from Trung Phan | by Trung Phan

You've probably seen this viral map of Canada: 50% of the country's population lives under the red line Here's a quick explainer🧵 t.co/cXVem8FXOv

Canada is the 2nd largest country in the world by landmass (as a Canadian, this fun fact was oft-repeated in elementary school): 1. Russia (17 million Km²) 2. Canada (10 million Km²) 3. USA (9.8 million Km²) 4. China (9.6 million Km²) 5. Brazil (8.5 million Km²) t.co/iCVFopNbPG

But Canada is only the 37th most-populous country in the world. And it has a very low population density (at 39m people, Canada has about the same population as California). t.co/OdIzQI0bNv

Here is a map with the land masses for the UK, Netherlands, Belgium, Italy, France and Spain all fitting inside Canada. Those European countries have a combined 352 million people, nearly 10x Canada's population. t.co/YtuQ3zacr0

Why is Canada so sparsely populated? Because most of the country's landmass is largely uninhabitable: 8 million Km² is made up of The Canadian Shield, a large area of exposed rock with very little top soil. And that little soil is usually frozen from long winters. t.co/P58or1SjBM

Now, let's go back to the 1500s. When European explorers — in this case France — crossed the Atlantic, they entered what is now the Canadian land mass through the St. Lawrence Seaway, one of world's largest and deepest estuaries. t.co/nM9lMyc4Mr

In the following centuries, English explorers also went through the St. Lawrence. The colonial powers established settlements in Quebec and then Ontario. Crucially, land in the region — particularly near The Great Lakes — is very fertile (especially vs. The Canadian Shield). t.co/s2TlzkCoin

While Canada expanded West in late-1800s and early-1900s (Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Alberta, BC), population centers around Toronto and Montreal remain the largest. Also, metropolitan areas around Toronto, Montreal and Ottawa and Quebec are 1/3rd of the country's population. t.co/c2yIQHRLbH

Now, add up *all* the population centres from Quebec City, Quebec to Windsor, Ontario (it's known as the Quebec City-Windsor Corridor and is 1,150km long). This region tracks to the European St.Lawrence sailing path and contains 50% of Canada's current population. t.co/ipsPOXyYlE

So, ~50% of Canada's population is concentrated under the red line (Quebec-City - Windsor Corridor). And the major population centres in the West are near the US border. One last fun fact: 85%+ of Canada's entire population lives within 160km (or 100 miles) of the US border. t.co/Ad5cntSU5b

If you enjoyed that, follow me — a very Canadian dude — for other interesting threads. And subscribe to my business newsletter including previous issues on: • Why is Linkedin so cringe? • The worst tech predictions ever • Psychology of Apple packaging t.co/jGZs8bakTR

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Australia has a similarly interesting map: 50% of the country's population lives in these three major centres (Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane). In fact, Australia's population (3.4 people per Km²) is among the world's lowest and less dense than Canada (4 people per Km²). t.co/t8BHkpkZiU

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Credit to @DaniMermelstein for completely wrecking me lol t.co/ak9cRySTz2

Creddit to Ross for wrecking me for fixating on the Quebec City-Windsor Corridor and ignoring Nova Scotia t.co/aDxYnPYqMu