Canadian Confederation

Provinces and Territories

Key Terms

The North-Western Territory and Rupert's Land

Although these were two separate territories, the terms used to refer to them are often somewhat confused in Canadian history textbooks.

Rupert's Land included the hydrographic basin of Hudson Bay -- what is today northern Quebec and Ontario, the entire province of Manitoba, most of Saskatchewan, and part of southern Alberta. The North-Western Territory consisted of the areas to the north and west of Rupert's Land.

In 1870, when Canada purchased these territories from the Hudson's Bay Company, they were renamed the Northwest Territories.