201+ Weird, Fun, and Interesting Facts About Canada (2024)

Facts about Canada Updated September 1st, 2021

This article was inspired by Canada’s 153rd birthday. Really, it was inspired by Canada Day in general, but because the 153rd celebrations were cancelled due to Covid, it gave us a chance to do some research and think of another way to shine a light on this massive country. So, I got out some books, made friends with Google, and searched far and wide to find some of thecoolest, weirdest, most unusual, and just pure awesome interesting facts about Canada. I thought this would be a great way to celebrate July 1st and just a really cool read for anyone interested in Canada, whether you’re local or not.

If there’s anything I noticed while writing this article, it’s that there’s a lot of interesting facts about Canada. I found so many facts that I actually struggled with how to lay them out. In the end, I think I found a way, separating them by various categories, including Canadian history, geography, cities, provinces and territories, food, inventions, famous people, and just unusual facts as well.

I hope you enjoy learning about Canada and please feel free to leave a comment, whether it’s what you learned or maybe something I missed. I also want to make a note that facts can change over time, and if something is outdated, please let me know in the comments or by sending us an email.

Happy Canada Day!

Interesting Facts about Canada History

1. Canada became a country on July 1, 1867, when the British Parliament passed the British North America Act
2. Yet, Canada only got its own flag 100 years after it became a country – on February 15, 1965.
3. Canada has two official languages – English and French
4. John Cabot was the first explorer to reach Canada in 1497. He sailed in a ship called The Matthew. A replica of the ship can be found in Bonavista, Newfoundland.
5. The east coast of Canada was settled by Vikings in approximately 1000 AD. It’s definitely worth a visit to L’Anse aux Meadows, which is part of the Newfoundland’s Viking Trail.
6. Tools that date back 20,000 years are the first evidence of history in Canada. They were found in caves on the Bluefish River in northern Yukon.
7. It wasn’t until 1610 that Henry Hudson sailed through Hudson Strait into Hudson Bay.
8. In 1576 Martin Frobisher discovered the strait that bears his name.
9. Navigation of the north-west passage from the Atlantic to the Pacific was first achieved by the Norwegian explorer, Roald Amundsen in 1906.
10. In 1792-94 Captain George Vancouver painstakingly surveyed the west coast of Canada.
11. Canada has been invaded twice by Americans – both in 1775 and 1812. Canada (actually, Britain since Canada wasn’t a country yet), burned down the white house in 1812.

