Canada is the world's second largest country, covering 9 970 610 km² of land, surpassed only by Russia. It is made up of 10 provinces, namely Newfoundland, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Québec, Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia and 3 territories, which are the Yukon, Northwest Territories and Nunavut. The provinces have a larger degree of government autonomy than the territories.

Canada has 6 time zones and a population of approximately 31 million people. The United Nations has consistently ranked it as one of the Best Countries in the World in which to live. A recent international poll listed Vancouver as joint top city in the world to live in (with Bern,Vienna, and Zurich).

The country has two official languages: English, which is spoken by 59% of Canadians, and French, spoken by 23% of Canadians. The capital city is Ottawa, Ontario and the country has three levels of government: Federal, Provincial and Municipal. The Mounties (Royal Canadian Mounted Police) still wear their famous red uniform, but only for ceremonial purposes.

In the summer, temperatures in the high 30's are common and in the winter -30 is not uncommon, particularly in the prairies and Rockies. There are over 2 million lakes in Canada, covering 7.6% of its landmass, containing 14% of the world's freshwater supplies. Canada's national sports are Ice Hockey (known simply as "Hockey") and Lacrosse.

The origin of the word "Canada" comes from the Huron-Iroquois word "Kanata", meaning "village". The country's national symbol is the Maple Leaf and its national emblem is the Beaver. Beaver Tails are sold in the winter but these are flapjacks dipped in sugar and cinnamon.

The following links have been selected to provide information on each of the major cities where you will find a wealth of useful material on places to visit, places to stay and eat, be entertained and much, much more.

As with all links on this site, we accept no responsibility for the contents of sites outside our control.