Interesting facts about Canada

How many Canada facts do you know? Here are some surprising things you may not know about the U.S. neighbor to the north:

1. Canada spans 9 984 670 sq km and comprises 6 time zones.

2. Canada is home to the longest street in the world. Yonge Street in Ontario starts at Lake Ontario, and runs north through Ontario to the Minnesota border, a distance of almost 2,000 km.

3. Canada has twice been invaded by the USA, first in 1775 and again in 1812.

4. Canada holds the record for the most gold medals ever won at the Winter Olympics, taking 14 Golds at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics.

5. The Mounted Police was formed in 1873, with nine officers. In 1920, the group merged with the Dominion Police to become the famous Royal Canadian Mounted Police, which today has close to 30 000 members.

6. Canada is home to approximately 55,000 different species of insects.

7. Montreal is home to many beautiful churches and is often called The City of Saints or City of a Hundred Bell Towers.

8. Ontario is believed to be home to the world’s smallest jail, which measures only 24.3 sq metres.

9. The Hotel de Glace in Quebec is built every year using 400 tons of ice and 12 000 tons of snow. Every summer it melts away, only to be rebuilt the following winter.

10. Canada’s only desert in British Columbia is only 15 miles long and is the only desert in the world with a long boardwalk for visitors to walk on.

11. Famous Canadians include Pamela Anderson, Leonard Cohen, Avril Lavigne, Keanu Reeves and Jim Carrey.

12. The Canadian Head of State is Queen Elizabeth II

Did you know that the Canadian Head of State is still Queen Elizabeth II, the British monarch? Canada passed back and forth between French and British monarchs over the centuries before becoming an independent nation. The queen no longer “reigns’ over Canada, but she still plays a significant role in the government and in Canada’s national identity, and appears prominently on Canadian currency.

 

13. Winnie The Pooh Was Based On A Canadian Bear

In the year 1915, a black bear cub from Canada named Winnipeg, or “Winnie,” was donated to a zoo in London. Christopher Robin Milne, then a child, saw the bear cub and quickly decided it was one of his favorite animals in the park. His father, A.A. Milne, took this as part of the inspiration for his Winnie-the-Pooh stories.

 

14. The West Edmonton Mall is the largest in North America

The West Edmonton Mall, located in Edmonton, Alberta, once reigned as the largest shopping mall in the world, but now comes in only at tenth place. Nonetheless, it still possesses the second largest indoor amusement park on Earth, as well as the largest mall in North America. It held the #1 ranking on the planet until 2004, so those nine malls which now outsize it have been constructed all within the past decade.

Just how big is the West Edmonton Mall? Twenty thousand vehicles can park in its lots, and there are over 800 different stores and 23,000 employees. Between 60,000 and 150,000 shoppers come to the mall each day. Attractions include Galaxy land, a 24 ride indoor amusement park, complete with rollercoasters. There is also a large waterpark, a miniature golf course, several sea lions in an indoor lake, an ice hockey rink, a casino, a comedy club, and a major concert venue.

15. The lowest temperature ever in North America was in Canada

The lowest temperature ever recorded in North America was in Canada in Snag, Yukon Territory. The record setting temperature was negative 63 degrees Celsius, and was recorded on February 3rd, 1947. Some parts of Canada are snow-covered for around six months out of every year.

 

 

16. Québec City is the only Walled city in Canada and The United States

You may think of the concept of a walled city as a relic of bygone times, but Québec City still retains its ramparts today. That makes it the only remaining walled city in North America north of Mexico. The walls surround the Old Québec district of the city, which is also a World Heritage site. There are four gates currently in existence, several of which were demolished and had to be rebuilt. Only the Port Kent gate constructed in 1879 is still the original.

17. Canada was a linguistic error

The name “Canada” is an amusing linguistic error, resulting from a misunderstanding by Jacques Cartier, a French explorer. When Cartier was visiting the new world, the indigenous people attempted to invite him to visit their village. The word for “village” in the indigenous tongue was “kanata.” Cartier misunderstood, and believed they were referring to the entire country as “Kanata.” As such, he referred to the country as “Kanata,” which is how it received its current name, “Canada.”

18. Lacrosse was plated by First Nations People

The sport of lacrosse originated in Canada. It was originally played by indigenous tribesmen, and has evolved into four different types of lacrosse games, including men’s and women’s field lacrosse, box lacrosse and intercrosse. It is believed that the history of the game dates back to 1100 AD. Traditional Canadian lacrosse teams had as many as 1,000 players! Games could be played on fields which were as long as 3 kilometers

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19. Basketball Was Invented by a Canadian

Basketball didn’t originate in Canada, but the man who invented it was a Canadian living in Massachusetts. James Naismith came up with the game so that his physical education students would have something to do during the cold winter months.

 

20. Canada’s National Flag Was Created in 1965

Canada didn’t actually get a national flag until the year 1965. Nova Scotia was granted a flag by King Charles clear back in 1625, but the nation as a whole didn’t adopt the maple leaf until more than three centuries later. Prior to that, the British maritime flag stood in for general use.

 

Australia                                 

Useful vocabulary

mainland – материк

neighboring countries – соседние страны

Governor General – Генерал Губернатор

the Executive council – Исполнительный Совет

the advisory cabinet – кабинет советников

a recorded contact – зафиксированный контакт

to chart the coastline – составить карту побережья

a penal colony – исправительная колония/каторжное поселение

a fleet – флот

a convict – осужденный

indigenous – коренной

to count – считать/насчитывать

population density – плотность населения

inhabitants – жители

a wealthy country – богатая страна

to generate income – производить доход

wheat – пшеница

liquefied natural gas – сжиженный природный газ

export performance – экспортная деятельность

diverse – разнообразный

flat - плоский

a mammal – млекопитающее

the platypus – утконос

the echidna – ехидна

the wombat – вомбат

venomous snakes – ядовитые змеи