Fun Facts about Canada Geography and Geology

1. Canada is the second-largest country in the world.
2. Canada is bigger than the entire European Union (33 times bigger than Italy and 15 times bigger than France), more than 30 percent larger than Australia, five times as big as Mexico, three times as big as India and about the same size as 81,975 Walt Disney Worlds put together.
3. The longest highway in the world is the Trans-Canada Highway which is over 7,604 kilometres (4,725 miles) in length. It makes for an incredible Canada road trip.
4. In fact, it’s so big that Canada has six time zones.
5. Canada has the longest coastline of any country in the world at 243,977 kilometres (151,600 miles). To put that fascinating fact about Canada in perspective, that accounts for 202,080 of the world’s total 356,000 kilometres of oceanfront property. The only other country that even comes close is Indonesia, which has 54,716 km of coastline.If you walked and never stopped—not even to eat, sleep or rest your feet—it would take you four-and-a-half years to walk the length of Canada’s coastline. The coastline includes three different oceans: the Atlantic, Arctic and Pacific.
6. Speaking of oceans, the highest tides in the world occur in the Bay of Fundy, between Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. This body of water moves 100 billion tons of water through its tides twice daily. One popular thing to do is to go kayaking at Hopewell Rocks during high tide after walking on the seafloor during low tide.
7. While we’re talking about water, Canada is also home to 20% of the world’s freshwater.
8. In fact, Canada has more lakes than any other country on Earth. More than half of all the lakes in the world are located in Canada!
9. Canada is home to two of the top 10 largest lakes in the world. Great Bear Lake and Great Slave Lake are both located in the Northwest Territories.
10. Ontario’s Wasaga beach is the longest freshwater beach in the world.
11. Three of the largest islands in the world are located within Canada – Baffin Island, Victoria Island, and Ellesmere Island
12. Canada has the largest freshwater island in the world – Manitoulin Island in Ontario.
13. Canada also has 9% of the world’s renewable water supply!
14. There’s an area in the Hudson Bay region that has less gravity than the rest of the planet. Spooky…
15. Canada is also the third-largest oil reserve holder after Saudi Arabia and Venezuela. We have an estimated 176.8 billion recoverable barrels of it.
16. Canada is also the largest producer of uranium in the world. Uranium is used for nuclear power. In fact, one kilogram of uranium can produce as much energy as 1500 tons of coal.
17. Speaking of elements, Canada is the world’s largest source of the rare element Cesium. It is found at Bernic Lake, Manitoba.
18. The US buys more oil from Canada than any other country.
19. Canada shares the largest demilitarized border in the world with the United States. The border between Canada and the United States is officially known as the International Boundary. It is 5,525 miles long, including the 1,538 miles between Canada and Alaska.
20. The largest non-polar ice field in the world can be found in the St. Elias Mountains, Yukon Territory. It covers an area of 40,570 square kilometres of which 16,900 square kilometres are located in Canada, the remainder being in Alaska. One of the best things to do in the Yukon is to jump in a little plane and land on the glacier.
21. While we’re talking about the Yukon, it’s also home to Mount Logan, the highest mountain in Canada at 5959 metres (19,551 feet).
22. Half of the country is covered with forests, which amounts to 10% of the world’s forests. This also accounts for 30% of the world’s boreal forest. An incredible 396.9-million hectares of forest and other wooded lands can be found across the country, and 68 percent of that is coniferous.
23. Speaking of forests, most of Canada’s forest land is publicly owned and can be explored!
24. The world’s most northerly sand dunes are in Athabasca Provincial Park in northwest Saskatchewan. They are 30 metres high. The Sand Hills of Saskatchewan, however, are also impressive and are much easier to visit.
25. The oldest rocks on earth can be found in The Canadian Shield. The 4.28 billion-year-old rock was discovered by geologists in 2001.
26. Nakwakto Rapids, Port Hardy’s legendary dive destination, boasts the strongest current in the world – with speeds of up to 18.4 miles per hour.
27. The village of Alert in Nunavut is the northernmost permanent settlement in the world. Located at the northern tip of Ellesmere Island, just 817 kilometres from the North Pole, Alert is the temporary home to military and scientific personnel working in the area. The warmest month, July has a balmy average temperature of 3.4 C (38.1 F). By January, the coldest month, the temperature sinks to -32.19 C (-26 F). To survive, you must be alert. ha. ha.
28. Canada is home to 15 million cattle, 9 million of which live on the Prairies.
29. The highest waterfall in Canada is Della Falls, British Columbia, at 440 metres high (1,444 feet).

