Know your country. Love its story.

Canada has 10 provinces and 3 territories (Yukon, Northwest Territories and Nunavut).

Canada is the second-largest country in the world by total area, after Russia.

The USA is Canada’s only land neighbour; Canada touches the Pacific, Atlantic and Arctic oceans and has the world’s longest coastline.

The Mackenzie is Canada’s longest river; the St. Lawrence links the Great Lakes to the Atlantic.

Mount Logan in Yukon (5,959 m) is Canada’s highest peak; the Rockies run through Alberta and British Columbia.

Canada has more lakes than any other country; Great Bear Lake is the largest lake entirely in Canada.

A huge area of ancient rock, forests and lakes covering about half of Canada.

Common regions are the West Coast, the Prairies, Central Canada, Atlantic Canada and the North.

About 41 million people live in Canada; Ontario is the most populous province.

Ottawa is the national capital; each province and territory has its own capital, like Victoria and Iqaluit.

Toronto is the largest city, followed by Montreal and Calgary.

The red-and-white maple leaf flag was first raised on February 15, 1965.

The beaver is the national animal (1975), the maple is the national tree (1996) and the Canadian horse is the national horse (2002).

“O Canada” became the official anthem in 1980; the motto “A mari usque ad mare” means “From sea to sea.”

The loonie ($1 coin, 1987) shows a loon; the toonie ($2 coin) came in 1996. The Bank of Canada issues banknotes.

Parliament’s buildings in Ottawa, overlooking the Ottawa River.

The CN Tower (553 m, 1976) and the Confederation Bridge (12.9 km, 1997) are engineering icons.

Sites like Old Quebec, L’Anse aux Meadows, the Rideau Canal and SGang Gwaay are UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

Banff (1885) was Canada’s first national park; Parks Canada (1911) was the world’s first national parks service.

Moose, beavers, caribou, polar bears, orcas and loons live across Canada.

The Bay of Fundy has the highest tides in the world, up to about 16 metres.

First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples number about 1.8 million, about 5% of the population.

English and French are Canada’s official languages; Quebec is mainly French-speaking.

About one in four people in Canada was born in another country.

Poutine, butter tarts, Nanaimo bars, bannock and maple syrup are Canadian favourites.

Canada is rich in oil, minerals, forests, fresh water and fish.

The Prairies grow wheat, canola and lentils; canola was developed by Canadian scientists.

Toronto–Waterloo, Montreal and Vancouver are technology hubs, strong in AI, software and video games.

The United States is Canada’s largest trading partner.

Insulin (1921–22), standard time (1879), the snowmobile and IMAX have Canadian roots.

The Canadarm (1981) helped the space shuttle; Canada’s astronauts include Marc Garneau, Roberta Bondar and Jeremy Hansen.

Frederick Banting and Charles Best’s work on insulin saved millions; Banting shared the 1923 Nobel Prize.

Ice hockey is the national winter sport and lacrosse the national summer sport (1994).

Canada hosted the Olympics in Montreal (1976), Calgary (1988) and Vancouver (2010).

Canadian stars include Joni Mitchell, Leonard Cohen, Céline Dion and Drake.

Canada’s film, TV and theatre include the National Film Board, the CBC, the Stratford Festival and Cirque du Soleil.

Lucy Maud Montgomery wrote Anne of Green Gables; the Group of Seven painted Canada’s landscapes.