Facts on Canada: Canada is one of the most alluring countries in the world, and is also called the Great White North for its vast frozen landscapes. Having an abundance of scenic landscapes, lush forests, and sparkling lakes and rivers, Canada is a regular choice of tourism destination for travellers from all around the world!
To help you learn more about Canada, here are ten fascinating facts on the Great White North!
- Canada is an incredibly vast country, and the sheer size of the country is mind-blowing! It is the largest country in the Western hemisphere, and is the second-largest country in the world, after Russia. Moreover, Canada is bigger than the entire European Union, is 33 times bigger than Italy, and 15 times larger than France!
- Sticking to size, Canada is also home to three of the world’s ten biggest islands! The Baffin Islands are more than double the size of Great Britain, while Victoria Island and Ellesmere Island are both roughly as big as England!
- Canada is also the location of more than half of all the lakes in the world! The number of lakes in Canada exceeds 3 million, with the two biggest ones being named the Great Bear Lake and the Great Slave Lake!
- Quebec City is a special city in not only Canada, but also in North America – it is the only walled city on the continent! The fortifications were built between the 17th and 19th centuries, and the historical significance of Quebec has seen it declared as a UNESCO World Heritage Site!
- Canada’s lowest recorded temperature is akin to Mars! On February 3, 1947, the temperature in Snag, Yukon was recorded to be -63 C, which is roughly the same temperature as the surface of Mars!
- Speaking of Mars, several crates on the Martian surface have also been named after Canadian places such as Newfoundland and Gander, owing to the space research efforts conducted at these locations!
- Canadian national parks are bigger than many countries! The Nahanni National Park Reserve in the Northwest Territories is larger than Albania, while the Wood Buffalo National Park outsizes Denmark and Switzerland!
- Alert, Nunavut is the northernmost inhabited place in the world! Serving as a settlement for military and scientific personnel, this place is so far up north that it is less than 820 kilometers from the North Pole!
- Canada is also home to the longest coastline in the world, measuring 202,080 kilometers. Canada’s mainland coast, together with Cape Breton, Newfoundland, and Prince Edward Island, is bordered by three different oceans: the Arctic, Atlantic, and Pacific. It would take you more than four years to walk the length of the coastline without any stoppages whatsoever!
- Canada also boasts around 10 per cent of the world’s entire forest area! Canada has an incredible 396.9 million hectares of real estate belonging to forests and wooded lands, most of which are publicly owned!