Fun Facts about Canada Cities

1. Toronto is Canada’s largest city and it’s known as being the most multicultural city on Earth.
2. The CN Tower in Toronto was the world’s tallest free-standing structure until 2007. As of 2020, however, it is still the tallest free-standing structure in the Western Hemisphere.
3. Toronto is also home to the longest street in the world – Yonge Street, which originated in Toronto, goes almost all the way to Lake Simcoe, clocking in at 1,896 km (1,178 mi) in length.
4. The largest Sony big screen TV can be found in Toronto’s Rogers Centre.
5. Montreal is the world’s second-largest French-speaking city after Paris. (Recommended: Things to Do in Montreal)
6. Six cities in Canada have a population of over 1 million: Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton and Ottawa.
7. The capital of Canada is Ottawa, the second coldest capital in the world after Moscow.
8. Ottawa is also home to the world’s largest skating rink thanks to the Rideau Canal. (Recommended: Ottawa in the Winter)
9. In Churchill Manitoba, nobody locks their doors to their house or cars in case of a polar bear attack.
10. Old Québec is the only walled city north of Mexico. It was also the first city in North America to be placed on UNESCO’s World Heritage Sites list. First the French, and later the English built up Quebec City’s fortifications between the 17th and the 19th centuries.
11. West Edmonton Mall is the largest mall in North America and is also home to North America’s largest indoor amusem*nt park, North America’s largest indoor waterpark and Canada’s largest parking lot.
12. Edmonton isn’t all concrete though. It’s also home to the largest urban park in Canada! (Recommended: Things to Do in Edmonton)
13. The townspeople of Nanaimo, BC race their bathtubs as part of an annual aquatic tradition.
14. Ogopogo is a mythical monster similar to the Loch Ness Monster that supposedly lives in Lake Okanagan, BC. Try to spot it from Kelowna.
15. The intersection of Portage and Main Street in Winnipeg has been called the windiest place in Canada.
16. Winnipeg is also the coldest city in Canada. (Recommended: Things to Do in Winnipeg)
17. That cold weather helps Winnipeg create the longest skating rink in the world.
18. Calgary is famous for its Chinooks – a weather phenomenon that can raise the temperature by 10 degrees in a matter of minutes.
19. Calgary is also famous for the Calgary Stampede, which is known as the greatest outdoor show on Earth, featuring one of the world’s largest rodeos, mid-way, concerts, food trucks, and much more. (Recommended: Things to Do in Calgary)

Fun Facts about Canada Provinces and Territories

1. Canada has ten provinces and three territories.
2. Quebec is the only officially French-speaking province
3. New Brunswick is the only officially bilingual province.
4. Canada’s newest territory is Nunavut, which separated from the Northwest Territories in 1999.
5. Speaking of Nunavut, it’s also Canada’s largest area by landmass. In fact, Nunavut takes up one-fifth of Canada’s total land area. Wow!
6. The license plate for cars, motorbikes and snowmobiles in Nunavut is in the shape of a polar bear. (Recommended: Things to Do in Nunavut)
7. Newfoundland was the last province to join the confederation, way back in 1949.
8. Newfoundland is nicknamed “The Rock.” It’s also one of our favourite provinces. (Recommended: Things to Do in Newfoundland)
9. Daylight savings time does not occur in Saskatchewan.
10. Prince Edward Island, Canada’s smallest province is only 225 kilometres long and 56 kilometres wide. It’s a great island to bike and is home to beautiful red sandy beaches.
11. The Northwest Territories is called The Land of the Midnight Sun because the sun barely sets around the summer solstice.
12. The Northwest Territories is also home to some extensive diamond mining operations. Canada’s biggest diamond mine is Diavik, which produces 6-7 million carats each year, including the biggest diamond found in Canada – the 187.7 carat Diavik Foxfire.
13. Thanks to the Northwest Territories, Canada is the 5th largest diamond producer in the world by volume and the 3rd largest in terms of value.
14. Alberta’s oil sands have the third-largest oil reserves in the world, after Venezuela and Saudi Arabia. (Recommended: 89 Alberta Facts)
15. Some of the world’s largest wheat fields are found in Saskatchewan.

Fun Facts about Canada and Weather

1. The lowest temperature ever recorded in Canada was in Snag, Yukon at -63 degrees C, which is actually as cold as Mars. It was recorded on Feb. 3, 1947.
2. The heaviest rainfall ever recorded was in Buffalo Gap, Saskatchewan on May 30, 1961, when 25 centimetres fell in less than an hour. That’s ten inches!
3. The Regina Tornado of June 30, 1912, rated as F4 (winds of 330 to 416 kilometres per hour) was the most severe tornado known in Canada. It killed 28 people, injured hundreds and demolished much of the downtown area.
4. Alberta is home to more natural disasters than any other province in Canada. Some examples include the horrific hailstorm that struck Calgary on September 7, 1991, the massive Southern Alberta floods in 2013, and the Fort.McMurray fire of 2016, which is the most expensive natural catastrophe in Canada’s history, costing approximately $3.58 billion. (Note: I was born and raised in Fort.McMurray)
5. Canada’s weather can be extreme, even in one single day. For example, back in 1962 in Pincher Creek, it went from -19 degrees C to 22 degrees C in an hour!
6. Ocean Falls, British Columbia has on average 330 days of rain per year. If you live here, you definitely want to invest in good rain gear!
7. Estevan, Saskatchewan is reportedly the sunniest place in Canada with 2,537 hours of sunshine per year.

