How Big Is Scotland Compared To Canada? (13 Examples)

Last updated on September 22nd, 2023 at 01:32 pm

If you’re planning a trip to Scotland and want to visit the historic country of Canada as well, you may be wondering how big each place is.

To help answer this question we’ve gathered some information that compares the size of both countries in different categories such as population, area, GDP per capita, and much more.

Scotland is a country that has been on the top of many travelers’ lists for years. It boasts some of the most beautiful scenery in the world and it is famous for its whisky, castles, bagpipes, and golf courses.

From Edinburgh you can take a trip to Glasgow or Inverness; from Glasgow you can travel to Loch Lomond or Oban. Scotland has something for everyone.

Canada is a country of incredible diversity with lots to see. It has the longest coastline, and its population is mostly concentrated in urban areas on the southern border.

Canada’s capital city is Ottawa, but Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver are also major cities that draw many visitors each year due to their size and unique culture.

Here are 13 examples of how big Scotland is when compared to Canada.

Scotland vs Canada – How do they compare?

#1. Area – square miles

Scotland has a total area of 30,981 miles or 80,240 square kilometers which consists of 97% land and 3% water.

Canada has a total area of 9.985 million square kilometers which consists of 88% land and 12% water. It’s easy to see that Canada has a huge advantage in land area.

#2. Population

In 2020, Canada’s population was estimated at 38,008,005 which ranks 38th in the world. Scotland is currently the UK’s second-largest country with a population of 5,460,000.

#3. GDP

Scotland vs Canada GDP

Gross Domestic Product or GDP is the total market value of all final goods and services produced within a country in a given period.

In 2020, the GDP for Canada was 1.808 Trillion dollars. The GDP per capita was $47,568.

In 2020, the GDP for Scotland was 213 Billion dollars. The GDP per capita was $38,931.

#4. Islands

Scotland is home to 900 offshore islands which are divided into 4 groups. The largest island extends 2179 square kilometers.

Canada has 52,455 islands in total with the largest being Baffin island at 507,451 square kilometers. Baffin Island is the 5th largest in the world.

#5. Cities

Scotland currently has 7 major cities and another 44 towns all with a population of over 15,000. The largest city is Glasgow with a population of 612,040.

Canada has a total of 289 cities all with a population of over 10,000. The largest city is Toronto with a population of 2,600,000.

#6. Airports

There are 5 international airports in Scotland. These include Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen, Glasgow Prestwick, and Inverness.

These airports provide service to 150 international destinations. The busiest airport is in Edinburgh which serves over 12 million passengers each year.

Canada has a total of 17 international airports and 500 airports with commercial flights.

The largest airport in Canada is Toronto Pearson with over 1250 scheduled flights per day from 75 different airlines.

#7. Rivers

In Scotland, there are 11 major rivers. The longest river being River Tay at 120 miles or 193 kilometers long.

The shortest river is River Annan which measures 49 miles or 79 kilometers long.

In Canada, there are 8500 named rivers with 47 of them being over 370 miles or 670 kilometers long.

The longest river in Canada is the Mackenzie river with a length of 2635 miles or 4241 kilometers long.

#8. Lakes

Scotland has only 1 lake called the Lake of Menteith. This is due to bodies of water in Scotland being called Lochs and there are currently 31,460 of them. They are freshwater bodies of water like Loch Ness.

Canada has an estimated 2,000,000 lakes. Yes, 2 million. Which is the most of any country in the world. 563 of those lakes are more than 563 square kilometers in size.

#9. Military

The army in Scotland consists of over 10,000 regular and reserve troops. Defense is a big employer in Scotland.

ln 2014 there was 14,510 MoD personnel based in Scotland which is 7.5% of the UK’s total. 10,600 were military (4,210 navy, 3,690 army, 2,700 air force) and 3,910 civilian.

In 2020 the number of personnel in Scotland is was scheduled to increase to 12,500 (8.8% of the UK total).

In 2020, the Canadian military consists of 23,000 regular soldiers, 19,000 reserve soldiers for a total of 42,000. 5,300 of the reserve soldiers are Canadian rangers.

The army in Canada is supported by 3,000 civilian employees. There are 10 army bases in Canada.

#10. Universities

There are 15 universities in Scotland with the oldest one being St John’s College, St.Andrews founded in 1418. Over 230,000 students attend universities in Scotland every year.

In Canada, there are 97 public universities and 19 private universities. The University of Toronto is the largest with 62,864 students attending. Over 1.8 million students attend university in Canada each year.

#11. Hospitals

Scotland is home to 22% of the hospitals in the UK with 279 total. The South Glasgow University Hospital is the largest and has 1109 adult beds and 256 beds for children.

Canada has a total of 830 hospitals with Hamilton General being the largest in terms of bed count with 1251.

#12. Golf courses

Golf is a huge sport in Scotland and it is very popular. There are currently 587 golf courses in Scotland with the most being around Glasgow(97) and Edinburgh(67).

The longest golf course in Scotland is Dukes Course and it measures 7512 yards.

Golf is also popular in Canada and there are close to 2400 golf courses total. Canada is the third-largest golfing nation in the world.

The best golf course in Canada is Cabot Cliffs and has ranked #1 for years.

#13. Castles

There are over 2000 estimated castles in Scotland and some will put that count at closer to 3000. The oldest castle is Dunvegan which is said to be occupied since 900BC.

The largest castle in Scotland is Floors Castle which is home to the Duke and Duchess of Roxburgh.

Although Canada is the second-largest country in the world, it only has 12 known castles. There are many other mansions, older homes, and buildings in Canada that are similar to a castle but not designated as one.

This includes the Chateau Frontenac which is a 260-foot tall hotel.

Summary

As you can see in these 13 examples, Canada is larger than Scotland in many ways. Looking at these items is helpful when comparing these 2 countries.

The biggest difference between Scotland and Canada is the land area and population where Canada has a huge advantage.

Of course, this is not a complete list and there are many more metrics that you can look at to compare these 2 countries.