Census Geographic Units of Canada Information

The census geographic units of Canada are the country subdivisions defined and used by Canada's federal government statistics bureau Statistics Canada^[1] to conduct the country's five-yearly census. They exist on four levels: the top-level (first-level) divisions are Canada's provinces and territories; these are divided into second-level census divisions, which in turn are divided into third-level census subdivisions (roughly corresponding to municipalities) and fourth-level dissemination areas.

In some provinces, a census division also corresponds to a county or another similar unit of political organization, while in other provinces the boundaries are chosen arbitrarily as no such level of government exists. Two of Canada's three territories are also divided into census divisions.

Census divisions

Canada's second-level geographic units are called "census divisions". In terms of size, they generally lie between the top-level administrative divisions of the province and territory and third-level administrative divisions such as sections, townships and ranges. Census divisions are divided into census subdivisions (see section below).

In most cases, a census division corresponds to a single unit of the appropriate type listed above. However, in a few cases, Statistics Canada groups two or more units into a single statistical division:

• In Ontario, Haldimand County and Norfolk County are grouped as a single census division, as are Brant and Brantford.
• In Quebec, 93 of 98 census divisions correspond precisely to the territory of one regional county municipality (with the addition of Indian reserves, which do not legally belong to RCMs) or a "territory equivalent to an RCM" (which usually corresponds to a single independent city). However, there are five census divisions consisting of two or three RCMs or equivalent territories each. For a list of these, see List of regional county municipalities and equivalent territories in Quebec#Use as census divisions

In almost all such cases, the division in question was formerly a single unit of the standard type, which was divided into multiple units by its province after the Canada 2001 Census.

Census subdivisions

Census subdivisions generally correspond to the municipalities of Canada. They include unorganized areas and the Indian reserves and settlements determined by Indian and Northern Affairs Canada.

Dissemination areas

Specially-defined geographic units

Census metropolitan areas

See template below for links to census metropolitan areas by size.

A "census metropolitan area" (CMA) is a grouping of census subdivisions comprising a large urban area (the "urban core") and those surrounding "urban fringes" and "rural fringes" with which it is closely integrated. To become a CMA, an area must register an urban core population of at least 100,000 at the previous census. CMA status is retained even if this core population later drops below 100,000.

CMAs may cross census division and provincial boundaries, although the Ottawa-Gatineau metropolitan area in Ontario and Quebec is the only one that currently crosses a provincial border. They do not, however, cross the Canada–United States border.

Consolidation

A CMA may be consolidated with adjacent census agglomerations (CAs; see below) if they are closely integrated, to produce a grouping known as a "consolidated census metropolitan area" (CCMA). The component CMA and CAs are then described as the "primary census metropolitan area" (PCMA) and "primary census agglomeration (or agglomerations)" (PCA or PCAs).

CMAs may not be consolidated with each other.^{[verification needed]}

Census agglomerations

A "census agglomeration" (CA) is a smaller version of a CMA in which the urban core population at the previous census was greater than 10,000 but less than 100,000.

Census tracts

CMAs and CAs with a population greater than 50,000 are subdivided into census tracts which have populations ranging from 2,000 to 8,000.

Urban areas

An "urban area" (UA) is any grouping of contiguous dissemination areas that has a minimum population of 1,000 and average population density of greater than 400 persons per square kilometre.

See also

• Census division statistics of Canada
• Census divisions of Alberta · Newfoundland and Labrador · Ontario · Saskatchewan
• Counties of New Brunswick · Nova Scotia · Prince Edward Island
• Regions of Manitoba · Northwest Territories · Nunavut
• Regional county municipalities of Quebec
• Regional districts of British Columbia
• Standard Geographical Classification code

Footnotes

1. ^ Statistics Canada. "Illustrated Glossary: Census Geography". http://geodepot.statcan.ca/Diss/Reference/COGG/Index_e.cfm. Retrieved 2006-10-11.
2. ^ Sometimes used for municipal organization or as health regions.

External links

• Reference maps for census divisions at Statistics Canada.

Categories: Census divisions of Canada | Subdivisions of Canada | Country subdivisions of the Americas | Second-level administrative country subdivisions | Statistics Canada

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