Fun Facts about Canada and its Famous Canadians

Actors: Although the USA is famous for Hollywood, many popular actors, and especially comedians, come from Canada, including John Candy, James Cameron, Jim Carrey, Ryan Gosling, Rachel McAdams, Mike Myers, Seth Rogen, Ryan Reynolds, Lorne Michaels,Howie Mandel, Martin Short, Dan Akroyd, Will Arnet, Ellen Page, Catherine Ohara, Samantha Bee, Keanu Reeves, Jason Priestley, Donald and Kieffer Sutherland, Pamela Anderson, William Shatner, Christopher Plumber, Joshua Jackson, and Eugene Levy.

TV: Famous Canadian journalists, TV or radio personalities include Peter Jennings, Alex Trebek, Lloyd Robertson, Rick Mercer, Peter Gzowski, Robert MacNeil, Morley Safer and John Roberts.

Music: Canada is also home to many famous musicians, including Michael Buble, Celine Dion, Drake, Justin Bieber, Shawn Mendes, Bryan Adams, Paul Anka, The Guess Who, Rush, Steppenwolf, The Barenaked Ladies, Alanis Morissette, Bachman Turner, Overdrive, Neil Young, Avril Lavigne, Sarah McLachlan, Nelly Furtado, Diana Krall, Chantal Kreviazuk, K.D.Lang, Maureen Forrester, Leonard Cohen, Raffi Cavoukian, Bruce co*ckburn, Gordon Lightfoot, Anne Murray, David Foster, Robert Goulet, Shania Twain, Buffy Sainte-Marie, Joni Mitchell, the Tragically Hip, The Weekend, and The Guess Who.

Writers: Famous Canadian authors include Lucy Maud Montgomery (Anne of Green Gables), Margaret Atwood (The Handmaid’s Tale), Alice Munro (Lives of Girls and Women), Mavis Gallant, Stephen Leaco*ck, Pierre Berton, Robertson Davies, Douglas Copeland, Alistair MacLeod, Farley Mowat and Michael Ondaatje.

Artists: Famous Canadian artists include the Group of Seven made up of Lauren Harris, A.Y. Jackson, J.E.H.MacDonald, Arthur Lismer, Frederick Varley, Frank Johnston and Franklin Carmichael. Tom Thomson and Emily Carr, two other artists that are associated with the group are also very well known. Famous Canadian dancers include Karen Kain, Veronica Tennant and Lynn Seymour.

Inspiring figures: Inspirational Canadians include Terry Fox who attempted a one-legged cross country run for cancer research, Rick Hansen, a paraplegic athlete who completed an around the world marathon for spinal cord injury research and Donovan Bailey, the world’s fastest man.

Sports: We have many sports legends as well, including Wayne Gretzky (hockey), Sydney Crosby (hockey), Steve Nash (basketball), Mike Weir (golf) and Cassie Campbell (women’s hockey). There are many more.

