Canada - the country "From sea to sea". So says the motto of the state. Canada is an unusual country. This concerns the political system, historical and cultural development.
Founding of Canada
The story of Canada should start with the history of its foundation. This happened in 1534. The beginning of Canadian history is a French colony on the site of modern Quebec. Indigenous peoples lived there then. The formation of the British colonies in New France was the beginning of the Canadian confederation. Canada (the official language is both French and English) is still a country of two nationalities. Some provinces, such as Quebec, are predominantly French, most are English, Yukon is bilingual.
The country got its name from the Iroquois tribe, who wintered near modern Quebec. The word "kanata" means "village" - this was the name of the wintering place, and soon spread to other territories.
Long before the colonization of Canada, the Vikings lived in these territories. This has been proven by archaeological research on the island of Newfoundland. It was this territory that was first explored by Europeans who sailed to the shores of North America.
Geographic location
Canada's geography is one of its greatest features. This applies to the area, the location of the territory relative to other countries, oceans, seas, poles.
Interesting facts about Canada:
- The US border is the longest land border in the world.
- Canada is the second largest state in the world.
- Parts of the Yukon, Nunavut, Northwest territories are located above the Arctic Circle.
- Canada's possessions are located in the Arctic, but they are not recognized by the majority of the world community.
- Borders on USA, Denmark (via Greenland), France (via Miquelon and St. Pierre).
- On the territory of Canada is the northernmost settlement in the world - on Ellesmere Island. This is a military base.
- The Queen Elizabeth Islands are the location of the Northern Hemisphere's magnetic pole. Although in 2005 a statement was made that the pole "left" the country's borders. He was in Canada for about 400 years.
About flora and fauna
A third of the territory is covered with forests. Vegetation - deciduous and coniferous forests, located in the south and in the center of the country.
Animals of Canada: musk ox, reindeer, bears, beavers, wolves, foxes, hares, many varieties of birds and rodents. The population of reindeer stands out in particular - there are about 2.5 million of them!
Here are some more interesting facts about Canada:
- In addition to a huge deer population, there are about 15,000 polar bears here.
- Mating season for snakesaccompanied by their mass movements - several tens of thousands of snakes migrate in the Winnipeg area.
- A bright representative of the fauna is the elk. Interestingly, about 250 car accidents occur annually because of this artiodactyl.
- Canadian beavers built the world's largest dam. Length - 850 meters.
- Rivers and lakes are home to one of the largest populations of fish in the world.
- There are about 11,000 spiders and ticks in Canada! Approximately 50,000 varieties of insects.
Inland waters
Characterization of Canada as a country with one of the world's largest reserves of fresh water is confirmed by the number of lakes - more than in all countries in the world combined. The largest are Upper, Michigan, Huron. The Great Laurentian Lakes of Canada is a system of reservoirs of tectonic and glacial origin.
Fifth of the world's fresh water in the country. In addition to the Great Lakes, an extensive network of reservoirs is located in the Yukon, in the Northwest. The territory beyond the Arctic Circle is covered with ice.
Lake Manitou is the largest lake in the world, which is located within the boundaries of another lake. Manitou enters Lake Huron.
Canada has the largest inland body of water, Hudson Bay.
About language and names
As already mentioned, the presence of two official languages in Canada is historically determined. The country uses English and French, with the former dominating. English uses the rules of British grammar.
French is used by almost a third of the country. In Canada, there is a settlement whose name is considered one of the longest in the world - it has 35 letters, and in translation it means "a place where trout are caught with a line."
And one city is called "St. Louis Du Ha! Ha!". There is no mockery in the name - “Ha! Ha!" a derivative of a single French word that means surprise on the way or the end of the road.
The capital of the state - Ottawa - was originally named after the military John Bai, whose headquarters was located in this territory. The first name is Bytown.
The world's largest French-speaking city (after Paris) is not in France. This is the Canadian city of Montreal.
Inventions
Characterization of Canada as a country that has played a great role in the development of technology and science, is confirmed by many inventions. Consider the most significant and interesting facts about Canada:
- Canadian poet Charles Fanerty pioneered the use of wood pulp to make paper.
- The invention of the electric organ, which we owe to Lawrence Hammond.
- The appearance of important household appliances - for example, electric stoves.
- Kerosene, snowmobiles first appeared in Canada.
- Basketball was invented in Canada.
Society
Social characteristics of Canada - a country with a high standard of living and per capita income. The population density is one of the smallest in the world.
Canada is a country with low corruption andcrime. Although there were cases of terrible crimes. In the 80s, the serial killer Allan Ledger, better known as the Miramish Beast, hunted here. A series of crimes involving the disappearance of women on Highway 16 near Prince George remains unsolved.
Edmonton has the world's largest indoor amusement park.
Oddly enough, the most common surname in Canada is Lee. Canada can be called "a country of middle-aged people" - the average age of the country's inhabitants is 40 years old.
Most residents profess Catholicism, and about 20% call themselves Protestants. Toronto has the largest Muslim community.
The country has a high level of education - about 50% of the population graduated from higher educational institutions. According to UN studies, Canada is among the top ten countries with a high level of education of the population along with New Zealand, the USA, Norway, Australia, Ireland, South Korea, Slovenia, the Netherlands, and Germany. At the same time, there is no Ministry of Education in the country!
The country has a high level of protection of the rights of women and children.
A fifth of the population are immigrants from other countries.
If you decide to listen to music, most likely it will be Canadian artists - they own about half of the airtime on radio stations. It is forbidden to distribute comics that promote violence, crime.
Political structure and state symbols
Canada is part of the British Commonwe alth, a dominion state. The formal head is the Queen of Great Britain. The Queen's representative is the Governor General, who is appointed by the Prime Minister and the Monarch.
There is no single Constitution in the country - the legislative system is based on a system of acts and other documents. The main law of the country is the Constitutional Act, issued in 1982. It proclaims the rights and freedoms of Canadians.
Government of the country is decentralized - this is due to the functioning of the federation. Each province has a local prime minister and legislatures.
The official symbols of Canada are: maple (the leaf is depicted on the flag), beaver, a local breed of horses. Local symbols are: caribou, polar bear, loon. They are depicted on coins, postage stamps.
Canada's political development has not been without crises. One of them is the separatist movement for the independence of Quebec. This province has its own Ministry of Revenue. In addition, Quebec joined UNESCO as an associate member.
Instead of a conclusion
Canada is an unusual country with many features.
So, we continue to learn interesting facts about Canada:
- More than 80% of homes are connected to the Internet.
- Nanaimo has an annual hot tub swim.
- In Canada, you can write a letter to Santa Claus and get a guaranteed answer.
- The country has huge reserves of cesium.
- Canada is the world's largest consumer and producer of cheese.
- Canada is the birthplace of maple syrup.
- Beer is very popular here– about 80% of all alcohol consumed.
- The national sport is hockey.
- Until 2007, the Toronto TV tower was the tallest structure in the world.
- UFO landing site built in Canada.
- The deepest laboratory operates in the province of Ontario - 2 km underground.
Today, Canada is one of the most economically developed countries in the world. there is a special climate, geographical location, social development.
