Canada is an Indian word meaning "village of huts." When the first explorers of Canada asked the Indians what the land was called, the Indians thought they were being asked the name of their village, which was "Kanata." The name stuck.
The world's smallest jail is believed to be in Rodney, Ontario, Canada. It is only 24.3 square meters (about 270 square feet).
No snakes, skunks or poison ivy are found on the island of Newfoundland.
Prince Edward Island is Canada's smallest province and has over 800 beaches.
The highest tides in the world occur in the Bay of Fundy, New Brunswick.
Artifacts discovered at the Wanaskewan Heritage Park (Saskatchewan) have been dated to be older than those of the Great Pyramids...neat...
The province of Alberta, Canada is completely free of rats.
Canada's most northern capital is Iqaluit in Nunavut
Churchill in northern Manitoba is "the polar bear capital of the world". Polar bears make their dens near the town
The only real Viking site in North America is located at L'Anse aux Meadows, north of St. Anthony, on Newfoundland's Great Northern Peninsula.
A Loon appears on Canada's one dollar coin because the original dies, featuring a different design, were lost in transit.
Canadian researchers in the Arctic recently bared their arms, legs and torsos and reported as many as 9,000 bites from swarming, newly hatched mosquitoes. (Brave) At this rate, a human could be drained of blood in two hours.
Contrary to popular opinion, Canada does not own the North Pole. In fact, the North Pole is not owned by any country. It is believed, however, that Santa Claus is from Canada
The largest lobster was caught in Nova Scotia. It weighed 20 kg.(44lbs)
Ontario has over 250 000 lakes including the Great Lakes
The world's largest Trilobite fossil was found in Manitoba. It is over 445 million years old.
Saskatchewan is the only province that does not observe Daylight Savings Time..
Forests cover over half of Alberta.
British Columbia is home to Canada's oldest tree, a 1300-year-old Douglas Fir.
Canada is the home of many great inventions, including: basketball, the electric light bulb, the electric range, the electron microscope, standard time, the television, the telephone, and the zipper.
Polar bears are left handed. (ever tried shaking hands with the polar bears?!)
Newfoundlands strange and funny names of places like Billy Butts Pond, Blow Me Down, Come By Chance, Furby's Cove, Goobies, Happy Valley-Goose Bay, Hatchet Cove, Hearts Content, Hearts Desire, Jerry's Nose, Joe Batt's Arm, Leading Tickles, Nameless Cove, Noggin Cove, Old Man's Head, Petty Harbour, Poor Boy Island, Pouch Cove, River of Ponds (River of Ponds Stream runs through it), St. Jones Within, St. Jones Without, Toogood Arm, Wild Bight, Witless Bay, and Wreck Cove. Wow! Creative or What???
The first ATMs in North America were set up in Saskatchewan
That in Buckhorn, Ontario, a little way down Adam & Eve Road, on the north side, are 2 large glacial rocks. Folklore has it that if a young couple can hold hands and each touch one of the rocks, their lives will be blessed
85 % of the Maple syrup of the World is produced in Canada
One of Prince Edward Island's biggest tourist attractions is the fictional Anne of Green Gable's house. (Read Anne of Green Gable's Online, here)
In one second Niagara Falls pours out enough water to
fill two large swimming pools.
Canadian banknotes used to contain the image of a grinning devil behind Queen Elizabeth's ear! Can you see it?
Coldest Day in Canadian history was on February 3, 1947. On that day at the Snag airport, in the Yukon, the temperature dropped to 81 degrees below zero (Fahrenheit)
Canada is the largest country in the Western hemisphere
Cree prophecy says,"Only after the last tree has been cut down
Only after the last river has been poisoned
Only after the last fish has been caught
Then will you find that money cannot be eaten."
Test your knowledge of the Cree, here!
Canada has two of the six largest hydroelectric power stations in the world
The Arctic islands is one of the driest areas in the
world.
More then 30 kinds of spuds are grown in PEI
Much of the dirt in PEI is red(rust) coloured
20% of Ontario is underwater
Alberta contains Canada's oldest National Park, Banff
Ever heard of Coca Cola Falls or Cootie Lake? They’re not make-believe. They’re actually real places! Check out Canada's Funny Maps!
50% of all polar bears in the world live in Nunavut.
The highest mountain in Canada is Mt. Logan, Yukon. It is 5959 m. high.
Great Slave lake, NWT, is the deepest lake in Canada and the 10th largest in the world.
Saskatchewan is home to Canada's largest salt water lake -Quill Lake
There are fourteen First Nations, speaking eight
different languages
The inventor of basketball, James Naismith, was born in Almonte, Ontario
Scotland's Loch Ness monster has a Canadian cousin? Legend says there's a similar creature ,'Ogopogo', lurking in the waters of Okanagan Lake in the B.C. Interior.
Canadian medical discovery of insulin in 1921-22 by Frederick Banting and Charles Best
Charlottetown is the "birthplace of Canada" where
leaders met in 1864 to discuss the formation of our
country
The Big Nickel is Sudbury's most famous landmark. At
9 metres high and 61 centimetres thick, this replica
of the Canadian five cent piece is the largest coin in
the world.
The film "Grey Owl" with Pierce Brosnan was filmed in one of the two National Parks in Saskatchewan
Canada's longest bridge is almost 14 km long and connects Prince Edward Island to Nova Scotia
Inukshuks are stone cairns shaped like human figures which are used as navigational tools in the vast featureless tundra!
Regina is the official home of the Royal Mounted Police, affectionately referred to as the Mounties
Fun Facts about Québec
It is the only province in Canada where French is the official language, and it is one of the rare former French colonies where French is still spoken.
Algonquin called Quebec "Kebe" meaning "the place where the river narrows."
Céline Dion belongs to us, this famous singer was born in Charlemagne, Québec
70% of the world's maple syrup is produced in QC.
A ship can travel 4,000 km inside Canada along the St. Lawrence.
Most Québecers live in a physiographic or landform region which lies between the Canadian Shield and the Appalachian Highlands.
We eat our 'hot dogs' all-dressed! That's ketchup, mustard, relish and ... shredded cabbage, please!
The lengendary Louis Cyr from the village of St. Cyprien, Quebec, was the strongest man in the World!
There are more than one million lakes and waterways in Quebec.
In Quebec, there is an old law that states margarine must be a different color than butter
Québec is Canada’s second most populous province with 7 million inhabitants
Poutine is our favorite fast food!
Benjamin Franklin commanded the American occupying forces in Montréal in 1778 and founded the predecessor of Montréal's Gazette newspaper
Quebec's flag was adopted on January 21st, 1948 by order of the Lieutenant Governor in Council. The flag is known as the "fleur de lis" flag.
Our lochness monster "Memphre" hails from Quebec's Lake Memphremagog.
George Hodgson, from Montreal, was the first Canadian ever to win two gold medals
For more fun facts and activities, visit
CGKids - Canadian Geographic Website
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