Canoe, light, narrow boat, generally with identically shaped bow and stern and curved sides, and usually propelled by at least one oar or paddle. The canoe was developed by many early cultures throughout the world. It varies in shape, size, and construction, according to its place of origin. The oldest form of canoe was probably a tree trunk hollowed out by tools or fire.

The Native North Americans created the birchbark canoe, a vessel with a frame of light wood that is covered with pieces of bark sewn together and made watertight with melted pitch. Similar in design to the birchbark is the canvas canoe created by the Penobscot people of Maine in the 19th century. Native Americans living in treeless regions made canoes of tule or other bulrushes lashed together; Native Americans living on the shores of Lake Titicaca in South America still make them this way.

The Inuit created two kinds of canoes, both of which had whalebone or wooden frames and were covered with animal skins, generally those from whales or seals. The kayak, a boat used only by the male Inuit, is completely enclosed except for an opening for the occupant. The umiak, used only by the female, is open. The canoe of Greenland and Hudson Strait is flat bottomed and flat sided.

The dugout is still used by the peoples of Africa, South America, and Polynesia. Another type of canoe used by the natives of the southwest Pacific islands is made of planks fastened together. This type is often equipped with an outrigger, a device that ensures stability in heavy seas. Many of the ancient war canoes used by natives of the Pacific islands were elaborately carved.

In recent years the canoe has been used increasingly by vacationists and sports enthusiasts, and since 1886 canoeists have engaged in official competitions. Today canoes, usually about 5.2 m (about 17 ft), are constructed of molded plastic or fiberglass, aluminum and magnesium alloys, rubber, canvas, and other materials. A modern development is the foldboat, a small collapsible canoe of rubberized sailcloth stretched over a knockdown frame.