Canada is one of the best educational countries in the world. However, you may not know numerous facts about the Great White North! Today, we’re counting down 44 surprising and weird Canadian facts that you probably didn’t know about.
1. Over 20% of Canadians are foreign-born!
According to Statistics Canada, nearly 7 million Canadians were born in another country (Canada’s population was 37.06 million). As a result, Canada is the most diverse country among the G7 nations! Most foreign-born Canadians reside in Ontario, British Columbia, Quebec, and Alberta.
2. Canada has less gravity than anywhere else in the world!
Well, sort of. The average Hudson Bay resident weighs a tenth of an ounce less than they would anywhere else. Why? It all stems from the last ice age, which ended over 11,000 years ago. During this time, much of Canada was covered by the Laurentide Ice Sheet, a massive glacier. Because ice is so heavy, when it began to melt about 21,000 years ago, the Earth beneath it began to spring back slowly. However, the Hudson Bay region remains deformed and thus has less mass than it should. Less mass equals less gravity, which explains why you’ll weigh slightly less if you visit this part of Canada.
3. Canada is the world’s most educated country.
Canada is a country that values quality education, and this is reflected in its people. More than 56% of Canadian adults have a college diploma, the highest proportion among developed countries. Japan is the world’s second most educated country, with just over 50%, followed by Israel, with 49.9%.
4. The official address of Santa Claus is in Canada.
In Western Christian culture, Santa Claus is a well-known figure. Greek, British, and Dutch culture influenced the modern version of Santa “Saint Nick.” However, Santa is linked with Canada because the country extends into the North Pole. Over 1 million letters are sent to Santa Claus each Christmas. You can write a letter in any language and send it to the North Pole, H0H oHo, Canada, and Santa will reply!
5. Canada produces the vast majority of the world’s maple syrup.
A well-known Canadian condiment is at the top of our list of surprising Canadian facts. There’s a reason maple syrup has become a Canadian stereotype: we have an abundance of it! In fact, the province of Quebec alone produces 70 percent (!) of the world’s maple syrup. The United States is the second-largest producer, with small operations in Japan and South Korea.
6. Canada has the world’s longest coastline.
It stretches for over 202,000 kilometers. Walking the length of Canada’s coastline would take four and a half years. This coastline is bounded by three oceans: the Pacific, the Atlantic, and the Arctic. Indonesia has the world’s second-longest coastline, which is just over a quarter of the length of Canada’s at 54,700 kilometers.
7. Canada has national parks that are larger than those of many other countries.
Wood Buffalo National Park in Albert is larger than Denmark and Switzerland (just over 44,000 square kilometers), and Nahanni National Park Reserve in the Northwest Territories is larger than Israel (over 30,000 square kilometers).
8. Canada is home to the world’s northernmost settlement.
Alert, Nunavut is located at the top of Ellesmere Island, 817 kilometers from the North Pole. This community is home to scientists and military personnel. However, it is only a temporary residence because the temperature dropped to -32 degrees Celsius in January.
9. There are two deserts in Canada.
British Columbia is home to Canada’s only desert. It is 15 miles long and the only desert in the world with a visitor boardwalk. The second desert is on the south bank of Lake Athabasca in northern Saskatchewan.
10. In Canada, keep your toes on the ground.
If you visit Dawson City, Yukon, you can join the Sour Toe Cocktail Club. Any drink with a real human toe in the bottom is called a Sour Toe cocktail. The rules state that you can drink whatever you want at any time, but your mouth must touch your toe.
11. The coldest temperature ever recorded in Canada was as cold as Mars.
On February 3, 1947, a temperature of -63 degrees Celsius (-81.4 degrees Fahrenheit) was recorded in Snag, a small village in Yukon. This is roughly the same temperature as Mars.
12. Canada has some novel approaches to warfighting.
Since the 1930s, Canada and Denmark have fought over an uninhabited Arctic island. Their fighting style is quite unique. They leave for each other alcohol bottles and switch flags. The Canadians leave a bottle of Canadian Rye Whiskey, while the Danish leave a bottle of Dutch schnapps.
13. Canada could easily become America’s 51st state.
One of the 13 articles in the US Articles of Confederation states that it will be automatically accepted if Canada wishes to enter the US.
