Canada Travel Guide

As the second largest country in the world, Canada spans almost 10 million square kilometres, across six time zones, from the west coast of British Columbia to the east of Quebec and Ontario. It has the greatest amount of fresh water surface of any nation in the world including the five Great Lakes (the largest body of fresh water in the world). Its forested area is three times as large as that of all Europe.

The country’s picturesque, unspoiled and diverse landscapes, eclectic population mix and friendliness are some of the main reasons it attracts millions of visitors each year.

As the northern neighbour to the United States of America, Canada shares broad similarities with the US however it would be fair to say both countries have their own unique and distinctive cultural identities. Canada has only one tenth of the population of America, and some 90 percent of the country’s population live within 500km (310 miles) of its southern border with the United States.

Canada was first discovered by the British explorer, John Cabot in 1497 and later by French explorer, Jacques Cartier in 1534, however the indigenous peoples, known as ‘First Nations’, inhabited the land dating back to the Ice Ages circa 8000 BC. The First Nations people spoke up to 50 languages.

On arrival, the French established fur trade posts in Quebec, Trois Rivieres and Montreal and Louis XIV declared ‘New France’ a French colony in 1663. The British defeated the French in 1763 and the Dominion of Canada was created bringing together New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Ontario and Quebec in 1867. Following the independence of the United States in 1783, many British settlers came north and this marked the start of the long-resented domination of a French minority by a larger English-speaking population.

There is much variety among Canada’s geographic regions. To the east lie the provinces of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland, comprising the region known as the Maritimes. Its inland neighbour is the French-speaking, Quebec – a captivating province with its dynamic and lively Montreal and enchanting capital Quebec City. To the west are the provinces of British Columbia and Alberta, home to the Rocky Mountain ranges and world-famous ski fields of Whistler and Banff. Central Canada is the region known as The Prairies, with Saskatchewan. To the north reaching up to the arctic is the Yukon, Northwest Territories and Nunavut. This region is home to white wolves, polar bears, massive walrus and giant bowhead whales, among other wildlife.

Canada is famous for maple trees, ice hockey, salmon, grizzly and polar bears, the First Nations people, some of world’s best ski fields, and an abundance of spectacular natural wilderness and wildlife. Some consider it as having some the most magnificent scenery of any continent in the world.