Want to know more about Canada? Being Canadian, we know a thing or two about our country, so we thought we'd share some interesting Canada facts about Canada with all of you.
We know that the majority of our readers come to us from outside of Canada, so perhaps you'd like to know a few more things about our home.
Facts About Canada
Canada is located in the northern hemisphere and is part of North America. It is north of the United States.
Most people live within 200km from the border of the United States. And most of the population lives in in urban centres.
Much of Canada is uninhabited with only 3.7 people per square km. (for reference the United States has approximately 35 people per square km.)
Canadian Geography
Canada has more lakes than all the countries in the world combined
Canada is the second largest country in the world. (Russia is the largest)
Canada's area is 9.985 million km² (6.204 million miles²)
Canada has 10 provinces and 3 Territories. We do not have states.
The Population of Canada is 37.06 Million people.
Canada has the longest coastline of any other country in the world. It totals 202,000 km. It is bordered by the Pacific, Atlantic and Arctic Oceans
Canada has 20 per cent of the world's fresh water.
Canada has more lakes than the rest of the world combined!
Two of the top 10 largest lakes in the world are located in Canada. Great Bear Lake and Great Slave Lake are both located in the Northwest Territories.
One-tenth of the world's forests are in Canada.
Canada Number Ones!
Canada has the longest highway in the world – The Trans Canada Highway #1 is 243,977 kilometers – 151,600 miles
Canada has the longest coastline in the world measured at 202,080 km (125566.691 miles) long.
Canada has the highest tides in the world at the Bay of Fundy. Located between Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, this body of water moves 100 billion tons of water through its tides twice daily.
Canada has the longest freshwater beach in the world – Wasaga Beach in Ontario.
Canada has the longest skating rink in the world (located in Winnipeg) and the world's largest skating rink (Ottawa's Rideau Canal.)
Canada has the largest freshwater island in the world – Manitoulin Island in Ontario.
Canada borders the United States and is the world's longest unprotected border.
Canada has the longest street in the world – Yonge Street in Ontario 1,896 km (1,178 mi) long. It originates in Toronto and goes due north to just shy of Lake Simcoe. It has been taken off the Guinness Book of World Records, but my research wasn't able to find a street that was longer. Motorway or highway? Yes. Street. I'm still looking.
The village of Alert in the Northwest Territories is the northernmost permanent settlement in the world. (my sister was stationed there while in the military in the 1990s!)
The oldest rocks on earth can be found in The Canadian Shield. The 4.28 billion-year-old rock that was discovered by geologists in 2001.
Canada is cold
Canada is cold, but it isn't the coldest country in the world. Antarctica, Russia, and Greenland are colder.
The lowest recorded temperature in Canada was in Snag, Yukon Territories at -63C
The coldest temperatures Dave and I have faced were -43C somewhere on the Hudson Bay in Northern Manitoba.
Canadians keep warm by wearing Tuques. (Or Toques as it is spelled in English) that is what we call a winter hat.
Canada has more polar bears than anywhere in the world. We've seen about 10 in real life.
Famous Canadians
Drake is one of the most famous Canadians at the moment
Canada has a lot of famous expats.
Unlike Australia and the UK, Canadians seem to keep it a secret save for a few patriotic Canadians like Drake, Mike Meyers, and Ryan Reynolds.
But if you were ever wondering what other Canadians are out there in the Entertainment world that are famous, here are a few of our favourites.
Marvel has several famous Canadians – Evangeline Lily (Ant Man and the Wasp), Ryan Reynolds (Deadpool), Ellen Page (X-men), Cobie Smulders (The Avengers), Rachel McAdams (Dr. Strange)
Music: Drake, Justin Beiber, Michael Buble, Shawn Mendes, Alanis Morisette, Avril Lavine, Sarah Mclachlan, Rush, Neil Young, Celine Dion
Actors: Keanu Reeves, Ryan Gosling, Jason Priestley,
Actresses: Sandra Oh, Anna Paquin,
Comedians: Seth Rogan, Jim Carey, Mike Meyers, Lorne Michaels, Howie Mandel, Martin Short, Dan Akroyd
Fun Facts About Canadians
Canada is the Most Educated Country in the World
When doing research for this article, I learned that Canadians are the most educated country in the world. Who knew?
I feel really proud of this fact. More than 50% of the population has a post-secondary education.
Plus, Canada has a 99% literacy rate. Not bad, but there are plenty of countries that have a 100% literacy rate, so we have some room for improvement.
