Geography
Canada is the second largest country, after Russia. It is in North America, sharing with the USA the longest border in the world and having the longest coastline.
The first people to live in Canada arrived on foot from Asia, thousands of years ago. In those days, there was dry land between them.
Nowadays, it is not densely populated. Only 38 million people live there, whereas in Spain, which is 19 times smaller, there are more than 46 million inhabitants. Nine out of ten people live in the cities in the south because the north is uninhabitable.
The geography changes as you move around the country. The Rocky Mountains are in the west, the plains in the centre and the forests in the east. In the north, you can see ice, snow and glaciers.
Provincies and territories
The country is divided into ten provinces in the south and three territories in the north.
Ottawa is the capital city with nearly one million people.
The province of Quebec has had two referendums to vote for the separation from the rest of the country but the 'no' campaign won.
Most important cities
OTTAWA
Ottawa, the capital, is not the largest city in Canada. Its name comes from a native tribe.
Toronto
Toronto, the largest city, has more than 4 million inhabitants. It has been recognized as one of the most multicultural and cosmopolitan cities in the world.
Montreal
Montreal, the capital of the province of Quebec, has 3 million people. It hosted the 1976 Summer Olympics. In this province French is the official language.
Vancouver
Vancouver, in the east has a population of 2 nearly 2 million. It has a very low crime rate.
Calgary
Calgary, in Alberta, is near the Canadian Rockies. It hosted the Olympic Winter Games in 1988.
Landmarks
17 UNESCO World Heritage sites are in Canada, including Banff National Park, Dinosaur Provincial Park in Alberta, the historic district of Quebec, Rocky Mountains national park and Sacred Site of Writing-on-Stone (Áísípaípi).
One of the natural wonders in the world is the famous Niagara Falls waterfall.
The CN Tower in Toronto is 553 metres high and you can walk 116 storyes above Toronto for a thrilling experience.
Totem Poles are carved wooden sculptures made by indigenous peoples. They are up to 70 feet high. They are painted using the traditional colours -black, white, red, yellow, purple and blue green. Few remain because the wood tends to rot over time. The animals carved are usually ravens, eagles, owls, bears, beavers, wolves, frogs, killer whales and a mythological creature called a thunderbird. Some welcome strangers or warn them. Some other tell the family history, keep the ashes of the dead or are a sign of shame for someone who did something wrong.
Nature
There are 48 national parks of great beauty and more than half of the lakes in the world are located in Canada (3 million lakes). Half of the country is covered by forest. McKenzie River is the longest river (4,241 km). The highest mountain is Mount Logan (5,959 m) and the largest lake is Great Bear Lake. The largest waterfall in the world is Niagara Falls, on the border with the USA.
The Canadian Rockies are an incredible view. Erosion caused unusual shapes and glaciers helped to create the canyons. They go on for 4,800 kilometres from British Columbia until New Mexico in the US.
The Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis) appear when small particles come from the sun and hit the Earth’s atmosphere. The colours are incredible. The Inuit believed that the lights were spirits of animals playing in the sky. They are visible from space. (insertar imagen 22)
Every spring, on the coast of Newfoundland and Labrador, massive chunks of ice break off glaciers and make their way through Iceberg Valley
Wildlife
You will see grizzly, polar and black bears, moose, black foxes, beavers, buffalos and many other amazing animals, but there is a unique kind of butterfly which is one of the great spectacles of nature.
Each fall, 300 million monarch butterflies travel more than 2,000 miles from Canada to Mexico. They are large butterflies with striking orange, black and white markings. These colours tell predators that they are poisonous because they feed on milkweed. They live up to eight months. In Mexico, they mate and then, the males die. The females travel back to Canada and lay eggs before dying. They are an endangered species because sudden changes in the environment can kill them.
Climate
Canada has a wide range of climatic conditions. The Pacific coast is relatively mild with heavy rain, while the central part has extreme weather.
In the north, they have arctic temperatures and the snow can be deep for up to six months of the year. The standard temperature is -19ºC.
The lowest temperature ever recorded was -63º C in Yukon in 1947.
