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145 Weird, Fun And Interesting Facts About Canada

145 Weird, Fun and Interesting Facts About Canada

This post was originally done in honour of Canada’s 145th birthday on July 1st, 2012.

For fellow Canadians and those even mildly interested in Canada I thought I’d put a blog together and give you 145 weird, fun and interesting facts about the country.

  • Canada came into being as a country on July 1, 1867 when the British Parliament passed the British North America Act.

Famous Canadians

  • Famous Canadian celebrities include Justin Bieber, Michael Buble, James Cameron, Jim Carrey, Celine Dion, Ryan Gosling, Rachel McAdams, Mike Myers, Ryan Reynolds and William Shatner.
  • Famous Canadian rock and rollers include  Bryan Adams, Paul Anka, the Guess Who, Rush, Steppenwolf, The Barenaked Ladies, Alanis Morissette, Bachman Turner Overdrive, Neil Young and Avril Lavigne.
  • Other famous and well known musicians and songwriters include Sarah McLachlan, Nelly Furtado, Diana Krall, Chantal Kreviazuk, K.D.Lang, Maureen Forrester, Leonard Cohen, Raffi Cavoukian, Bruce Cockburn, Gordon Lightfoot, Anne Murray, David Foster, Robert Goulet, Shania Twain, Buffy Sainte-Marie and Joni Mitchell.
  • Famous Canadian authors include  Lucy Maud Montgomery (Anne of Green Gables), Margaret Atwood (The Handmaid’s Tale) and Alice Munro (Lives of Girls and Women), Mavis Gallant, Stephen Leacock, Pierre Berton, Robertson Davies, Douglas Copeland, Alistair MacLeod, Farley Mowat and Michael Ondaantje.
  • Famous Canadian artists include the Group of Seven made up of Lauren Harris, A.Y. Jackson, J.E.H.MacDonald, Arthur Lismer, Frederick Varley, Frank Johnston and Franklin Carmichael. Tom Thomson and Emily Carr, two artists associated with the group are also very well know.
  • Inspirational Canadians include Terry Fox who attempted a one-legged cross country run for cancer research, Rick Hansen, a paraplegic athlete who completed an around the world marathon for spinal cord injury research and Donovan Bailey, the world’s fastest man.
  • Famous Canadian dancers include Karen Kain, Veronica Tennant and Lynn Seymour.
  • Superman was co-created by a Canadian Joe Shuster and American Jerry Siegal. The character was created while Shuster was visiting Siegal in Cleveland in 1934.
  • Famous Canadian journalists, TV or radio personalities include Peter Jennings, Alex Trebek, Lloyd Robertson, Peter Gzowski, Robert MacNeil, Morley Safer and John Roberts.

Fun Geography Facts about Canada

  • Canada is the second largest country in the world.
  • The highest tides in the world occur in the Bay of Fundy in New Brunswick.
  • The capital of Canada is Ottawa, the second coldest capital in the world.

Read: 5 Things You Must do on a Visit to Ottawa

145 Weird, Fun and Interesting Facts About Canada

The first view of the Grand Hall at the Canadian Museum of History

  • Canada has ten provinces and three territories.
  • Canada has the longest coastline of any country in the world at 243,977 kilometres – 151,600 miles.
  • Montreal is the world’s second largest French speaking city after Paris.
  • Six cities in Canada have a population of over 1 million: Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton and Ottawa.
  • Canada is lucky to have 9% of the world’s renewable water supply!
  • The largest non-polar ice field in the world can be found in the St. Elias Mountains, Yukon Territory. It covers an area of 40,570 square kilometres of which 16,900 square kilometres are located in Canada, the remainder being in Alaska.
  • Canada has six time zones.
  • The longest highway in the world is the Trans-Canada Highway which is over 7,604 kilometres (4,725 miles) in length.
  • The world’s most northerly sand dunes are in Athabasca Provincial Park in northwest Saskatchewan. They are 30 metres high.
  • Half of the country is covered with forests, which should come as no surprise considering one-tenth of the world’s forests are here.
145 Weird, Fun and Interesting Facts About Canada

Walking through temperate rainforest on the Juan de Fuca Trail on Vancouver Island

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  • The highest mountain in Canada is Mount Logan, Yukon Territory, 5959 metres (19,551 feet).
  • Wasaga beach is the longest fresh water beach in the world.
  • Despite being a huge country, Canada has the fourth lowest population density in the world, with only three people living per square kilometre! Almost half of the population in Canada were born in other countries.
  • The coldest temperature ever recorded in Canada was -63C (-81.4F) on February 3, 1957 in Snag, Yukon.

