Canada, the largest country of North America and the second-largest country in the world, "only" has 35 million inhabitants. This makes it a thinly populated, but prosperous country. It is also a very popular travel destination; both for tourists and business travellers.
Many people mainly know Canada for its large cities Quebec, Montréal and Vancouver, even though the much smaller Ottawa is the official capital of Canada. The larger cities of Canada are relatively close to the border with the USA, with which Canada has close ties. Ever since the colonisation of Canada by the Europeans (first the French and later the English), the country has had large amounts of immigration. After the Second World War, many foreigners emigrated to Canada.
In total, roughly 90 percent of the Canadian population consists of immigrants or descendants of those people. About 25% of the Canadian population has a British heritage while 24% originate from France. But the original inhabitants of Canada, the Inuit and the natives, are still represented in large number in Canada’s population. Currently, more than a hundred tribes with a total of over a quarter of a million natives reside in Canada, predominantly hunters and farmers. Currently, the largest group of newcomers are Asians; Vancouver alone has over 100.000 inhabitants with Chinese heritage
Canada is divided into 10 provinces and 3 territories, and is so large that it has six time zones. Canada is larger than the United States, but with a difference of 1.5% in size only barely. Canada does have more lakes than all the other countries in the world combined. About 30% of Canadian soil consists of woodlands and two thirds of the country is entirely uninhabited. This is mainly because over three quarters of Canadians live less than 200 miles from the border with the US.
Canada has been inhabited for thousands of years by natives and the Inuit (Eskimos). They originally came over as Asian nomads from Siberia, which until 35.000 years ago was still connected with Canada. The Inuit settled north in Canada; the natives divided themselves across the rest of the American continent.
Colonisation and Independence
About 1000 years after Christ, Norwegian Vikings discovered Canada and her native population. In 1492, Columbus made his first visit to America. In 1600 the French set up a trade post in Canada, starting the colonisation of Canada. This led to the creation of the francophone Quebec. After several wars, Canada ended up in the hands of the British in 1763. The United States made two attempts to invade the country and subjugate it, but were forced back without success. Canada only gained its full independence from the British in 1982, although it already enjoyed a longer period of almost complete autonomy before that.
Canadian Culture
Canadian culture mainly originates from British, French, American and Inuit cultures. Lacrosse is the national summer sport and ice hockey the preferred winter sport. Curling and Canadian Football are also popular sports among the Canadian population. Canada has hosted the Olympic Games three times; the winter games of 1988 and 2010, and the summer games in 1976. Canada's national symbols are the maple leaf (which can be found in the flag), the beaver, the Canadian goose and the ice diver. The totem pole is also frequently seen in imagery. And last but not least: the Hawaiian pizza is a Canadian invention (whether a good or a bad one is a discussion for another time).
National Holidays
The holidays in Canada largely resemble those in the UK due to its sizable Christian population. Like the United States, Canada observes Thanksgiving, though it is not celebrated on the same day.
Weather and Climate
Those travelling to Canada should remember to bring a heavy sweater. In 1946, Canada experienced its lowest temperature ever: a staggering 64 degrees below Celsius. This was quite the exception, as the north of Canada generally doesn’t get colder than -40 degrees Celsius. Because the south of Canada lies at the same height as Spain, the south can get quite a bit hotter in the summer than many tourists expect. Okanagan even has a sizable desert. The weather table below can give an impression of the average temperature and rainfall in Canada, but due to its large size it is wise to check the weather forecasts of your destinations in Canada.