Canada is a country "From the sea to the sea." This is the motto of the state. Canada is an unusual country. This applies to the political system, historical and cultural development.
Foundation of Canada
The story about Canada is worth starting with the story of its foundation. This happened in 1534. The beginning of Canadian history is the French colony on the site of modern Quebec. Then there lived indigenous peoples. The formation of the British colonies in New France was the beginning of the Canadian Confederation. Canada (officially recognized language, both French and English) is still a country of two nationalities. Some provinces, such as Quebec, are mostly French, most are English, Yukon is bilingual.
The country received its name from the Iroquois tribe who wintered near modern Quebec. The word "Kanata" means "village" - that was the name of the wintering place, and soon spread to other territories.
Long before the colonization of Canada, the Vikings lived in these territories. This is proved by archaeological research on the island of Newfoundland. It was this territory that was first explored by Europeans who sailed to the shores of North America.
Geographic location
The geography of Canada is one of its greatest features. This applies to the area, the location of the territory relative to other countries, oceans, seas, poles.
Interesting facts about Canada:
- The US border is the longest land border in the world.
- Canada is the second largest state in the world.
- Parts of the Yukon, Nunavut, and Northwest territories are located beyond the Arctic Circle.
- Canada's possessions are located in the Arctic, but they are not recognized by most of the international community.
- It borders with the USA, Denmark (via Greenland), France (via the islands of Miquelon and Saint-Pierre).
- On the territory of Canada is the northernmost settlement in the world - on the island of Ellesmere. This is the base of the armed forces.
- Queen Elizabeth Islands - The location of the magnetic pole of the Northern Hemisphere. Although in 2005 a statement was made that the pole “left” the borders of the country. He was in Canada for about 400 years.
About flora and fauna
A third of the territory is covered by forests. Vegetation - deciduous and coniferous forests are located in the south and in the center of the country.
Animals of Canada: musk ox, reindeer, bears, beavers, wolves, foxes, hares, many species of birds and rodents. The reindeer population stands out especially - there are about 2.5 million of them!
Here are some more interesting facts about Canada:
- In addition to a huge deer population, there are about 15,000 polar bears.
- The mating season of snakes is accompanied by their mass displacements - several tens of thousands of snakes migrate in the Winnipeg area.
- A striking representative of the fauna is the moose. Interestingly, because of this cloven-hoofed animal, about 250 car accidents occur annually.
- Canadian beavers built the world's largest dam. Length - 850 meters.
- One of the largest fish populations in the world lives in rivers and lakes.
- There are about 11,000 spiders and ticks in Canada! Approximately 50,000 species of insects.
Inland waters
The characteristic of Canada, as a country with one of the largest freshwater reserves in the world, is confirmed by the number of lakes - more than in all countries in the world combined. The largest - Upper, Michigan, Huron. Great Lavrentievsky lakes of Canada - a system of reservoirs of tectonic and glacial origin.
A fifth of the world's fresh water supply in the country. In addition to the Great Lakes, an extensive network of reservoirs is located in the Yukon, in the Northwest. The area beyond the Arctic Circle is covered with ice.
Manitou Lake is the largest lake in the world, which is located within the boundaries of another lake. Manitou is within Lake Huron.
In Canada, there is the largest inland body of water - the Hudson Bay.
About language and names
As already mentioned, the presence of two official languages in Canada is historically determined. The country uses English and French with the dominance of the former. In English, the rules of British grammar are used.
Almost a third of the country uses French. In Canada, there is a settlement whose name is considered one of the longest in the world - it has 35 letters, and in translation it means "a place where trout is caught for fishing rod".
And one city is called St. Louis du Ha! Ha!". There is no ridicule in the name - “Ha! Ha!" a derivative of a single French word that means surprise on the way or end of the road.
The capital of the state - Ottawa - was originally named after the military John Bay, whose headquarters was on this territory. The first name is Bytown.
The world's largest French-speaking city (after Paris) is not in France. This is the Canadian city of Montreal.
Inventions
The characterization of Canada as a country that played a large role in the development of technology and science is confirmed by many inventions made. Consider the most significant and interesting facts about Canada:
- Canadian poet Charles Fanerty was the first to use wood pulp to make paper.
- The invention of the electric organ, which we owe to Lawrence Hammond.
- The appearance of important household appliances - for example, electric stoves.
- Kerosene and snowmobiles first appeared in Canada.
- Basketball came up in Canada.
Society
Canada's social profile is a country with a high standard of living and per capita income. The population density is one of the smallest in the world.
Canada is a country with low corruption and crime. Although there have been cases of terrible crimes. In the 80s, serial killer Allan Ledger, better known as “The Beast from Miramishi,” traded here. A series of crimes related to the disappearances of women on Highway 16 near Prince George has not been disclosed.
Edmonton has the largest amusement park located in an enclosed space.
Oddly enough, the most common surname in Canada is Lee. Canada can be called "the country of middle-aged people" - the average age of the country's inhabitants is 40 years old.
Most residents profess Catholicism, and about 20% call themselves Protestants. Toronto is the largest Muslim community.
The country has a high level of education - about 50% of the population graduated from higher education institutions. According to UN studies, Canada is among the ten countries with a high level of education of the population along with New Zealand, the USA, Norway, Australia, Ireland, South Korea, Slovenia, the Netherlands, and Germany. Moreover, there is no Ministry of Education in the country!
The country has a high level of protection of the rights of women and children.
A fifth of the population are emigrants from other countries.
If you decide to listen to music, most likely it will be Canadian artists - they own about half of the airtime on radio stations. It is forbidden to distribute comics promoting violence and crime.
Political structure and state symbols
Canada is part of the British Commonwealth, a dominion state. The formal head is the Queen of Great Britain. The Queen's representative is the Governor-General, who is appointed by the Prime Minister and the monarch.
There is no single Constitution in the country - the legislative system is based on a system of acts and other documents. The main law of the country is considered the Constitutional Act, published in 1982. It proclaims the rights and freedoms of Canadians.
The government of the country is decentralized - this is due to the functioning of the federation. Each province has a local prime minister and legislature.
The official symbols of Canada are: maple (the leaf is depicted on the flag), beaver, and local breed of horses. Local symbols are: caribou, polar bear, loon. They are depicted on coins, stamps.
The political development of Canada was not without crises. One of them is the separatist movement for the independence of Quebec. This province has its own Ministry of Fees. In addition, Quebec joined UNESCO as an associate member.
Instead of a conclusion
Canada is an unusual country with many features.
So, we continue to learn interesting facts about Canada:
- Over 80% of homes are connected to the Internet.
- In Nanaimo, they annually swim in the baths.
- In Canada, you can write a letter to Santa Claus and get a guaranteed answer.
- The country has huge reserves of cesium.
- Canada is the world's largest consumer and producer of cheese.
- Canada is the birthplace of maple syrup.
- Beer is very fond of here - about 80% of all alcohol consumed.
- National sport is hockey.
- Until 2007, the TV tower in Toronto was the tallest building in the world.
- In Canada, a UFO landing site has been built.
- Ontario has the deepest laboratory, 2 km underground.
Today, Canada is one of the most economically developed countries in the world. there is a special climate, geographical location, social development.