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.
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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
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Bourbon and beyond: North America’s thriving craft distillery scene
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Vancouver’s thriving alternative nightlife scene
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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...
Thorn Tree forum discussion
Recent posts
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RE: A very friendly game
by Pubezz 27 May 2012
Oi! Jubblies! You there for Froch to take the pi55 out of the unbeaten Canadian, last night?...So many Forrest fans there.. On Topic?…
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RE: How to fill out the “Landing Card” from Canada Customs correctly?
by cdnfoodie 27 May 2012
"“resident” means a person who, in the settled routine of that person’s life, makes his home, resides and is ordinarily present in Can…
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Re: Travel buddy/buddies wanted! Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam & Laos 6-8 weeks
by prairielily 27 May 2012
Hi Twinkle, I'm 25 F from Canada.. heading to SE Asia around July 20th and have one month. What is your itinerary so far? Where are…
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Canada
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- Activities (609)
- Entertainment (708)
- Restaurants (880)
- Shopping (436)
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- Tours (18)
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Our Top Picks For Canada
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1 Banff & Jasper National Parks
Towering peaks, tumbling glaciers, baby-blue lakes and an ark's worth of animals
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2 Québec Old Town
Distinguished birthplace of modern Canada, lorded over by Le Château Frontenac's mighty towers
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3 Dawson City
Character-filled heritage town amid awesome natural beauty
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4 Toronto
Canada's biggest, busiest and many say best city to eat, shop and drink in
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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)
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Cross Canada Video Tour: Halifax
Blog: i Backpack Canada - 25 May 2012
Filming has always intrigued me. There’s some superb travel bloggers and travel vloggers out there shooting their travels, and coming back with some incredible footage. Kinda makes me wonder, if a picture is worth a thousand words, what’s the going rate for video? Unfortunately, video has never really been something I’ve put a lot of [...]Cross Canada Video Tour: Halifax is a post from: I Backpack Canada
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3 Great Ways to Save Money while Backpacking Canada
Blog: i Backpack Canada - 23 May 2012
Canada is a great place to backpack, but let’s face it… it’s not exactly cheap! Many backpackers who travel this northern country recount past trips to Thailand or Cambodia, where they could comfortably live off of $10 to $15 a day. While you’ll be hard pressed to come close to that type of budget while [...]3 Great Ways to Save Money while Backpacking Canada is a post from: I Backpack Canada
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The Sunday Canadian Travel Video: Across Canada in 2 Minutes
Blog: i Backpack Canada - 20 May 2012
We’ve all had that weird feeling before, you know the one I’m talking about. You arrive at this new destination that you’ve been talking about for months, maybe even years. It could be a museum, a landmark, or a scenic drive. Then you see it.