Fun Facts about Canada Food and Drink

1. The beer named after Canada is called Molson Canadian. Founded in Montreal in 1786, Molson Coors Canada is the oldest brewery in North America and continues to produce beer on the site of the original brewery
2. Moosehead Breweries Limited is Canada’s oldest independent brewery, located in Saint John, New Brunswick. The brewery was founded in 1867 and is still privately owned and operated by the Oland family. The company is now in the sixth generation of family ownership and turns out 1,642 bottles of beer per minute.
3. Canada’s National Drink is the Ceasar and was invented in Calgary back in 1969. It’s similar to a Bloody Mary, but instead of tomato juice, it uses Clamato Juice (a mixture of Clam Juice and Tomato Juice).
4. Wine is produced in British Columbia, Ontario, Quebec and Nova Scotia.
5. Canada is famous for its ice wine, which is made from pressed frozen grapes. It’s usually served as a dessert wine.
6. Quebec manufactures more than 77% of the world’s maple syrup. In total, Canada produces 80% of the world’s supply. It was also invented in Quebec in the 17 or 1800s.
7. Hawaiian pizza was actually invented by an Ontario man, not by the Hawaiians. It comes from Chatham, Ontario, and dates back to 1962. This is one of my favourite pizzas.
8. Canadians eat more Mac and Cheese than anyone else in the world. However, we call it Kraft Dinner.
9. Cheddar is the most popular cheese in Canada. On average Canadians consume 23.4 pounds per person annually. So, who really cut the cheese?
10. Over 200,000 pancakes are served during the Calgary Stampede, each and every year.
11. The Nanaimo bar was invested in Nanaimo, BC.
12. There are more doughnut shops in Canada per capita than any other country. The most famous of them all is Tim Horton’s and it can be found almost anywhere.
13. Each Canadian eats an average of 190 eggs per year.
14. Canadians drink more fruit juice per capita than any other country.
15. Poutine has become a famous dish here in Canada and was created in Montreal, Quebec back in the 1950s. It consists of french fries and cheese curds melted in gravy.
16. Butter Tarts were created in Barrie, Ontario in 1900.
17. Ginger Ale was invented in Toronto back in 1907. Canada Dry is famous around the world.
18. Canola Oil comes from Saskatchewan and Manitoba, created back in the 1960s.
19. Peanut Butter was created in Montreal back in 1884.
20. California Rolls, oddly enough, comes from Vancouver and started back in 1971.
21. Ginger Beef comes from Calgary, created back in 1975.
22. Chewing gum was invented in Toronto back in the 1860s.
23. Instant mashed potatoes were invented in Guelph in the 1960s.
24. Beaver Tails, a popular fried dessert, was created in Ottawa back in 1978.
25. Hawkins Cheezies was created in Belleville, Ontario in 1949.
26. Yukon Gold Potatoes was created in Guelph in the 1960s.
27. Pablum was created in Toronto back in the 1930s.

Fun facts about Canada in General

1. The population in Canada in 2019 was approximately 37.59 million.
2. 81 percent of the total population resides in cities.
3. Canada is the Most Educated Country in the World. More than 50% of the population has a post-secondary education.
4. Canada also has a 99% literacy rate, which is awesome. However, there are plenty of countries that have a 100% literacy rate, so we have some room for improvement.
5. Almost half of the population in Canada were born in other countries.
6. Despite being a huge country, Canada has the fourth lowest population density in the world, with only three people living per square kilometre! Talk about being able to stretch your arms!
7. About 90% of Canada’s population is concentrated within 160 kilometres (100 miles) of the Canada/US border.
8. 15.9% of the population is 65 or older while 68.5% are between the ages of 15 and 64.
9. The median age is 41 years.
10. The average life expectancy at birth is 81.16 years – the sixth highest in the world.
11. Canadians like to finish a sentence with the word eh. It’s similar to Americans using the word huh. That was a great game, eh!
12. Canadians are influenced by both Britain and the United States so we are on both the metric system and the imperial system. It can be very confusing. For example,Canadians follow speed limits and measure length in metres, but we measure our height in feet and our weight in pounds. However, our driver licenses are the opposite. They measure in metres and kilograms. We check the outside temperature in Celcius, but we cook in Fahrenheit. Funny, eh?
13. 341,000 new permanent residents were welcomed to Canada in 2019. That number does not include temporary workers or foreign students.
14. Canadians call the one-dollar coin the loonie. When in full production, 15 million loonies can be produced per day. The two-dollar coin is called the toonie. We like to rhyme I guess.
15. As of 2017, about 15% of Canadians are daily smokers.
16. The average Canadian watches 30 hours of television per week. 128,000 Canadian households have TV’s in the bathroom. I find this sad.
17. We’re also super connected. Canadians are some of the highest users of the internet as well, averaging 3-4 hours per day.
18. The average age at first marriage for men is 29 years, 27.4 years for women.
19. The average household size in Canada is 2.6 people.
20. There have been 15 Nobel Prize laureates in Canada.
21. Canadians generate 640 kilograms per person per year of waste. From what I understand, this makes us the worst (or #1 in other words) in the world.
22. Canada became the 2nd country in the world to fully legalize marijuana in 2017. The first country was Uruguay. These are still the only two countries to fully legalize.
23. Thirty-two percent of Canadians are very happy, 55% are quite happy.
24. The US, the UK and Mexico are the top countries visited by Canadians.