We speak funny
We say things like “eh” and “tuque.” We call our money Loonies and Toonies and we have a lot of weird slang. If you want to learn more about how Canadians speak, check out our post, The Great Canadian Word
Or watch our video:
Oh, and yes, Canadians really do Apologize a lot. We really do say I'm sorry or sorry often. If you visit Canada for an extended period of time, chances are you'll be going home apologizing too.
Other Canadian Statistics
Oil Reserves – Canada is third in oil reserves only after Saudi Arabia and Venezuela.
Three of the largest islands in the world are located within Canada – Baffin Island, Victoria Island, and Ellesmere Island
Canada is one of the largest producers uranium anywhere in the world.
Uranium is used for nuclear power.
- Interesting fact: One kilogram of uranium can produce as much energy as 1500 tons of coal
The population of Canada – 39 Million
Capital City – Ottawa
Prime Minister – Justin Trudeau
Largest City – Toronto
Canada's Official Phone Number – 1-800-O-Canada
Canada's National Animal is the Beaver
Canadian Life Expectancy – the average life expectancy is 81 years old
Official Languages – French and English
Canada has two official languages. The province of Quebec is Canada's main French-speaking province, but New Brunswick also has a large Francophone population.
Interesting Fun Facts
Canada has the only walled city in North America – Speaking of Quebec, Did you know that Quebec City is the only city in North America that is a walled city. Sure there are walled cities all around the world, but Quebec is North America's numero uno.
Canada uses the British English system meaning we spell things like Color with a “u” Colour, and our theaters and Meters are spelled “re” – theatre, metre
Canada is on the metric system but most people understand a lot of the imperial system of measurement and weight.
Canadian Bank Notes have brail on them for the blind. (I thought everyone had braille on money, but only a few other countries do.)
Canadian Achievements
Superman – Canadian Joe Shuster co-created Superman with Jerry Siegel. The Daily Planet is actually based on the Toronto Star and Metropolis was modeled after Toronto.
Basketball was invented by Canadian, Dr. James Naismith who in 1891 defined 13 rules of the game that while teaching at a local YMCA in Springfield, Massachusetts
IMAX was invented by Graeme Ferguson, Roman Kroitor and Robert Kerr in 1967. Three Canadian filmmakers.
Insulin was discovered by doctor Frederick Banting in 19921 at the University of Toronto. It was developed further by him, Charles Best, Bertram Collip and John Mcleod.
Snowblower – It makes sense that the snowblower was invented by a Canadian. Arthur Sicard made shoveling snow easier in 1927.
Telephone – While Alexander Graham Bell wasn't officially Canadian, he spent most of his time between Brantford Ontario, Boston Massachusetts, and Baddeck Nova Scotia and much of his work was done at his workshop in Brantford and then later in life in Baddeck.
Funny Canadian Facts
The Sour Toe Cocktail in Dawson City
Canada seems to like weird names and a trip around the country will prove it to be true. Read our article funny names in Canada.
On the east coast, there is a town called Dildo and in the West, there is a place called Head Smashed in Buffalo Jump.
Canada has an ongoing dispute with Denmark. We have been fighting over an island in the Arctic since the 1930s. The two countries battle it out by a bottle of Canadian rye whiskey or Danish schnapps to stake their claim.
In 2012 the Great Canadian Maple Syrup Heist when someone stole 3000 tons of maple syrup in Quebec valued at $18 million dollars.
In Dawson City, Yukon there is a cocktail where people drink whiskey with a human toe inside. It is called the Sour Toe Cocktail. We've tried it, it's not so bad!
In Newfoundland, there is a tradition of kissing a dead cod followed by a shot of rum known as Skreech
In Churchill Manitoba, nobody locks their doors to their house or cars in case of a polar bear attack.
It is illegal to kill a Sasquatch in British Columbia.
Interesting Facts Canada
The national animal of Canada is the Beaver – It became the national symbol of Canada in 1975.
It seems like a strange choice, but the beaver played a large role in building Canada. Canada was built on the fur trade and the beaver was in high demand for its pelt.
So in exchange for nearly hunting them to extinction, we put them on our nickel as a thank you.
Maple Leaf – The maple leaf is definitely identified with Canada. It is prominent on our Canadian Flag, our most notoriously losing hockey team is called the Maple Leafs, the maple leaf is on our penny, and many Canadians used to sew the Maple Leaf on their backpacks.