Want to stay warm? Why not pick up a beanie with a Canadian flag or throw on the cozy hooded sweatshirts – also sporting a Canadian flag.

145 Weird, Fun and Interesting Facts About Canada

Flying over mountains in the vicinity of Mt Logan in the Yukon

  • Alert, in Nunavut Territory, is the northernmost permanent settlement in the world.
  • The highest waterfall in Canada is Della Falls, British Columbia, 440 metres high (1,444 feet).
  • The border between Canada and the United States is officially known as the International Boundary. It is 5,525 miles long, including the 1,538 miles between Canada and Alaska. It’s the world’s longest unprotected border.
  • Ocean Falls, British Columbia has on average 330 days of rain per year. Yuck!
  • Estevan, Saskatchewan is reportedly the sunniest place in Canada with 2,537 hours of sunshine per year.
  • Nakwakto Rapids, Port Hardy’s legendary dive destination, boasts the strongest current in the world – with speeds of up to 18.4 miles per hour.
  • Three of Canada’s islands make the top ten for size in the world – Baffin, Ellesmere and Vancouver.
  • Manitoulin Island is the largest freshwater island in the world.
  • Two of the largest lakes in the world are found in the Northwest Territories – Great Bear Lake and Great Slave Lake.
  • Nunavut takes up one fifth of Canada’s total land area.
  • Calgary is famous for its’ Chinooks – a weather phenomenon that can raise the temperature by 10 degrees in a matter of minutes.
145 Weird, Fun and Interesting Facts About Canada

A view of Calgary from the Calgary Tower

Cool facts about Canadian People

  • The population in Canada in 2011 was approximately 34.3 million.
  • 81 percent of the total population resides in cities.
  • Canadians can deduct a number of things from their tax software, but I bet you didn’t know that dog food is tax-deductible in Canada.
  • About 90% of Canada’s population is concentrated within 160 kilometres (100 miles) of the Canada/US border.
  • 15.9% of the population is 65 or older. 68.5% are between the ages of 15 and 64.
  • The median age is 41 years.
  • The average life expectancy at birth is 81.16 years – the sixth highest in the world.
  • Canadians like to finish a sentence with the word eh. 
  • If you want to make an American smile, ask a Canadian to say out and about. It works every time.
  • 280,681 new permanent residents were welcomed to Canada in 2010. That number does not include temporary workers or foreign students.
  • Canadians call the one dollar coin the loonie. When in full production, 15 million loonies can be produced per day.
  • 17% of Canadians are daily smokers.
  • The average Canadian watches 21 hours of television per week. 128,000 Canadian households have TV’s in the bathroom.
  • The age at first marriage for men is 29 years, 27.4 years for women.
  • The average household size in Canada is 2.6 people.
  • There have been 10 Nobel Prize laureates in Canada.
  • Canadians generate 640 kilograms per person per year of waste.

Sports in Canada

  • Hockey and lacrosse are Canada’s national sports.
  • The baseball glove was invented in Canada in 1883.
  • Canada has hosted the Olympic Games three times; 1976 in Montreal, 1988 in Calgary and 2010 in Vancouver.
  • Canadian sports icons include Wayne Gretzky (hockey), Steve Nash (basketball), Mike Weir (golf) and Cassie Campbell (women’s hockey).
  • Whistler, British Columbia is consistently ranked as one of the best places in North America for downhill skiing.
145 Weird, Fun and Interesting Facts About Canada

A beautiful day of skiing at Whistler – Blackcomb

  • The Royal Montreal Golf Club, founded in 1873, is the oldest golf club in North America.
  • The first indoor ice hockey game took place on March 3, 1875 at the Victoria Skating Rink in Montreal.
  • Ice hockey, football and baseball are Canadians favourite spectator sports.