Fun Facts about Canada and Sports

1. Hockey and lacrosse are Canada’s national sports. Hockey is the winter sport whereas lacrosse is the summer sport. However, very few people play lacrosse, especially when compared to soccer.
2. The baseball glove was invented in Canada in 1883.
3. Basketball was invented by Canadian, Dr. James Naismith who in 1891 defined 13 rules of the game while teaching at a local YMCA in Springfield, Massachusetts
4. Canada has hosted the Olympic Games three times; 1976 in Montreal, 1988 in Calgary and 2010 in Vancouver.
5. Canadian sports icons include Wayne Gretzky (hockey), Sydney Crosby (hockey), Gordie Howe (hockey). Steve Nash (basketball), Mike Weir (golf) and Cassie Campbell (women’s hockey).
6. Whistler, British Columbia is consistently ranked as one of the best places in North America for downhill skiing. Then again, so is Lake Louise, Alberta! (Recommended: The Ultimate Guide to Ski Banff)
7. The Royal Montreal Golf Club, founded in 1873, is the oldest golf club in North America.
8. The first indoor ice hockey game took place on March 3, 1875, at the Victoria Skating Rink in Montreal.
9. Ice hockey, football and baseball are the top spectator sports for Canadians.

Fun Facts about Canada and Culture

1. The world’s largest totem pole was raised in Victoria in 1994 and stands 54.94 metres tall (180.2 feet).
2. The famous Canadian interjection “eh” is actually listed in the Canadian Oxford Dictionary as a valid word.
3. In Flander’s Fields is a poem written by World War I Col. John McCrae, a Canadian veteran of the Second World War. He was struck with admiration at the courage of the dead when he saw red poppies swaying among the markers of his fallen comrades.
4. Canada’s first million-selling author was Marshall Saunders, with her novel Beautiful Joe (1894).
5. French and English are the two official languages in Canada.
6. Queen Elizabeth II is the Canadian Head of State.
7. The Canadian motto is A Mari Usque ad Mare. It means from sea to sea.
8. The English version of Canada’s National Anthem – O Canada – was written by Robert Stanley Weir for the Diamond Jubilee of Confederation in 1927.
9. The National Flag of Canada came into being in 1965 to replace the Union Jack. It is an 11 pointed red maple leaf on a white square.
10. The most widely attended festivals in Canada include:
    • L’International des Feux Loto-Québec (Montreal), 3 million.
    • Montreal International Jazz Festival(Montreal), 2.5 million.
    • Winterlude(Ottawa), 1.6 million.
    • Celebration of Light(Vancouver), 1.6 million.
    • Just For Laughs(Montreal), 1.5 million.
    • Quebec City Summer Festival (Québec), 1.5 million.
    • Canadian National Exhibition (Toronto) 1.3 million.
    • Calgary Stampede 1.2 million.
    • Pride Toronto 1.3 million.
    • Toronto Caribbean Carnival, 1.2 million
    • Toronto International Film Festival 0.5 million.
    • Quebec Winter Carnival 0.5 million.

