Canada is a country in the northern part of North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic to the Pacific and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering 9.98 million square kilometers (3.85 million square miles), making it the world’s second largest country by land area.
The name Canada comes from the word ‘kanata’ which means ‘settlement’ or ‘village’ in the language of the indigenous St Lawrence Iroquoians.
The maple leaf is a Canadian symbol and features prominently on the national flag.
Canada is made up of 10 provinces and 3 territories.
Canada is a federal parliamentary democracy and a constitutional monarchy, Queen Elizabeth II being the head of state.
The 2 main languages spoken in Canada are English and French.
According to preliminary estimates, Canada’s population was estimated at 38 million on April 1, 2015.
As of August 2019, the population of Canada was estimated to be about 38,000,000 people.
Ottawa is the capital of Canada with a population estimated at 950,000 in 2019.
Major cities include Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Edmonton and Calgary.
Half of the country is covered with forests, which should come as no surprise considering 10% of the world’s forests are here.
Canada has an estimated 31,752 lakes larger than 3 square kilometers (1.2 sq mi) and an unknown total number of lakes, but is estimated to be at least 2 million.
There are about 200 species of mammals in Canada, some of them are: the caribou, the moose, the wolverine, the musk ox, Canada lynx, and the North American beaver, which is a major symbol of Canada.
There are nearly 2.5 million caribou in Canada.
There is about 630 bird species in Canada.
Fifty percent of the world’s polar bears live in Nunavut.
Churchill, Manitoba sees one of the largest annual polar bear migrations.
You can swim with beluga whales in Churchill, Manitoba.
Canada has the world’s longest coastline of 202,080 kilometers (125,567 miles).
The U.S. / Canada Border is the longest international border in the world.
Americans have invaded Canada twice, in 1775 and 1812. They lost both times.
Canada’s lowest recorded temperature was -63ºC (-81.4ºF) in 1947.
The highest mountain in Canada is Mount Logan, Yukon Territory, 5,959 meters (19,551 feet).
The world’s most northerly sand dunes are in Athabasca Provincial Park in northwest Saskatchewan. They are 30 meters high.
Wasaga beach is the longest fresh water beach in the world.
Large parts of Canada have less gravity than the rest of Earth. The phenomenon was discovered in the 1960s.
Licence plates in the Canadian Northwest Territories are shaped like polar bears.
Residents of Churchill, Canada, leave their cars unlocked to offer an escape for pedestrians who might encounter polar bears.
Canada is the world’s most educated country: over half its residents have college degrees.
In Newfoundland, Canada, the Atlantic Ocean sometimes freezes so people play hockey on it.
With 1,896 kilometers (1,178 miles), the Yonge Street in Canada, is the longest street in the world.
The most ‘Canadian’ foods include bacon, poutine and maple syrup.
Canada consumes more macaroni and cheese than any other nation in the world.
Canada has the only UFO landing pad in the entire world.
John Cabot was the first explorer to reach Canada in 1497.
The east coast of Canada was settled by Vikings in approximately 1000 AD.
Tools that date back 20,000 years are the first evidence of history in Canada.
Every Christmas, one million letters are addressed to Santa Claus at his own postal code:”H0H 0H0, North Pole, Canada.”