Indigenous Lands

First Nations reserves and modern land-claim settlement lands

This map shows the official legal boundaries of First Nations reserves and modern land-claim settlement lands across Canada. Reserves are tracts of land set apart for the use of a First Nation under the Indian Act. Settlement lands are areas held under the comprehensive land-claim and self-government agreements negotiated since the 1970s: e.g., Nunavut’s Inuit-owned lands and other settlement lands. These are the specific parcels each agreement transfers, not entire territories. The Inuit-owned lands, for example, are about one-fifth of Nunavut. Use the legend to show or hide each type, and zoom and pan to your area.

These are the surveyed legal boundaries drawn from the federal Canada Lands Survey System. They are not traditional or treaty territories, which are a broader concept without a single authoritative boundary and are not shown here.

Reserves are concentrated in the south; the comprehensive land-claim settlement lands cover vast areas of the North. The boundaries reflect the current legal record and are updated as new surveys are registered.

A note on Haida Gwaii and Aboriginal title: Haida Gwaii is the homeland of the Haida Nation, which has long asserted Aboriginal title to the islands. In April 2024, British Columbia recognized Haida Aboriginal title through the Gaayhllxid • Gíihlagalgang “Rising Tide” Haida Title Lands Agreement, confirmed in law by the Haida Nation Recognition Amendment Act, 2024. In December 2024, Canada followed with the Chiix̲uujin / Chaaw K̲aawgaa “Big Tide (Low Water)” Haida Title Lands Agreement. Each was the first negotiated recognition of Aboriginal title by that government. The agreements recognize title to the terrestrial lands of Haida Gwaii, to the low-water mark; they preserve existing private property interests and continued local government and public services. In September 2025, the Supreme Court of British Columbia, with the consent of British Columbia and Canada, issued a declaration recognizing the Haida Nation’s Aboriginal title under section 35 of the Constitution Act, 1982, to be implemented over an agreed transition period.

Aboriginal title is a distinct legal interest from Indian reserves and modern-treaty settlement lands, and it doesn’t necessarily follow surveyed parcel boundaries. Recognized title boundaries can be established by agreement or court order, but there is no single authoritative national dataset of asserted title or traditional territories. This map shows only the surveyed legal boundaries of reserves and settlement lands. It does not show Aboriginal title, asserted title, or traditional territories. Reserve parcels on Haida Gwaii appear here in the reserve category.

Download data

• Indigenous lands of Canada (GeoJSON): Natural Resources Canada, Canada Lands Survey System (Aboriginal Lands of Canada Legislative Boundaries), Open Government Licence – Canada