Canada, Prairie Provinces, West Coast, and the Northern Territories. So the three territories together form one of the country's five major regions. They differ from provinces in legal status — territories are governed under federal law and have their own legislatures with somewhat different powers — but they are full participants in the Canadian federation. Their vast geography also brings "security and sovereignty challenges" that the Canadian Rangers help address.

Each territory has unique geographic features. Discover Canada writes that "Yukon holds the record for the coldest temperature ever recorded in Canada (-63°C)," and that "Mount Logan, located in the Yukon, is the highest mountain in Canada." The Northwest Territories has the Mackenzie River system at 4,200 kilometres and an area of 1.8 million square kilometres. Nunavut, meaning "our land" in Inuktitut, was established in 1999 — the most recent of Canada's territorial creations.

The question is testing whether new citizens know Canada's three territories. Discover Canada commits to three: Northwest Territories, Yukon, and Nunavut. The right test answer matches that.

The wrong answer choices each substitute a province for a territory. Alberta, Manitoba, and Saskatchewan are Prairie provinces — not territories. Only the Northwest Territories, Yukon, and Nunavut combination matches the source.