The National Parks of Canada, and some of the National
Historic Sites of Canada, are managed by
Parks Canada, an agency of the Government of Canada. If, when you picture Canada in your mind,
you see vast wildernesses and mountain vistas, you are thinking of the national parks, one of
the largest systems of protected areas in the world. As well, there are numerous historic sites
protected by Parks Canada, some of which are also accessible by the general public.
National parks are among Canada's - and the world's - natural jewels. They represent the power
of Canada's natural environment — a compelling force — which has shaped not only the geography
of this country, but also the course of its history and the experiences of the people who live
and travel here.
National parks are established to protect and present outstanding representative examples of
natural landscapes and natural phenomena that occur in Canada's 39 natural regions, as
identified in the National Parks System Plan. These wild places, located in every province and
territory, range from mountains and plains, to boreal forests and tundra, to lakes and glaciers,
and much more. National parks protect the habitats, wildlife and ecosystem diversity
representative of — and sometime unique to — the natural regions.
National parks are located on the Atlantic, Pacific and Arctic coasts, across the interior
mountains and plains and Great Lakes, reaching as far north and south as Canada goes. They range
in size from 14 km2 (Georgian Bay Islands National Park of Canada) to almost 45,000 km2 (Wood
Buffalo National Park of Canada). And they include world-renowned names such as Banff and
Jasper, as well as more recently established Ivvavik and Vuntut.
Parks Canada is responsible for both protecting the ecosystems of these magnificent natural
areas and managing them for visitors to understand, appreciate, and enjoy in a way that doesn't
compromise their integrity.