Culture in Canada

  • The world’s largest totem pole was raised in Victoria in 1994 and stands 54.94 metres tall (180.2 feet).
  • The most widely attended festivals in Canada include:
                                      Celebration of Light (Vancouver) 1.6 million
                                      Winterlude (Ottawa-Gatineau) 1.6 million
                                      Just For Laughs (Montreal) 1.5 million
                                      Canadian National Exhibition (Toronto) 1.3 million
                                      Calgary Stampede 1.2 million
                                      Pride Toronto 1.3 million
                                      Toronto International Film Festival 0.5 million
                                      Quebec Winter Carnival 0.5 million
  • The first chuckwagon race held at the Calgary Stampede occurred in 1923. Purses and prizes totaled $275. To get the Canadian Championship title each outfit – consisting of four horses, wagon, driver and four helpers – were required to cut a figure eight around barrels, head out through a backstretch, then around a track, unhook the horses from the wagon, stretch a fly with a minimum of two stakes and make a fire. First smoke decides winner.
145 Weird, Fun and Interesting Facts About Canada

The chuckwagon races at the Calgary Stampede

In Flander’s Fields is a poem written by World War I Col. John McCraea, a Canadian veteran of the Second Boer War. He was struck with admiration at the courage of the dead when he saw red poppies swaying among the markers of his fallen comrades.

  • Canada’s first million-selling author was Marshall Saunders, with her novel Beautiful Joe (1894).
  • French and English are the two official languages in Canada.
  • Queen Elizabeth II is the Canadian Head of State.
  • Canada’s literacy rate is over 99%.
  • The Canadian motto is  A Mari Usque ad Mare. It means from sea to sea.
  • The English version of Canada’s National Anthem – O Canada – was written by Robert Stanley Weir for the Diamond Jubilee of Confederation in 1927.
  • The National Flag of Canada came into being in 1965 to replace the Union Jack. It is an 11 pointed red maple leaf on a white square.
145 Weird, Fun and Interesting Facts About Canada

You can’t miss the barn as you drive to peace River in Alberta

Inventions/Medical Advancements

  • Canadian inventions include the game Trivial Pursuit (Scott Abbot and Chris Haney), the telephone (Alexander Graham Bell), basketball (James Naismeth) and the snowmobile (Joseph-Armand Bombardier).
  • Thomas Ahearn invented the electric cooking range in 1882.
  • Graeme Ferguson co-invented IMAX. There are over 500 IMAX theaters in 45 countries.
  • Insulin, a hormone produced by the pancreas was first isolated at the University of Toronto in 1921-22 by Dr. Frederick Banting and Charles Best.
  • James Till and Ernest McCulloch are credited with the discovery of the stem cell.
  • Elizabeth Catherine Bagshaw was one of Canada’s first female doctors and the medical director of the first birth control clinic in Canada. She has been recognized as providing outstanding contributions to the quality of life of women in Canada.

History of Canada

  • John Cabot was the first explorer to reach Canada in 1497.
  • The east coast of Canada was settled by Vikings in approximately 1000 AD. It’s definitely worth a visit to L’Anse aux Meadows.
  • Newfoundland didn’t become a province until 1949.
145 Weird, Fun and Interesting Facts About Canada

Beautiful scenery along the East Coast Trail in Newfoundland

  • Tools that date back 20,000 years are the first evidence of history in Canada. They were found in caves on the Bluefish River in northern Yukon.
  • It wasn’t until 1610 that Henry Hudson sailed through Hudson Strait into Hudson Bay.
  • In 1576 Martin Frobisher discovered the strait that bears his name.
  • Navigation of the north-west passage from the Atlantic to the Pacific was first achieved by the Norwegian explorer, Roald Amundsen in 1906.
  • In 1792-94 Captain George Vancouver painstakingly surveyed the west coast of Canada.