14. Lakes cover more surface area in Canada than any other country on the planet.
The Great Lakes of Canada alone contain 18% of the world’s fresh lake water. There are also over 30,000 lakes in Canada, including two of the world’s largest, Great Slave Lake and Great Bear Lake. All of this means that Canada is home to more than half of the world’s lakes.
15. Canada consumes more doughnuts than any other country on the planet.
They also have the most doughnut shops per capita of any country on the planet. Every year, 30 million people consume over one billion donuts. It’s all because of Tim Hortons!
16. It is customary for Churchill, Canada residents to leave their cars unlocked.
This is to provide an escape route for pedestrians who come across a polar bear. Churchill is home to approximately 15,500 of the world’s 25,000 polar bears. The town has more polar bears than people at times.
17. Canada dwarfs the European Union in size.
It is also five times the size of Mexico and three times the size of India. It is 30% bigger than Australia.
18. In Canada, the Hawaiian Pizza was invented.
On a pizza, that’s pineapple. In Australia, this is the most popular type of pizza.
19. The US/Canada border is the world’s longest international border.
It possesses no military defense. It is nearly 9,000 kilometers long, with the border between Alaska and Canada alone measuring nearly 2,500 kilometers.
20. Canada has the only walled city in North America.
It is lovely Quebec City. During the 17th and 19th centuries, the French and English built these walls and fortifications. It dates back to 1608, when Samuel de Champlain founded it.
The lovely Lunenburg in Nova Scotia is the second of only two UNESCO-designated cities in North America.
21. You will most likely weigh less in Canada.
Much of Canada has less gravity than the rest of the planet. Gravity is not uniform across the globe, and these variations are caused by landmass. The melting of the Laurentide Ice Sheet is still causing problems in Canada. This means that if you go to Hudson Bay, you will weigh about a tenth of an ounce less than you would anywhere else on the planet.
22. Milk is packaged in bags in Canada.
Milk is purchased in bags in Canada. According to statistics, 75% of Canadians drink their milk from a bag. This is because milk in bags is cheaper than bottles or cartons.
23. In Canada, it is illegal to stink.
If you have an offensive odor in a public place, you could face two years in a Canadian jail, which are really nice and have a Tim Horton’s.
24. Canada has the world’s fourth lowest population density.
Canada has a slightly more than 37 million population spread across a land area of ten million square kilometers. This equates to 3.7 people per square kilometer. In the United States, that same square kilometer would house 35 people. Approximately 90% of Canada is uninhabited. In addition, 90% of Canadians live within 500 kilometers of the US border.
DISCOVER PROGRAM YOU CAN APPLY
every course you find will give you a pathway to post study visa
25. Canada has the world’s longest freshwater beach.
Canada and beaches seem to be separate, but Wasaga Beach in Ontario is the world’s longest freshwater beach, located on Georgian Bay. Sauble Beach in Canada is also the world’s second-longest freshwater beach.
26. Canada has the world’s longest and largest skating rinks.
This is far more logical than the beaches. Winnipeg is home to the world’s longest skating rink. The stunning Rideau Canal in Ottawa has the world’s largest skating rink.
27. Canada is home to the world’s fourth-largest city with a French-speaking population (Paris is only second!)
Montreal has over four million inhabitants and is the world’s fourth-largest city with a French-speaking population, after Kinshasa, Paris, and Abidjan. With a population of over 6 million people, Toronto is Canada’s largest city, but it lacks the number of French speakers that Montreal does.
28. Canada is the world’s snake capital.
Manitoba, Canada, has the world’s highest concentration of snakes. Every year, approximately 70,000 snakes emerge from hibernation in the Praire province. The red-sided garter snake is the most common type of snake.
29. In Canada, there are two official languages.
At the time of Canada’s founding, Britain was not the only colonial power hungry for power. There was also France, which once owned much of North America for a while.
That didn’t last, but what did last was the culture and the language of France. As a result, English and French are the two most widely spoken languages in Canada today.
30. The term Canada comes from an indigenous word.
And that word is kanata, which means “village” or “settlement” in the St. Lawrence Iroquoians’ language. But, unfortunately, these indigenous people vanished during wars with the Mohawk, who wanted a monopoly on trade with Europeans at the time.
