20 Little-Known Facts about Canada
Canada, a country in the northern part of North America, is the world’s second-largest country by total area. The Great White North is a place preferred by many immigrants. But, there are certain facts that might be a shock to many. Read on to find out.
- UFO Tolerant
Canada is a country known for its commitment to tolerance and acceptance. This country had built the first UFO landing pad in 1967 in Alberta which shows that they do believe in aliens and are also ready to welcome them.
- Apology Act
Canadians are known for their politeness to one another. In fact, their usage of the word sorry is so frequent that an Apology Act was passed in 2009.
According to this act, an apology is inadmissible in court stating that sorry means “an expression of sympathy or regret and not an admission of guilt or fault”. Nothing like a classic Canadian apology eh?
- The Big Nickel
The world’s largest coin can be found here. The Canadian Mint has a 1 Million Dollar coin also known as the Big Nickel. It is located in Sudbury, Ontario. If you love collecting coins, this is the place for you.
- A late independence
Almost half of the world was under the rule of Great Britain but many countries fought and gained independence from colonial rule. India was ruled for almost 200 years but became independent in 1945.
Canada seemed to love Britain so much that its act of independence was passed as late as 1982, the year in which it took over the authority for amending its own constitution. But still, Queen Elizabeth II is Canada’s Official Head of State. They sure do love their queen.
- A world of lakes
This huge country has more lakes than all the other countries combined. There are close to 2 million lakes in this Great White North.
- Mind-boggling Maple Syrup
Over 80% of the world’s maple syrup is made in Canada and 91% of that is made in the province of Quebec alone. They also have a maple syrup reserve which made headlines when thieves stole almost 18 million dollars worth of breakfast staple.
Apparently, their 100$ bills also smell like maple syrup, a fact denied by the Bank of Canada. Sniff one to know.
- Highly Educated
Education is given a lot of importance in Canada and their public schools provide quality free education to children till the age of 16 years. 42% of the Canadian population has higher education qualifications.
- Inventor of Basketball
Basketball is a sport which always brings to mind America and its NBA. But, it is interesting to note that it was Canada where this great sport was invented. However, the national sports of Canada are Hockey and Lacrosse.
- Polar Bear shaped License plate
License plates in their Northwest Territories and Nunavut are shaped like polar bears. It is also a fact that residents of Churchill, Canada leave their cars unlocked for pedestrians who might want to escape from their encounter with the white beast.
In fact, Canada is home to 15,500 of the world’s 25,000 polar bears.
- Loving Immigrants
Just like its neighbor America, Canada can also be called a melting pot, as one in five Canadians was born outside of Canada.
- Cheers!
This cold-weather country loves to get drunk. And their favorite drink is not wine but beer. 80% of the total alcohol consumed in Canada is beer. Cheers mate!
- The Dark Laboratory
Canada has the deepest underground laboratory in the world. A slab in Sudbury, Ontario runs more than a mile- 1.6 km underground.
- Banned Hate Speech
A country known for its acceptance has banned hate speech which is a penalized offense by the federal and provincial government.
- Annual Tulip Festival
Ottawa, Canada holds an annual tulip festival, filled with thousands of tulips sent from the Netherlands. This festival is actually a sign of gratitude from the Netherlands.
The story being that for one day in 1943, Ottawa designated a hospital room to be an international ground so that a Dutch princess could be born a full Dutch citizen and retain her title.
- Santa is a Canadian Citizen
Santa Claus lives in Canada and the government has declared it a Canadian citizen. In fact if you write a letter addressed to the North Pole HOH OHO in any language, he will respond in kind. His trusted elves (all 1.5 million of them) will answer them.
- The Messy Poutine
In Quebec, poutine is a slang word for messy. It is named after their famous snack which is the French fries and cheese curd drowned in a portion of gravy and ketchup. You can’t leave without trying this.
- Macaroni and Cheese Hoggers
Canada consumes more Kraft Macaroni and Cheese than any other country in the world. They love their mac and cheese dearly.
- Ophidiophobia
Ophidiophobia is fear of snakes and if you have this then surely you should stay away from Manitoba in Canada which is known for its largest concentration of snakes in the world. Around 70,000 snakes emerge in May as they come out of hibernation.
- No place for misogynists
Canada tops the list of the best G20 countries for a woman. They do love and respect their ladies.
- A Divided Library
The longest non-militarized border lies between Canada and the USA. This creates an interesting divide in places like Derby Line and Stanstead where the public library straddles between the two countries.
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