Food and Drink in Canada

"Poutine"

Poutine

  • The Moosehead Brewery in Saint John, New Brunswick turns out 1,642 bottles of beer per minute.
  • The beer named after Canada is called Molson Canadian. Founded in Montreal in 1786, Molson Coors Canada is the oldest brewery in North America and continues to produce beer on the site of the original brewery
  • Over 200,000 pancakes are served during the Calgary Stampede.
  • Foods we think of as being Canadian include peameal back bacon, poutine, maple syrup and Timbits (small donuts from Tim Hortons).
145 Weird, Fun and Interesting Facts About Canada

Eat a BeaverTail when you visit Ottawa – an addictive pastry

  • Canada is famous for its ice wine – made from pressed frozen grapes. It’s usually served as a dessert wine.
  • Wine is produced in British Columbia, Ontario, Quebec and Nova Scotia.
  • Cheddar is the most popular cheese in Canada. On average Canadians consume 23.4 pounds per person annually.
  • The Maritimes are famous for their desserts. Try Blueberry Grunt and Raspberry Buckle.
  • There are more doughnut shops in Canada per capita than any other country.
  • Each Canadian eats an average of 190 eggs per year.
  • Canadians drink more fruit juice per capita than any other country.

National Parks and UNESCO WORLD Heritage Sites

  • The Rideau Canal in Ottawa, A UNESCO world heritage site, has the world’s longest skating rink in the winter.
  • The only walled city north of Mexico is Québec; it was also the first city in North America to be placed on UNESCO’s World Heritage Sites list.
  • Canada is home to 42 national parks, 167 national historic sites and four marine conservation areas.
  • There are 15 world heritage sites in Canada. The one with the most interesting name is Head Smashed In-Buffalo-Jump.
"Moraine Lake in Banff National Park"

Moraine Lake in Banff National Park

Nature facts about Canadian animals

  • A 9.3 kg lobster is the largest documented lobster caught. It was caught in Nova Scotia in 1977.
  • The muskox has an inner fur layer that is finer than cashmere and can be spun into wool that is very much warmer than sheep’s wool. If you knew that then you probably knew it was called qiviut.
  • Fifty percent of the world’s polar bears live in Nunavut.
  • A bald eagle can see 4-7 times better than humans (though not just in Canada) and they have been recorded doing 100 mph dives.
  • There are about 200 species of mammals in Canada.
145 Weird, Fun and Interesting Facts About Canada

A grizzly near Great Bear Lodge in BC

  • You’ll find about 630 bird species in Canada.
  • Canada’s beaver is the second largest rodent in the world, weighing up to 60 pounds. (The largest rodent is the capybara, found in South America and weighing up to 100 pounds.)
  • There are eleven sub-species of Canada geese. The four smallest species are called the cackling geese. My husband wonders if they poop less than Canada Geese.
145 Weird, Fun and Interesting Facts About Canada

Canada geese are cute when they’re little

  • You can swim with beluga whales in Churchill, Manitoba.
  • There are nearly 2.5 million caribou in Canada.
  • Churchill, Manitoba sees one of the largest annual polar bear migrations.

Financial facts relating to Canada

  • The Bank of Canada opened its doors in 1935 and issued its first bank notes.
  • The Bank of Canada began as a privately-owned institution, with shares sold to the public at a par value of $50. In 1938, all shares were purchased by the Government of Canada and the Bank became a Crown corporation.
  • During World War II, the Bank of Canada’s nine victory Bond campaigns raised almost $12 billion for the war effort. After the war, the program was continued with Canada Savings Bonds.
  • Starting in December 2000, the Bank began making interest rate announcements on eight pre-specified dates per year.
  • The Canadian dollar is sometimes described as a petro currency.
  • The S&P/TSX is the fourth largest exchange by market cap in the developed world.
  • On April 23, 1997, the TSX’s trading floor closed, making it the second-largest stock exchange in North America to choose a floorless, electronic (or virtual trading) environment.
  • At its peak in 2000, Nortel represented more than 36 percent of the Toronto TSE 300 index when their equipment carried 75% of internet traffic.
  • The Hudson’s Bay Company or “The Bay” is the oldest commercial corporation in North America and one of the oldest in the world. The company was incorporated by English royal charter in 1670.

