Great White North, it’s cold, eh? The country of polar bears, icebergs, high mountains and glaciers, and of course – hockey! Canadians must love their freezing weather if they swim in the freezing waters of English Bay on every New Year’s Day!
Read 18 more Interesting facts about Canada, followed by more information on its mountains and all the adventures that await.
Factfile.
1. Canada is the second largest country in the world (after Russia). It’s encompassing 6 time zones and it has the world’s longest coastline: 243,977 km (151,600 mi)! But, despite being such a huge country, it has very low population density with only three people living per sq. km, and nearly half of them were born in other countries.
2. Canada is also very very cold: the coldest temperature ever recorded in Canada was -63C (-81.4F) on February 3, 1957 in Snag, Yukon. Also, its capital Ottawa is the world’s second coldest capital.
3. Almost half of this huge landmass is covered by forests, and they make a tenth of the all the world’s forests.
4. Canada was the first country in the world to have a UFO landing pad. It was built in St. Paul, Alberta back in 1967.
5. Canada has the largest number of lakes in the world – over 2 million. And two of the largest lakes in the world are located in its Northwest territories: Great Slave Lake and Great Bear Lake.
6. Canadians also have their own version of Loch Ness Monster called Ogopogo (“Lake Demon”). This sea-serpent-like creature is believed to reside in Okanagan Lake.
7. Those with ophidiophobia will want to stay away from Manitoba province. It has the largest concentration of snakes in the world. After their hibernation in May, around 70,000 snakes emerge from their lair…
8. Many of Canada’s national parks are larger than some countries – for example, Wood Buffalo National Park is larger than Denmark and Switzerland.
9. Want to see a polar bear? Come to Churchill in Manitoba. A town where polar bears outnumber people! They even have the world only polar bear prison!
10. Canadian Rockies have 5 National Parks: Yoho, Jasper, Kootenay, Banff and Waterton. Kootenay Natinal Park is the only place in the world with both glaciers and cacti!
11. Part of the Trans-Canada Highway that passes through Banff National Park has specially built over and under passes, designed to reduce vehicular collisions with the animals like grizzly and black bears, wolves, coyotes, cougars, moose, elk, deer, bighorn sheep, wolverine, and lynx. This highway is also the longest highway in the world - over 7,604 kilometres (4,725 miles) long.
12. The highest mountain in Canada is Mount Logan - 5959 metres (19,551 feet), located within Kluane National Park Reserve in southwestern Yukon. It’s also the second-highest peak in North America, after Denali.
13. Dinosaur Provincial Park, named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979, is one of the richest dinosaur fossil sites in the world. Over 50 dinosaur species have been found and over 500 specimens extracted from here.
14. What comes to your mind when you hear “Canada”? Maple leaf and hockey of course! Hockey and lacrosse are Canada’s national sports.
15. Canadians harvest their icebergs. Every spring, when icebergs float from Greenland to Newfoundland and Labrador’s coasts, they harvest them to make wine, beer, vodka, and skin care products.
16. Highest tides in world are occurring in the Bay of Fundy in New Brunswick.
17. Canada is bilingual with official languages being English and French. After Paris, Montreal is the largest French-speaking city in the world.
18. The border between Canada and USA is the longest international border in the world - 8,891 kilometres (5,525 mi).