CANADIAN FACTS


Canada's land mass makes it the second largest country in the world. It is only surpasses by the Russian Federation.

Canada has ten provinces and three territories. The provinces and their capitals are:

British Columbia - Victoria

Alberta - Edmonton

Saskatchewan - Regina

Manitoba - Winnipeg

Ontario - Toronto

Quebec - Quebec City

New Brunswick - Fredericton

Nova Scotia - Halifax

Prince Edward Island - Charlottetown

Newfoundland - St. John's

The three territories and there capitals are:

Northwest Territories - Yellowknife

Nunavut - Iqualuit (this is the newest territory)

Yukon Territory - Whitehorse

The capital of Canada is Ottawa, Ontario.

Canada's geography is very diverse. It includes vast mountain ranges, fertile plains and rolling hills suitable for agriculture, streams, rivers and lakes. Large wilderness forests and watersheds are the natural habitat of a large variety of birds, animals and plants. Flora and fauna abound within Canada's borders. The tree line gives way to a vast expanse of Arctic tundra in the Far North.

Canada's 39 national parks cover approximately 2% of the land mass. Nestled in the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains of Alberta is the oldest of these parks. Banff was established in 1885. The newest park is Tuktut Nogait, located in the Northwest Territories. It was established in 1996.

850 national historic sites are designated in honor of people, places and events. These all tell something about the history of the country.

Though people from other countries sometimes think that Canada is cold all year 'round, this is not the case. The climatic variations are extreme. North of the 70th Parallel lies permanently frozen icecaps. British Columbia's west coast is lush with vegetation. Southern regions that lie along the US border enjoy four distinct seasons. In summer, temperatures can soar to 100 degrees Fahrenheit and above. Humidity can be high at times, making it seem even hotter. In winter temperatures dip to -20 degrees in the south and as low as - 60 degrees in the Far North. Moderate temperatures are normal in spring and fall.

Two million lakes, cover 76% of Canada's land mass. The largest lakes are Superior, Huron, Winnipeg, Great Slave, Erie and Ontario. Some of these lakes straddle the 49th Parallel and are shared with the United States. The largest lake found entirely in Canada is Great Bear. It is situated in the Northwest Territories and covers 31,328 kilometres.

The tallest mountain peak in Canada is Mount Logan. Located in the Yukon, it is 5,959 metres high. Other mountain ranges are the Laurentians, the Appalachians, Rockies, Mount Mackenzie, Torngats, Purcell, Pelly and Mount St. Elias.

The copyright of the article CANADIAN FACTS in Canadian Tourism is owned by Mary M. Alward. Permission to republish CANADIAN FACTS in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

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