Just plain weird, unusual or interesting facts about Canada

  • Canada has the world’s smallest jail – in Rodney, Ontario; it’s only 24.3 square metres (270 square feet).
  • Canada has 198 jails.
  • Daylight savings time does not occur in Saskatchewan.
  • The heaviest rainfall ever recorded was in Buffalo Gap, Saskatchewan. On May 30, 1961 25 centimetres fell in less than an hour. That’s ten inches!
  • The Regina Tornado of June 30, 1912, rated as F4 (winds of 330 to 416 kilometres per hour) was the most severe tornado so far known in Canada. It killed 28 people, injured hundreds and demolished much of the downtown area.
  • At the time it happened, the most expensive natural catastrophe in terms of property damage was a horrific hailstorm that struck Calgary on September 7, 1991. Insurance companies paid about $400 million to repair over 65,000 cars, 60,000 homes and businesses, and a number of aircraft.
  • There are 522 airports with paved runways, 931 airports with unpaved runways.
  • The West Edmonton Mall, once the largest in the world is now the fifth largest indoor shopping mall. It still claims the title as having the largest indoor amusement park.
  • The CN Tower in Toronto was the world’s tallest free standing structure until 2007.
145 Weird, Fun and Interesting Facts About Canada

View of the CN Tower from Toronto Island

  • The license plate for cars, motorbikes and snowmobiles in Nunavut is in the shape of a polar bear.
  • Canada is the largest producer of uranium in the world.
  • The intersection of Portage and Main Street in Winnipeg has been called the windiest place in Canada.
  • Newfoundland is nicknamed “The Rock.”
  • Prince Edward Island, Canada’s smallest province is only 225 kilometres long and 56 kilometres wide.
  • The Northwest Territories is called The Land of the Midnight Sun because the sun barely sets around the summer solstice.
  • There are diamond mines in the Northwest Territories.
  • Some of the world’s largest wheat fields are found in Saskatchewan.
  • The US, the UK and Mexico are the top countries visited by Canadians.
  • Canada is the world’s largest source of the rare element Cesium. It is found at Bernic Lake, Manitoba.
  • Canada is home to 15 million cattle, 9 million of which live on the Prairies.
145 Weird, Fun and Interesting Facts About Canada

Its cattle country just outside of Calgary

  • The US buys more oil from Canada than any other country.
  • There are 459 cars for every 1000 people.
  • Thirty two percent of Canadians are very happy, 55% are quite happy.

This is just a smattering of facts about Canada. If there are any you’d like to add please be sure to leave a comment.

Other posts you might find useful:

Click on the photo to bookmark to Pinterest.

145 Weird, Fun and Interesting Facts About Canada

 

Leigh McAdam

Leigh McAdam is a Calgary based writer, author, photographer and social media enthusiast with over 57,000 followers. Her blog: HikeBikeTravel is frequently cited as one of the top travel and outdoor adventure blogs in Canada.

Author of Discover Canada: 100 Inspiring Outdoor Adventures
Co-author of 125 Nature Hot Spots in Alberta

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This Post Has 129 Comments

  1. Happy Canada Day, Leigh! I really enjoyed reading this.

    I’ll add a bit of trivia…the Halifax Harbor never freezes. How about that, eh? (and you probably knew that) 🙂

    Reply

  2. Happy Canada Day, Leigh! I really enjoyed reading this.

    I’ll add a bit of trivia…the Halifax Harbor never freezes. How about that, eh? (and you probably knew that) 🙂

    Reply

    1. Poutine is delicious to many Canadians and others. It was made originally in Quebec made out of french fries, gravy and cheese curds as Hike Bike Travel said. In my opinion it is very good. Canadians apparently make the best poutine in the world. 🙂

      Reply

      1. Poutine is delicious to many Canadians and others. It was made originally in Quebec made out of french fries, gravy and cheese curds as Hike Bike Travel said. In my opinion it is very good. Canadians apparently make the best poutine in the world. 🙂

        Reply

    2. Poutine is deep fried chips (or french fries) with gravy and cheese curds on top.
      Very yummy but very unhealthy!

