17 Curiosities about Canada 

Welcome to this article about the 17 best facts about Canada, included in our super guide to traveling to Canada . One of our newest destinations in this wonderful world, where trip after trip, it continues to surprise us with every corner.

 How lucky we are to have been born on Earth!

On this occasion we are going to try to summarize for you everything that has surprised us the most and that we have learned about Canada, interesting facts about Canada that you will love to know.

AN IMPORTANT TIP: Don't travel to Canada without a good travel insurance, avoid big problems. It is one of the first requirements that they tell you on the Canadian government website along with the processing of the And so.
We recommend you the Iati Star We hired this insurance after a good comparison and study of the different ones on the market. It is the only one that exceeds one million euros of coverage. Without a doubt, it is the best for North America, where breaking a leg costs you €150.000, as happened to a friend of ours in the USA. Another positive thing is that Iati has an app for virtual visits.
I leave you here a link where you have a 5% off for any Iati travel insurance.

About us

Canada is the second largest country in the world

The first interesting fact about Canada that you should know is this: Canada is the second largest country in the world. Only Russia is larger than it.

Upon arriving in Canada, many things surprised us, but the first was that everything there is enormous (like in the United States) and that world maps don't accurately reflect distances . You might think something is close, but it could actually be a 10-hour drive away, so be aware of that.

Canada is a monarchy. Did you expect that? 

Well, wait, you might be even more surprised to learn that the king of this parliamentary monarchy is the King of the United Kingdom , today Charles III, who acts as the head of state of Canada.

Don't think he's around Canada much, though. He's represented by a Governor General , haha. What a mess, huh? Well, this Governor General is more of a symbolic figure than anything else. He only performs ceremonial duties . The good thing is that he's appointed by the Prime Minister of Canada , not the King of the United Kingdom. It all stays in the family, so it's a family affair.

The country with the most lakes in the world

We continue with Canada's records. Canada is a country of world records. It has the largest area of ​​lakes in the world—31.700 lakes! To give you a clear idea, that's 20% of the world's freshwater.

world! 

In total, it has 60% of the world's lakes, which means that not even the sum of all the other countries could steal this unbeatable record.

6 time zones, one of the curiosities of practical Canada

Canada is so big that another of its curiosities, in the eyes of a European like us, is that it has 6 time zones in the same country.

This is a curious fact, especially for travelers like us who visit different regions of Canada. On our trip, Toronto was 6 hours away from Spain, but then Alberta was 8 hours away and British Columbia 9 hours away.

I'm leaving you a homemade map above so you can see the time zones.

Only 4 people live per square kilometer in Canada!

In general, there is a very low population density, despite being the second largest country in the world; only 4 people per square kilometer live in Canada.

In total 38 million inhabitants, less than in Spain, which is like its smallest province! hehehe

But of course, the cold in the north during winter isn't exactly inviting for people to settle in those tundra and ice lands where temperatures can reach -40 degrees Celsius, hehehe. It's precisely in the north where most of the Métis and Inuit indigenous reserves remain.

One good thing about this underpopulation for the traveler is that you feel like you are constantly discovering the Americas, hehehe

Oh, but don't go south to the US border! 200% of Canada's population lives 90 km from the US border!

They work in kilometers and degrees Celsius 

After traveling to the United States and seeing that Canada functioned very similarly to the US, something that surprised us when we arrived on the highways was this: everything was indicated in kilometers, not miles like its North American neighbor. They also measure the temperature in degrees.

For us who are Spanish, something that adds a point to Canada lol

One of the most multicultural and respectful countries in the world

Multilingualism is ubiquitous in Canada , and although being Catalan I'm used to bilingualism, I thoroughly enjoyed being able to practice two of my favorite languages ​​there: English and French. That said, English is the primary language in the west.

On a social and cultural level, it's one of the most tolerant and open countries we've ever visited. You feel completely integrated into the country without feeling like a tourist because of the great mix of races and cultures found in every town and place in Canada. The people are very kind, supportive, and sociable . For us, Canadians were the best part of our recent trip to this wonderful country.

It has many National Parks, Canada is wild nature

Canada's national parks are vast and numerous— 48 in total ! This is another interesting fact about Canada. Perhaps it's because it's the second largest country in the world, and this is proportionate, but it certainly surprised us.

Country with the longest coastline in the world

Canada has the longest coastline in the world, at approximately 243,000 kilometers, or 243 million meters.

This includes the continental coast and the coasts of its islands.

The country with the most LARGE islands, not counting them all

Canada is actually the 4th country with the most islands in the world; in fact, it's not even in the top 3. It's behind Sweden, which has the most islands, Norway, second, and Finland, third.

Now, the islands of the Nordic countries are mostly considered small, and Canada surpasses them in terms of large islands.

The culture of maple syrup, the largest producer in the world

Maple syrup is part of Canadian culture ! If you're not already a fan, I recommend trying it with some good pancakes.

Restrictive alcohol policies

Beer isn't sold in any supermarkets ; it's only sold in liquor stores. This surprised us because in most of the United States we visited, low-alcohol beers are sold in supermarkets, but here they're more restrictive.

Furthermore, there's a rather restrictive culture surrounding alcohol; it's generally prohibited to drink it in public places . For example, many campsites stated in their rules that we couldn't drink alcohol after 21 pm on our pitch. Quite unusual for a Spaniard.

Federal country, but not with States like the United States, here the division is in Provinces and Territories

Because it is a federal country , it is like the United States, although what are called States there, in Canada are called Provinces and Territories, of which there are 10 and 3 respectively.

These provinces have the authority, as is the case in Spain with the autonomous communities, to manage education, healthcare and transport, among many others.

Top security and quality lifestyle, one of the best in the world

Canada is one of the safest countries in the world.

The standard and lifestyle is very similar to the United States , although here, due to its Francophone origins, there are more developed basic public services such as education and healthcare , although they do not have the level of development of Spain or other European countries and are more limited.

Everywhere by car, like in the USA

The territory is so large that a car is essential to get anywhere , and travel times are different from what Europeans are used to.

One of the largest oil producers in the world, another of the curiosities about Canada

Luckily, they are the 4th largest oil-producing country in the world , and the price of gasoline there is lower than in Europe.

It has one of the coldest capitals in the world, a curiosity of Canada

Winter and cold are another differentiating factor. In Canada, the cold means that most cities experience temperatures well below zero. In its capital , Ottawa, temperatures can easily reach -25 degrees Celsius, making it one of the coldest capital cities in the world.

Many Canadian cities combat the cold with underground tunnel systems, such as in Toronto, or overhead tunnels, such as in Calgary, that connect buildings, as well as heated sidewalks and ground systems. 

Conclusions from these curiosities about Canada

This is all the information that we can provide you with from our experience about some of the things that surprised us most about Canada. A post that we hope has helped you get a better idea of ​​this beautiful country.

I hope this article has helped you and if it has, please the best way to thank us is to comment below and write to us on social media to tell us about it, remember.

Good route friends!