With the state of the world these days, I am sure more people are starting up that tradition again.
Check out this Canada Travel Guide at Breathe Dream go for tours and information Canada.
Food And Drink
Canada doesn't have much of a food identity. I would say a Canada food fact would be the fact that we have a very multicultural palette.
One night we will eat Italian, then we'll order in Thai or Korean and others we'll be dining on Ethiopian or Indian. Canada is one of the most multicultural countries in the world and Toronto is often considered the most multicultural city on earth!
But there are a few things that set Canadian food apart.
Canada's National Drink is the Ceasar – It's like a Bloody Mary, but instead of tomato juice, we use Clamato Juice (A mixture of Clam Juice and Tomato Juice)
Canadians eat more Mac and Cheese than anyone else in the world. But we call it Kraft Dinner.
Poutine really is a thing. And take it from us, it's the best hangover food out there. Harvey's (a burger chain that is delicious in Canada) serves great poutine and it's vegetarian!
Fun Fact About Canada Laws
Thanks to Pixabay for this great Image by Mona Tootoonchinia from
Smelling bad is illegal in Canada – Anyone offending a public place with an offending smell could face 2 years in jail.
Comic books depicting a crime are illegal in Canada. Funny since we have a few ties with comic books. Wolverine is Canadian and Superman was invented in Canada.
Prostitution is legal in Canada, but buying a prostitute's services is illegal. (now that's confusing)
It is illegal to carry a product designed for personal protection against a human attack, according to the Criminal Code of Canada.
Cannabis is legal in Canada.
The drinking age in Canada is 19 years old in most provinces and 18 years old in Quebec, Alberta and Manitoba
Canadian National Parks
The first national park in Canada was Banff National Park established in 1885. Three years after the first National Park in the world was established in the United States (Yellowstone National Park)
Canada's national parks are massive and 30 national parks in the country are larger than many countries!
Wood Buffalo National Park is the second largest national park on earth. Located between Alberta and the Northwest Territories it was established to allow the Wood Bison to roam freely.
And that is some of our favourite fun facts of the day.
I'll be updating this post as we learn more. If you have an interesting fact about Canada, we'd love to hear it!
Read More:
Canada Day Facts – Things you didn't know about our Birthday
DNN says
So I hear that their air is cleaner than the United States and their subway way cleaner than the New York City subway. Is this correct? 🙂
Shelley Caldwell says
I love this . I plan to travel here very soon
David says
Love this article! As a fellow Canadian, it’s nice to see you included the part about the Bay Of Fundy. I live in Nova Scotia very close to the bay. it’s so nice here! If anyone gets a chance to visit, you won’t be disappointed 🙂
raymond barlow says
Well done eh!!
Nastya Kuchenova says
It was a pleasure to read this, thank you! My husband’s father is a Canadian citizen and he loves to include such facts in every discussion:) But I didn’t know even a half of things. My next visit to Canada I’ll definitely try Ceasar – with Clamato Juice.
Robert McGrath says
It’s not spelled Skreech but Screech
Geoff Rowlands says
The Trans-Canada Highway is ‘only’ 7’800 kilometres long. I think the figure in the article might be the total length of highways in the country.
Dave And Deb says
I’m not quite sure what you are talking about, but the Trans Canada highway is 7,821 km. Canada is a huge country. Here are the details in Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trans-Canada_Highway
Ram Persaud says
You guys make me feel so proud to be Canadian. Thanks so much for your time, energy and effort putting these facts together. I always visit your website whenever I’m planning a trip.
Tony says
Missed Gordon Lightfoot as a famous entertainer.
Anna says
So many interesting things about Canada. The facts about food are really funny!
Amelia says
What a funny fact about Canada. Smelling bad is illegal. Its so funny!
Lombok Wander says
What a nice country in Canada !
grecyeventbh says
These all places to visit that are great when there is come to choose one of them then I would like to choose canada is a great way to drive and more places to see.
DNN says
One thing I never knew as a child growing up in New York City is Canada is possibly 10 hours or less driving by car away from the Big Apple. I once drove from Brooklyn, New York to Maine in my teenage years without making it to my final destination. I drove to Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Vermont, and New Hampshire before reaching Maine. we came into knowledge of cities in Maine such as Kittery and Kennebunkport but never got to where we originally intended, but learned that if we continued driving up the highway which I think at the time was I-95, we would’ve driven right into the Canadian border. Hopefully someday I might make it there but I’m not counting on it. 🙂