      Reply

  5. When am I finally going to try poutine? Next time, I promise. This is such an awesome list, Leigh. Bookmarked. Never know when it will come in handy. Just reading “If you want to make an American smile, ask a Canadian to say out and about.” — made me smile.

    Reply

  6. When am I finally going to try poutine? Next time, I promise. This is such an awesome list, Leigh. Bookmarked. Never know when it will come in handy. Just reading “If you want to make an American smile, ask a Canadian to say out and about.” — made me smile.

    Reply

  7. I had no idea Bieber, Rachel McAdams, and Williams Shatner were Canadian (to be honest, I’ve never listened to a Bieber song in my life). I do think you would have listed famous Canadian athletes too (like Wayne Gretzky). Poutine is awesome. There is so much information here about Canada that this was a fun read.

    I do need to see more of Canada. I’ve been to the east and west coast of Canada but haven’t visited the French part of the country yet.

    Reply

  8. I had no idea Bieber, Rachel McAdams, and Williams Shatner were Canadian (to be honest, I’ve never listened to a Bieber song in my life). I do think you would have listed famous Canadian athletes too (like Wayne Gretzky). Poutine is awesome. There is so much information here about Canada that this was a fun read.

    I do need to see more of Canada. I’ve been to the east and west coast of Canada but haven’t visited the French part of the country yet.

    Reply

  11. Some great facts…Didn’t know you were home to the longest highway, or the oldest golf course in North America. I’m a bit disappointed, however, that you listed Justin Bieber first among the countries celebrities:)

    Reply

  12. Some great facts…Didn’t know you were home to the longest highway, or the oldest golf course in North America. I’m a bit disappointed, however, that you listed Justin Bieber first among the countries celebrities:)

    Reply

  17. So that’s how wonderful Canada is. I would like to visit the Moraine Lake. It looks so cool. I wonder what it feels like to live in Canada. It seems that people there are friendly. Happy Canada Day!

    Reply

  18. So that’s how wonderful Canada is. I would like to visit the Moraine Lake. It looks so cool. I wonder what it feels like to live in Canada. It seems that people there are friendly. Happy Canada Day!

    Reply

  19. That is an amazing list of fun facts about Canada – and I think my arteries just clogged looking at the picture of Poutine. 🙂

    Reply

  20. That is an amazing list of fun facts about Canada – and I think my arteries just clogged looking at the picture of Poutine. 🙂

    Reply

  23. for the moose head brewery, it is in Saint John not Saint John’s. St. John’s is in Newfoundland and Saint John is in New Brunswick.

    Reply

  27. I absolutely love this! I do the morning announcements at my school and I’m using this for a segment on my show! This helped a TON!!! well hope the whole school enjoys them! 🙂

    Reply

  28. I absolutely love this! I do the morning announcements at my school and I’m using this for a segment on my show! This helped a TON!!! well hope the whole school enjoys them! 🙂

    Reply

    1. You’re right Tori. Canada i a bilingual (English-French) country but when you live in the west it’s rare to see French and Mandarin would be the more helpful language. Thank you for pointing out that omission.

      Reply

  33. who were on the list of prime ministers??? i.e,. Our President like the US has I know the queen is the head of state but isnt there a prime minister like tony blair

    Reply

  35. We can’t deny how beautiful Canada is, in fact it’s listed on our family’s must-see places. We planned to go there summer next year. Thank you for the useful information about Canada, I learnt a lot! I’m keeping my notes updated.

    Reply

  36. During a recent visit to Moncton, I found out that besides being the first official bi-lingual city in Canada (English-French), Moncton is also one of the world’s cities with the lowest crime rate and is one of the safest places to live in the western hemisphere.
    A newspaper as a publicity stunt once left 6 wallets in various places around Moncton with money in it and ALL 6 wallets were turned in to police, amazingly 5 of the 6 were returned with all the money inside.
    Near by Moncton is a place called Shediac, there are more lobsters in the waters off of Shediac than in any other place in the world.

