The map above shows British Columbia and Northwest Territories side by side at exactly the same scale, using equal-area projections, so their true relative sizes are preserved.
British Columbia vs Northwest Territories Geography
Land area: British Columbia has a land area of 357,216 square miles (925,186 km²), while Northwest Territories has 456,792 square miles (1,183,085 km²). Northwest Territories' land area is 1.3 times (28%) larger than British Columbia's.
Total area: British Columbia: 364,764 square miles (944,735 km²) vs Northwest Territories: 519,734 square miles (1,346,106 km²), including inland and coastal water. Northwest Territories' total area is 1.4 times (42%) larger than British Columbia's.
Length: British Columbia is 1,017 miles (1,637 km) long from north to south; Northwest Territories is 1,310 miles (2,107 km). Northwest Territories' north-south length is 1.3 times (29%) longer than British Columbia's.
Width: British Columbia spans 1,245 miles (2,003 km) east to west; Northwest Territories spans 990 miles (1,593 km). British Columbia's east-west width is 1.3 times (26%) wider than Northwest Territories'.
Highest point: British Columbia's highest point is Mount Fairweather at 15,299 feet (4,663 m); Northwest Territories's is Mount Nirvana at 9,098 feet (2,773 m). Mount Fairweather is 6,201 feet higher than Mount Nirvana.
Lowest point: British Columbia's lowest point is Pacific Ocean at 0 feet; Northwest Territories's is Arctic Ocean at 0 feet. Both lowest points are at or near sea level.
British Columbia vs Northwest Territories Population and History
Population: British Columbia has a population of 5,658,528 (2026), while Northwest Territories has 45,257 (2024). British Columbia's population is 125.0 times larger than Northwest Territories'.
Population density: British Columbia: 15.8 people per square mile vs Northwest Territories: 0.1. British Columbia's population density is 158.0 times higher than Northwest Territories'.
Biggest city: British Columbia's biggest city is Vancouver with 662,248 people; Northwest Territories's is Yellowknife with 20,340. Vancouver's population is 32.6 times larger than Yellowknife's.
Largest metro area: British Columbia's largest metropolitan area is Vancouver CMA (2,642,825 people) vs Northwest Territories's Yellowknife CMA (20,340). Vancouver CMA's population is 129.9 times larger than Yellowknife CMA's.
History: British Columbia: Joined Confederation on July 20, 1871. Northwest Territories: Became a Canadian territory on July 15, 1870. In its current form, Northwest Territories is the older of the two by 1 years.
British Columbia vs Northwest Territories Economy
GDP: British Columbia's GDP is $313.3 billion (2024) vs Northwest Territories's $3.7 billion. British Columbia's economic output is 84.7 times larger than Northwest Territories'.
GDP per capita: British Columbia: $55,241 per person vs Northwest Territories: $82,646. Northwest Territories' GDP per capita is 1.5 times (50%) higher than British Columbia's.
Official Websites
British Columbia official website · Northwest Territories official website
More Size Comparisons
All British Columbia size comparisons · All Northwest Territories size comparisons
Area, elevation and boundary figures come from official national statistics and US Census Bureau and Natural Earth boundary data; US state population, economic, county and tax figures come from the US Census Bureau, the Bureau of Economic Analysis and the Tax Foundation. Figures are rounded and for general reference.