Canada is a country in the northern part of North America. With an area of 9,984,670 square km, it is the world’s second-largest country by total area. Ottawa is its capital and Toronto is its largest city. English and French are its official languages. The Canadian dollar ($) (CAD) is its official currency. The United States is its only land bordering country, with which it has the world’s largest land border. It is a sparsely populated country. The people identified with Canada are called Canadians. The country has immigrants from many countries, which make it one of the world’s most multicultural and ethnically diverse nations.

If you’ve never traveled to Canada then you probably don’t know a whole lot about the country except maybe that it’s located above the United States. Oh and probably hockey, maple everything and Tim Horton’s, right? Don’t feel bad. That’s about all anyone really knows about the country unless they’ve been there. But there’s plenty of other things that you should know.

20 Interesting facts about Canada

Canadian food

1. Did you know Canadians eat more macaroni and cheese than any other country? It’s a strange fact and there’s no real reason for it, but it’s actually been proven with Kraft being their favorite. And the country has been in love with this food since before 1845!

2. Speaking of favorite foods, this country, known for Tim Horton’s, is also responsible for having the most donut shops per capita than anywhere else. Throughout the entire world there is not one country that surpasses them. So it’s definitely going to be a great place to get some breakfast.

3. They’re even known for the oldest brewery in North America and not only did they start it but the brewery is still running. Molson Coors Canada produced Molson Canadian beer and they are still making it right where they started in 1786.

4. While this may not be surprising, it’s still an interesting fact, that approximately 77% of the maple syrup produced in the entire world is made right in Quebec. Yep, they really do love their maple syrup and we definitely love sharing it too.

5. If you’re looking to take some beer to a friend in another province you’ve better be careful because even though they consume a lot of beer (approximately 80% of the alcohol they drink is in fact beer) you are not allowed to move it to another province. At least, you can’t do it without permission.

6. There are no hormones in Canadian dairy products. That’s because they don’t allow any kind of hormones to be given to the cattle. So if you’re looking for a healthy and all natural drink, you’ll find it in the milk.

7. Looking for some good water? You may be surprised to know that the tap water in Canada is actually better for you than the bottled water! It’s going to taste better too so why not save a little money and stick to the cheaper stuff?

Checking Out Cars

8. In the more northwest territories of Canada it’s didn’t used to be uncommon to see license plates that are actually shaped like a polar bear. Wouldn’t that be something to find when you’re driving down the road? It’s definitely worth at least 5 points on your license plate car game.

9. Speaking of bears, in some areas of Canada drivers actually leave their cars unlocked all the time, not just because they feel safe that no one will take it, but because they want to make sure people can escape from the bears. Yes, there are actually enough bears in Canada, that come right out in the open, that people need to have a quick escape and jumping into someone else’s car is the best way to do it!

The United States and Canada

10. The Mall of America is the largest mall in the United States, but did you know it’s actually not owned by anyone in the US? Nope, this giant mall is owned by Canadians instead! Bet they’re not trampling all over each other for that Black Friday sale …

11. The United States has actually tried to invade Canada during two different wars and failed both times. Turns out, the nicest people around are also pretty good at defending themselves and their country. They aren’t letting anyone else in charge.

Canada on the map

Checking Out Money

12. There is actually a coin with a narwhale on it in Canada. It’s a pretty cool piece and made with gold too. But before you go trying to buy one you should know it’s valued at $300. So you’re going to need a pretty penny (quite a few of them) in order to get one.

13. If you have a lot of money though you can skip the narwhale coin and get one that’s actually $1,000,000. That’s actually the value of the coin and you could (if you had that much) walk into a store and actually use it (provided they have the money to give you some change back).

14. Looking for something even cooler? Well then you’ll love the fact that Canada has a special edition quarter that actually features a dinosaur! And not just any dinosaur, a glow-in-the-dark one! Does it get any better than that?

Interesting Names

15. There are several heritage sites in Canada but there is definitely nothing so interesting as Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump. Yes that is a real place and it’s located near the Rocky Mountains and the Great Plains. Definitely something you’re going to have to visit someday because who can resist?

16. You’ve probably heard the word loony before but did you know that in Canada Loonies (and Toonies too) are actually a form of currency? It doesn’t mean Crazy Aunt Jane, but it does mean a $1 or $2 coin that’s actually part of their currency.

17. They actually have a city that not only has the term Ha Ha’ in it, but it’s also the only town anywhere in the world to have exclamation points, two of them. Saint-Louis-du-Ha! Ha! Is located in Quebec and it’s near the Saint Laurence River.

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