Eastern Canada (also the Eastern provinces or the East) is generally considered to be the region of Canada south of the Hudson Bay/Strait and east of Manitoba, consisting of the following provinces (from east to west): Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, Quebec and Ontario. Ontario and Quebec, Canada's two largest provinces, define Central Canada; while the other provinces constitute Atlantic Canada. New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island are also known as the Maritime provinces. Capitals Ottawa, Canada's capital, is located in Eastern Canada, within the province of Ontario. The capitals of the provinces are in the list below: Newfoundland and Labrador - St. John's Nova Scotia - Halifax Prince Edward Island - Charlottetown New Brunswick - Fredericton Quebec - Quebec City Ontario - Toronto Definitions The Canadian Press defines Eastern Canada as everything east of and including Thunder Bay, Ontario. Population The total population of this region is about 23,946,177 in 2016, or about 70% of Canada's population. Most of the population resides in Ontario and Quebec. The region contains 3 of Canada's 5 largest metropolitan areas, Toronto being the fourth largest municipality in North America. Largest metropolitan areas Toronto, Ontario - 6,254,191 Montreal, Quebec - 4,098,927 Ottawa-Gatineau, Ontario-Quebec - 1,568,381 Quebec City, Quebec - 807,200 Hamilton, Ontario - 536 917 London, Ontario - 474 786 St. Catharines-Niagara, Ontario - 447,888 Kitchener, Ontario - 441 380 Halifax, Nova Scotia - 403,131 Windsor, Ontario - 329,144 Sherbrooke, Quebec - 212,105 St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador - 205,955 The population of each province in 2016, from greatest to least is here: Ontario - 13,448,494 Quebec - 8,164,361 Nova Scotia - 923,598 New Brunswick - 747,101 Newfoundland and Labrador - 519,716 Prince Edward Island - 142,907 Politics Eastern Canada is represented by 213 Members of Parliament out of the 336 (106 in Ontario, 75 in Quebec and 32 in the Atlantic Provinces) and 78 senators out of 105. See also Eastern United States List of regions of Canada References External links Regions of Canada