31. The French and British were far from the first Europeans to settle in Canada.
The Vikings were responsible. Leif Erikson, the grandson of a Norwegian Viking who was exiled to Iceland for “some killings,” led the expedition around 1000 AD.
The Viking settlement was in Newfoundland, which they called Vinland (named for its vines that enabled them to produce great wine, apparently). It only lasted a few years, but it left an impression on the Icelandic Sagas as well as the native Inuit population at the time.
32. Canada is at War (sort of) – Canada has serious land disputes with Denmark. They’ve been fighting over an island in the Arctic since the 1930s with Denmark. To stake their claim, the two countries leave a bottle of Canadian rye whiskey on the Danish side, while the Danes leave a bottle of Danish schnapps on our side.
33. The Apology Act is the Law
This amusing fact about Canada made me laugh because it is so appropriate! In fact, Canadians apologize so frequently that the country passed the apology act, which requires you to express sympathy or regret. It does not constitute an express or implied admission of fault or liability by the person in relation to that matter under the law. However, it does not mean sympathy or regret.
34. It is illegal in British Columbia to kill a Sasquatch
Bigfoot is legally protected in Canada. This is one of the more interesting facts about Canada that we discovered during our research. I appreciate that someone went to the trouble of passing legislation prohibiting the killing of Bigfoot. When a man asked for permission to kill “the Wild Man of Home Lake” in the 1800s, he was told that it was illegal to shoot Mowglis.
35. Canada has a population of 37.06 million people.
Canada is the world’s second-largest country with a total land area of 2 million square kilometers. However, much of the land is uninhabited, and Canada has the world’s fourth lowest population density (3.7 people per square km). (For comparison, the United States has about 35 people per square km.)
36. Canada is a country with a diverse population.
After Canadians (32%), First Nations make up 4.9 percent of the population. Other demographics in Canada include English 18.3%, Scottish 13.9%, French 13.6%, Irish 13.4%, German 9.6%, and Chinese 5.1 percent.
37. Most Canadians live within 200 kilometers of the US border. And the majority of the population lives in urban areas such as Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, and Calgary. (Canadian cities ranked highest in terms of population)
38. Canada has the World’s Largest Freshwater Island – Manitoulin Island in Ontario is the world’s largest freshwater island. It’s a fantastic place to visit. It is located in Lake Huron’s Georgian Bay and offers numerous hiking and cultural opportunities. The Great Spirit Circle Trails allow visitors to immerse themselves in Canada’s First Nations’ Indigenous culture.
39. Canada is the Polar Bear Capital of the World. In fact, Canada is known as the world’s polar bear capital. Churchill is the best place to see a polar bear in its natural habitat.
40. Canada is cold, but it is not the coldest country on the planet. Colder regions include Antarctica, Russia, and Greenland. The coldest temperature ever recorded in Canada was -63 degrees Celsius in Snag, Yukon Territories.
41. Canada is home to two of the world’s top ten largest lakes. They are not the Great Lakes, but rather Great Bear Lake and Great Slave Lake, both of which are located in the Northwest Territories.
42. Yonge Street in Ontario, Canada, is the world’s longest street, measuring 1,896 kilometers (1,178 miles). It starts in Toronto and runs north to just shy of Lake Simcoe. It was removed from the Guinness Book of World Records, but my research revealed no longer-running streets.
43. Canada has a monarchy. It is the same as in the United Kingdom – Queen Elizabeth II (now King Charles III). This is because Canada is a member of the British Commonwealth, having previously been a British Empire colony.
Though it gained self-government in 1867, Canada had a long way to go before becoming independent.
44. Although you can see Niagara Falls from both sides of the border, the Horseshoe Falls – the most powerful falls – are in Canada. Approximately 90% of the water that flows over the falls from the Niagara River crashes down the Horseshoe Falls; the remaining 10% flows down the American Falls and Bridal Veil Falls on the US side.
Concluding Remarks
These are our favorite facts about Canada. Canada is quirky, fun, and strange; that’s just how many people like it! If you know any interesting facts about Canada, please share them with us!
And if you are interested in studying in this beautiful country, we can help you!
The experienced and dedicated team at Univly is ready to answer your questions and provide advice on studying in Canada.
FAQ
No, Canada is the second largest country in the world after Russia.
Yes, the King and Queen of England are also considered the King and Queen of Canada.
No, Russia is the coldest country in the world.