Introducing Canada
Oh, it’s big all right. Damn big. And we’re not referring to Canada’s size (a whopping 10 million sq km, making it the world’s second-largest country). What we’re talking about here is the handle on a Canadian beer case – big enough to fit your hands, even with mittens on. If you think that’s impressive, consider Canada’s other mondo attributes. Its terrain is filled with them, from mammoth mountains to hulking glaciers to immense polychromatic skies. Then there are the creatures that roam the terrain and its waterways – grizzly bear, moose, polar bear, humpback whales – each one huger than the next.
Advertisement
Canada is impossible to dislike, but go ahead and give it a shot. You don’t like festival-packed cities like Toronto and Montreal that offer the world’s best quality of life? Then take a double dose of history in St John’s, Newfoundland, North America’s oldest city. Not enamoured with the prospect of hiking, skiing or snowboarding over the cloud-poking mountains of Banff & Jasper National Parks? Try a slow ride through the wheat-waving prairies of Saskatchewan. You want a nosh lighter than Alberta beef or Nunavut whale blubber? Pick up ripe peaches and cheeses from the Kelowna’s local farmers’ markets.
And it’s a wonder everyone is so nice, given the weather. It’s cold, as in world’s-coldest-country cold (based on average temperatures nationwide), which explains the mitten-sized beer case handles. Snag, a town in the Yukon, recorded North America’s coldest temperature ever: minus 62.8°C.
Voltaire may have written off Canada as ‘a few acres of snow’ back in the mid-18th century, but those ‘few acres’ have yielded vast amounts of oil, timber and other natural resources, that in turn have propelled Canada to a very enviable standard of living.
Flying to Canada? Download the free Just Landed guide (PDF)
Ready to go?
These tours & activities make it easy:
- Trek the high trails of the Canadian Rockies
- Explore western Canada's best national parks on foot
- Discover the majesty of Niagara falls
Last updated: Feb 13, 2012
Tips & articles
-
Vancouver’s thriving alternative nightlife scene
9 May 2012
A Saturday night on Vancouver’s neon-flashing Granville Street resembles virtually any other raucous, booze-fuelled city strip. Over-lubricated drinkers pinball between...
-
World’s best slow travel
3 May 2012
Vacations are always too short, even if we have the luxury of more than a few weeks a year. So...
-
Tattoo tourism: where ink and travel meet
1 May 2012
Art and travel go hand-in-hand. Local galleries can capture the history and creative culture of a destination, but if you’re...
Thorn Tree forum discussion
Recent posts
-
Kkh silk road tour up to Kashgar
by danialw 21 May 2012
Ladies and gents, I am looking for a safe way to go from Islamabad to kashgar through the kkh. I have found a tour company who can get…
-
Re: Hunger in Canada
by bandraboy 21 May 2012
The water isn't clean either? Should I use bottled water? I didn't get an upset stomach while I was there but didn't eat much, certainly…
-
Kkh silk road tour up to Kashgar
by danialw 21 May 2012
Ladies and gents, I am looking for a safe way to go from Islamabad to kashgar through the kkh. I have found a tour company who can get…
Hotels & Hostels
Top cities in Canada
Browse more cities in CanadaFeatured property
See all hotels and hostels in Canada
Advertisement
Canada
Things to do
- All things to do (3,379)
- Activities (604)
- Entertainment (708)
- Restaurants (880)
- Shopping (436)
- Sights (733)
- Tours (18)
Make it happen
Our Top Picks For Canada
-
1 Banff & Jasper National Parks
Towering peaks, tumbling glaciers, baby-blue lakes and an ark's worth of animals
-
2 Québec Old Town
Distinguished birthplace of modern Canada, lorded over by Le Château Frontenac's mighty towers
-
3 Dawson City
Character-filled heritage town amid awesome natural beauty
-
4 Toronto
Canada's biggest, busiest and many say best city to eat, shop and drink in
-
5 Queen Charlotte Islands
Isles of beauty, mystery and the resurgent Haida culture
Fast Facts about Canada
- Canadians who speak only French
13.3%
- Hours TV watched per week
21.4
- Median family income
$67, 600
- Amount of world’s diamonds produced
15%
- Defense budget
$10.9 billion
- Annual potato consumption
15.8kg per person
- Unemployment rate
6%
- Population
33 million
- Life expectancy
women 83.7 years, men 76.9 years
- Annual beer consumption
77 L per person over age 15
Our favourite Canada Blogs (beta)
-
Family Friendly Hotels in Vancouver
Blog: My Little Nomads - 17 May 2012
I travel to Vancouver often with my 2 kids and these are my favorite hotels for the family. Continue reading →Go to: Family Friendly Hotels in Vancouver
-
Where to spot Bears in Canada
Blog: i Backpack Canada - 9 May 2012
When backpackers in Canada find out that I’m a Canadian, they assume that I have seen everything you could possibly see in this country. While I’ve seen a fair amount, I still feel as if I haven’t scratched the surface. One of the big questions I always get asked is “Have you seen a polar bear?” [...]Where to spot Bears in Canada is a post from: I Backpack Canada
-
Glaciers in Kluane National Park, Yukon
Blog: Everything Everywhere - 25 April 2012
Originally posted on the Everything Everywhere Travel Blog. How many countries have you been to?.