    Reply

  37. During a recent visit to Moncton, I found out that besides being the first official bi-lingual city in Canada (English-French), Moncton is also one of the world’s cities with the lowest crime rate and is one of the safest places to live in the western hemisphere.
    A newspaper as a publicity stunt once left 6 wallets in various places around Moncton with money in it and ALL 6 wallets were turned in to police, amazingly 5 of the 6 were returned with all the money inside.
    Near by Moncton is a place called Shediac, there are more lobsters in the waters off of Shediac than in any other place in the world.

    Reply

    1. @John I love the facts and info you shared. I’ll be in Moncton in August – and part of the time by myself so it sounds to me like it will be worry free. I don’t know if lobster will still be in season in August but I hope so.

      Reply

  38. Loved all the info you give about Canada. Just a couple more facts, Saskatchewan also produces wine at Cypress Hills. The winery also serves a delicious lunch and has a wine tasting bar. Saskatchewan also is the world’s largest producer of potash.
    Great work!

    Reply

  39. Loved all the info you give about Canada. Just a couple more facts, Saskatchewan also produces wine at Cypress Hills. The winery also serves a delicious lunch and has a wine tasting bar. Saskatchewan also is the world’s largest producer of potash.
    Great work!

    Reply

  40. Is is the Yukon that is called the Land of the Midnight Sun. Also it is the NWT whose license plates are in the shape of the polar bear.

    And the sun does set here in the Yukon in the summer, but not for long. It kind of just hovers below the horizon for a few hours. It is still more than bright enough to do anything you want outside. I once teed off on the Annie Lake Golf Course at 3am, in almost complete sun.

    Reply

    1. @Yukon Soldier You’re right about it being the NWT whose license plates are shaped like a polar bear. I was in Nunavut this summer and experienced the same thing – where I could go out my tent at 3 am and there was always light. I found it interesting that it was still much brighter and the weather calmer in the am. I found the light certainly decreased around midnight but never went away.

      Reply

  41. @Yukon Soldier You’re right about it being the NWT whose license plates are shaped like a polar bear. I was in Nunavut this summer and experienced the same thing – where I could go out my tent at 3 am and there was always light. I found it interesting that it was still much brighter and the weather calmer in the am. I found the light certainly decreased around midnight but never went away.

    Reply

  42. I find it so annoying how everyone thinks all Canadians say “eh”. I sometimes say it,but not after every sentence. Also it’s mostly East coast people that pronounce about “aboot” I live in the West and have yet to meet someone who says aboot… Besides a few annoying facts I did find this amusing to read. Educate yourselves people because you’re going to sound really stupid if you come to Canada and except us all to talk like they did on the classic show Bob and Doug McKenzie… So as they would put it “take off, you hoser”…EH!! 🙂

    Reply

  44. Fun fact:, when they came up with their motto: from sea to sea, Canada was formed of only 4 provinces only touching one sea: the Atlantic…
    Fun fact: One of the provinces (Québec) never actually signed the current constitution.
    Fun fact: Chinese pie was invented in Canada. Rumour has it it was to feed the Chinese working on the rail road. The dish consists of steak, corn and potatoes
    Fun fact: Even if it is said that Montreal is the second largest French-speaking city in the world. In Quebec it is the city where the French speaking rate is the lowest. It is not so uncommon in some parts of the city to have trouble getting served in French at a restaurant.

    Reply

  47. As usual when there are facts about Canada as a whole, most of Eastern Canada gets left out, there is more land east of Toronto !!
    In your “culture” facts, you failed to mention the Montreal Jazz Fest here is what Wiki has to say about it:
    The Festival International de Jazz de Montréal (English: Montreal International Jazz Festival) is an annual jazz festival held in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The Montreal Jazz Fest holds the 2004 Guinness World Record as the world’s largest jazz festival.[1] Every year it features roughly 3,000 artists from 30-odd countries, more than 650 concerts (including 450 free outdoor performances), and welcomes close to 2.5 million visitors (34% of whom are tourists) as well as 400 accredited journalists.[1] The festival takes place at 10 free outdoor stages and 10 indoor concert halls.[1]
    Did you notice 2.5 million visitors ??? quite a bit more than any you’ve mentioned and IT IS world renowned !!
    More on the Eastern front ?
    The Montreal World Film Festival (WFF) (French: le Festival des Films du Monde; alternative official name Montreal International Film Festival, not commonly used), founded in 1977, is one of Canada’s oldest international film festivals and the only competitive film festival in North America accredited by the FIAPF
    and Happy Canada day from sea to sea !!!