Famous Facts about Canada Inventions and Medical Advancements

1. Canadians Scott Abbot and Chris Haney invented the popular game Trivial Pursuit.
2. Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone. While Alexander Graham Bell wasn’t officially Canadian, he spent most of his time between Brantford Ontario, Boston Massachusetts, and Baddeck Nova Scotia and much of his work was done at his workshop in Brantford and then later in life in Baddeck.
3. Canadian Joseph-Armand Bombardier invented the snowmobile.
4. Comic hero Superman was co-created by Canadian Joe Shuster. The Daily Planet is actually based on the Toronto Star and Metropolis was modelled after Toronto. Wolverine is another superhero hailed from Canada.
5. Cirque de Soleil was created in Montreal, Quebec!
6. Insulin was discovered by doctor Frederick Banting in 1921 at the University of Toronto. It was developed further by him, Charles Best, Bertram Collip and John Mcleod.
7. The Snowblower was invented by Arthur Sicard in 1927.
8. Thomas Ahearn invented the electric cooking range in 1882.
9. IMAX was invented by Graeme Ferguson, Roman Kroitor and Robert Kerr in 1967. Three Canadian filmmakers. There are over 500 IMAX theatres in 45 countries.
10. James Till and Ernest McCulloch are credited with the discovery of the stem cell.
11. Elizabeth Catherine Bagshaw was one of Canada’s first female doctors and the medical director of the first birth control clinic in Canada. She has been recognized as providing outstanding contributions to the quality of life of women in Canada.
12. Canada’s most famous space contribution is the Canadarm, which is a remote-controlled mechanical arm, also known as the Shuttle Remote Manipulator System (SRMS). During its 30-year career with NASA’s Space Shuttle Program, the robotic arm deployed, captured and repaired satellites, positioned astronauts, maintained equipment, and moved cargo.

Facts about Canada – National Parks and UNESCO WORLD Heritage Sites

1. Canada is home to 48 national parks and national park reserves, 970 national historic sites (171 administered by Parks Canada) and five marine conservation areas.
2. The first national park in Canada was Banff National Park established in 1885. This was just three years after the creation of Yellowstone National Park, which was the first National Park in the world.
3. Canada’s national parks are so massive that 30 of them are larger than many countries!
4. Canada is home to the world’s first UNESCO World Heritage Site, although there seems to be a debate as to whether it was Nahanni National Park in the Northwest Territories or L’anse aux Meadows in Newfoundland.
5. Wood Buffalo National Park is the second-largest national park on earth and the largest in Canada. Located between Alberta and the Northwest Territories, it was established to allow the Wood Bison to roam freely.
6. In Alberta’s Banff National Park, overpasses that go over highways are made for wildlife to cross and have trees and shrubs growing on them.
7. There are currently 20 UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Canada. Of these, 9 are cultural sites, 10 are natural sites, and there is 1 mixed site. Each UNESCO site is chosen because it contributes to a country’s rich natural and cultural history. These 20 sites include:

• Canadian Rocky Mountains (1984)
• Dinosaur Provincial Park (1979)
• Gros Morne National Park (1987)
• Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump (1981)
• Historic District of Old Quebec (1985)
• Joggins Fossil Cliffs (2008)
• Kluane / Wrangell-St. Elias / Glacier Bay / Tatshenshini-Alsek (1979)
• Landscape of Grand Pre (2012)
• L’Anse aux Meadows National Historic Site (1978)
• Old Town Lunenburg (1995)
• Miguasha National Park (1999)
• Nahanni National Park (1978)
• Red Bay Basque Whaling Station (2013)
• Rideau Canal (2007)
• SGang Gwaay (1981)
• Waterton Glacier International Peace Park (1995)
• Wood Buffalo National Park (1983)
• Mistaken Point (2016)
• Pimachiowin Aki (2018)
• Writing-on-Stone / Áísínai’pi (2019)

