Get to Know Canada;
Myths & Facts about Canada

I've learned some facts about Canada now that I live here myself. But I used to be quite uninformed about Canada while living in the USA. All I knew was that Canada seemed to be a very cold place and not very exciting. After all, what other country could compare to the USA, was what I used to think. How wrong was I!

When we decided to immigrate to Canada after being rejected by the USA, we came to know about the "secrets" of Canada during our research. Though it has the reputation for having very cold, almost never ending winters, there is a lot more to Canada than just that. It also has the reputation for being one of the most peaceful and friendliest countries in the world.

The following pages are about facts about Canada, giving you a brief history about Canada, highlighting its geography and wonders of nature, presenting the national anthem and Canadian symbols, and outlining Canada's government and economy, while even serving you some Canadian humour and stereotypes (see below). Through these pages you'll get a sense of Canada's general image in the world. Let's start with a quick list presenting some enlightening facts about Canada, as well as some common myths going around about Canada.

Facts and Myths about Canada

Some general quick facts about Canada:

• Second largest country in the world, after Russia, with a land mass of approximately 9,984,670 sq km
• Yet has a population of only 33.5 mln (as of March 2009), which is still less than the entire population of the state of California (36.5 mln as per a 2007 estimate).
• Borders 3 oceans (Pacific, Atlantic and Arctic) and the USA
• 10 provinces and 3 territories, Capital is Ottawa
• 2 official languages, English and French (Quebec speaks mainly French, and New Brunswick is officially bilingual, whereas the rest of Canada speaks mostly English)
• Reputation of a peaceful nation
• Consistently ranked as one of the top 10 best countries to live in
• Kind of a mixture of influences from the USA and Europe
• Higher taxes offer better quality of life, including free healthcare covered by taxes
• High education standards
• Very multicultural; Canada is often touted as a country built by immigrants
• Huge country with a population of about 34 million people leaves lots of room for undisturbed nature
• Canada is a Monarchy (the Queen of England is its Head of State), though Canada is a sovereign democracy
• Harsh winter climate
• Amazing nature scenery and wildlife
• Rich in natural resources: natural gas, oil, gold, coal, copper, iron ore, nickel, potash, uranium and zinc, along with wood and water.
• Though Basketball was invented in Canada, Ice-Hockey is the biggest sport here (Hockey is officially the national winter sport, whereas Lacrosse is the official national summer sport)
• Canadians love Poutine, which is French fries topped with cheese curds and hot gravy
• Apparently they really love their beer :)

More facts about Canada found here (for a quick overview), and here (Canadafaq.ca, where you can find a wealth of information about Canada). 

Some funny myths going around about Canada:

• Canadians live in igloos (only if they live in the Arctic, but even then it's not the norm)
• They ride dog sleds everywhere (don't worry, we do have cars)
• Polar bears and moose roam in their backyards (no, but black bears do in BC)
• Canadians are lumberjacks and fur traders (please, tell me your country doesn't function on two trades only)
• It snows year round (sure, but we do get a 3 month break for construction season)
• Canadians say "eh", "aboot" and "sowrry", and even "againe" (not all do, but I find it endearing, because it's distinctly Canadian)

Continue to:
Canadian Jokes and Humour
Quotes about Canada
National Anthem and Symbols
Geographical facts about Canada
History of Canada
Canadian Government and Economy
Canadian People and Culture
Canadian Holidays and Celebrations
Canadian Inventions and Famous Canadians
Canadian Media

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