    Reply

    1. @Francine I certainly know of how famous the Montreal Jazz Festival is and in fact have written interesting facts about Montreal and one on festivals. Don’t forget this is a random assortment of facts AND ONE can never please everybody. Thank you for taking the time to write such a great comment.

      Reply

  51. I am preparing a speech introduction on the subject of traveling to Canada and I will provide some quick fun facts, so this will help out alot! Thank you!

    Reply

  52. I am preparing a speech introduction on the subject of traveling to Canada and I will provide some quick fun facts, so this will help out alot! Thank you!

    Reply

  57. I love Canada <3
    Poutine — Very yummy but VERY unhealthy, have tried it before!!
    Wayne Gretzky — Natural He's Amazing !!

    Reply

  60. My family lives in Banff National Park. Canada’s oldest National Park. Intoxicatingly beautiful. My children are privileged enough to call this home and were born here too!

    Reply

  63. Im canadian, and canada nation sport is lacross and sidney crosbey is canadian and basket ball was invented by a canadian and the telephone was invented a candian

    Reply

  66. To all the negative people leaving comments, this was compiled by one person, on her own time. I’m sure there are hundreds of other facts she could have included; I’m also sure this took her many hours longer to compile than typing a snarky remark about a festival in Montreal, or knowing every Canadian hockey player. A more polite comment would have been appreciated by those of us enjoying the blog. I immediately skipped over comments that had the holier than thou attitude.

    Thank you for compiling this list. I now know a lot more about my beautiful country than I knew yesterday.

    Reply

  68. The following fact is actually no longer true regarding Nunavut though it remains true of the Northwest Territories
    The license plate for cars, motorbikes and snowmobiles in Nunavut is in the shape of a polar bear.

    Reply

  72. I know this is a super-old post, but it’s worth mentioning: The statement about half of Canada’s population being born elsewhere is outright false. Only about 20% of Canada’s population were born outside our borders.

    Reply

  74. As a Canadian, I wonder what’s so funny about saying ” Out and About “!
    Also, we do not end every sentence with eh!

    Reply

  76. Wait,I’m confused,if Canada became a country in 1867, then how can it be celebrating 145 years in 2012 if its only celebrating 150 in 2017?

    Reply

  77. there is also shawn mendes and allesia cara
    i just recently moved from canada to america and i am proud to say i was born and raised there!!
    people are so awesomly friendly!!

    Reply

  78. Thank you Leigh for this phenomenal compilation of facts about C A N A D A!! Fascinating! I even learned a few things. Great read for anyone. Looking forward to reading more of your work. Wishing you all the best.

    Reply

  79. Lots of cool trivia. A few of the facts are outdated (ex. Canada is no longer the largest producer of uranium and festivals didn’t include the Montreal Jazz festival, or L’International des Feux Loto-Québec or Caribana) to name a few, but overall lots of cool facts. Thanks and maybe a few updates could make this an even better page! Thanks!

    Reply

  80. I am doing a Culture Day for College. Looking for something that will rock everyone. I wish I could get a famous person to come for my presentation. If any one could come to Moncton NB to help, let me know !!!!!

    Reply

  83. I would like to take the chance of saying thanks to you
    for that professional guidance I have often enjoyed browsing your site.
    I’m looking forward to the particular commencement of my university research and the general planning would never have
    been complete without checking out your web blog. If I may be of
    any help to others, I will be thankful to help through what I have gained from here.

    Reply

  85. As a fellow Canadian currently living in Ottawa, ON… I must say that this is a great list! 145 facts, definitely a very long list of facts, but I enjoyed this nonetheless, so thanks for taking the time to create and share this!

    Reply

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