Interesting Facts about Canada and Animals

1. A 9.3 kg lobster is the largest documented lobster caught. It was caught in Nova Scotia in 1977.
2. The muskox has an inner fur layer that is finer than cashmere and can be spun into wool that is very much warmer than sheep’s wool. It’s called qiviut and it’s very expensive.
3. 50% of the world’s polar bears live in Nunavut.
4. There are about 200 species of mammals in Canada.
5. You’ll find about 630 bird species in Canada.
6. Canada’s beaver is the second-largest rodent in the world, weighing up to 60 pounds. (The largest rodent is the capybara, found in South America and weighing up to 100 pounds.)
7. While the industry has since collapsed, Newfoundland was once home to some of the best fishing in the world, especially for cod.
8. There are eleven sub-species of Canada geese. The four smallest species are called the cackling geese. Canadian Geese can be found throughout many major cities and can be quite feisty if they feel threatened.
9. There are nearly 2.5 million caribou in Canada.
10. Churchill, Manitoba sees one of the largest annual polar bear migrations in the world.
11. Churchill, Manitoba is also home to the largest Beluga whale migration in the world. In fact, you can get up close and personal with them in the summer months!
12. Canada is home to the Narcisse Snake Pits of Manitoba, the largest orgy of garter snakes in the world.

Fun Facts about Canada Finance

1. The Bank of Canada opened its doors in 1935 and issued its first banknotes.
2. The Royal Canadian Mint once made a gigantic loonie made of 99.9% gold that was worth $1 million.
3. The Bank of Canada began as a privately-owned institution, with shares sold to the public at a par value of $50. In 1938, all shares were purchased by the Government of Canada and the Bank became a Crown corporation.
4. During World War II, the Bank of Canada’s nine victory Bond campaigns raised almost $12 billion for the war effort. After the war, the program was continued with Canada Savings Bonds.
5. Starting in December 2000, the Bank began making interest rate announcements on eight pre-specified dates per year.
6. The Canadian dollar is sometimes described as a petro currency.
7. The S&P/TSX is the fourth largest exchange by market cap in the developed world.
8. On April 23, 1997, the TSX’s trading floor closed, making it the second-largest stock exchange in North America to choose a floorless, electronic (or virtual trading) environment.
9. The Hudson’s Bay Company or “The Bay” is the oldest commercial corporation in North America and one of the oldest in the world. The company was incorporated by English royal charter in 1670. You can learn about it at many national historic sites across Canada, including Rocky Mountain House National Historic Site.

Weird, Unusual and Interesting Facts about Canada

1. A crater on the planet Mars was named after the town of Gander, Newfoundland in honour of its efforts in space research.
2. Canada has the world’s smallest jail. Located in Rodney, Ontario, it’s only 24.3 square metres (270 square feet).
3. There are 522 airports with paved runways, 931 airports with unpaved runways.
4. There are 459 cars for every 1000 people.
5. You can write a letter in any language and send it to the North Pole, H0H oHo, Canada and you will receive a letter back from Santa.
6. It is against Canadian law to have comics that depict criminal acts.
7. Prostitution laws are strange in Canada. For example, the purchase of sexual services is criminalized, but the selling of sexual services is allowed under certain conditions. How does that make sense?
8. The most common last name in Canada is “Li”.
9. The Westboro Baptist Church and its members are banned from entering Canada.
10. Canada has an ongoing dispute with Denmark. We have been fighting over an island in the Arctic since the 1930s. The two countries battle it out by a bottle of Canadian rye whiskey or Danish schnapps to stake their claim. Another fun fact is that Denmark was the first country outside of Canada that I visited.
11. In 2012 the Great Canadian Maple Syrup Heist was national news when someone stole 3000 tons of maple syrup in Quebec valued at $18 million dollars. That’s pretty sweet…
12. And last but not least, the official phone number for Canada is 1-800-O-Canada.

Phew, that’s a long list of fun and interesting facts about Canada. Despite travelling all of Canada and writing about the country for years, I learned a lot! I’ll certainly keep updating this post as time goes on but If you have any interesting facts about Canada, I’d love to hear them! Simply leave them in the comment below!