About Life in Canada

Some Interesting Facts about Canada

At 9,984,670 square kilometres (3,855,103 square miles), Canada is the second-largest country in the world. From east to west, it stretches from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean; north to south, it extends from the United States to the Arctic Ocean. To drive from Halifax, on Canada’s east coast, to Vancouver, on the west coast, takes seven days.

Here are some other statistics and details you might not be aware of.

The Physical Geography

Canada is made up of ten provinces and three territories within five geographic regions.

• The Atlantic Region — Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador
• Central Canada — Ontario and Quebec
• The Prairies — Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta
• The West Coast — British Columbia
• The North — the Yukon and Northwest Territories and Nunavut

Ontario and Quebec have the most people, the northern territories the fewest. Review Citizenship and Immigration Canada’s map of Canada for more useful information about geography.

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The People

Although it’s the second-largest country in the world, Canada is one of the least densely populated. According to Statistics Canada, the population in 2006 was about 32,623,500 people — an average 3.5 inhabitants per square kilometre. Most of Canada’s population — 80% — lives less than 250 kilometres from the U.S. border.

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The Cities

Canada’s three largest cities are Toronto, Ontario (about 5.3 million people); Montreal, Quebec (3.6 million); and Vancouver, British Columbia (2.2 million).

To find out more about a Canadian city, town or village, use Statistics Canada’s Community Profiles. You can choose a location and get up-to-date information on its population, land area, education, income and work, families and dwellings, and births and deaths.

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The Language

Canada has two official languages: French and English. You must speak at least one of these in order to become a Canadian citizen.

About 6.6 million Canadians cite French as their mother tongue. Most of them live in Quebec, but almost 1 million reside in other provinces. The Atlas de la francophonie provides a breakdown of the French-speaking population by province and territory.

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The Culture

Part of what makes Canada unique is the Canadian Multiculturalism Act, which recognizes and values cultural diversity. Canada features a great range of ethnic and cultural communities.

In general, people from more than 150 countries move to Canada every year. Many newcomers settle in Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver and other urban centres where ethnic neighbourhoods play a vital role in keeping these cities vibrant and growing.

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The Climate

People who have never been to Canada often think that it’s always cold, all across the land. The truth, however, is quite different.

Being a large country, Canada has a wide range of climates and temperatures. Most of the country has four distinct seasons (winter, spring, summer and fall).

The table below shows the average daytime high temperatures (in Celsius) for the coldest and warmest months in 17 major cities:

To find out more detailed weather information, including temperature, amount of rainfall and snowfall and amount of sunshine hours, use The Weather Network’s statistics for numerous cities across Canada.

	Citizenship and Immigration Canada — A Newcomer’s Introduction to Canada gives more valuable information.
	Statistics Canada — Maps and Geography offers interactive maps as well as thematic and reference maps.
	Government of Canada — offers useful information about how Canada is governed and important issues facing Canadians.

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