Akinyi is a young Kenyan citizen. She recently celebrated her 22^nd birthday just a few days after graduating from her undergrad studies. She has the dream to travel to other places and possibly to immigrate to another country. Akinyi has heard Canada is a great destination for tourists, foreign workers, and immigrants. She, however, has no idea about Canada. Being a smart young lady, Akinyi decides to read all the articles on settler.ca. 

Canada is an interesting country. It is probably the most welcoming country to the immigrants. Canada accepts more than 300,000 new immigrants every year. But how much do you know about Canada? This post introduces five fun facts about Canada. I hope you enjoy them all.

• The second-largest county in the world
• Two official languages
• Canada is really cold
• Three oceans surround Canada
• Canadians are smart!

Fun Fact 1 – Canada is the Second Largest Country on Earth!

Canada is the second largest country in the world. Here is the list of top 5 countries of the world with their areas and population:

As you can see, Canada is the second largest country in terms of area but the 38^th country in terms of population. No wonder, it needs immigrants.

Fun Fact 2 – Canada Has Two Official Languages and Many Non-official ones!

Canada has two official languages; French and English. Most Canadians consider their first official language to be English. Since Canada is an immigration oasis, many Canadians also speak other languages. According to +Babble Magazin, about 58.1% of Canadians are English native speakers, 21.4% are French native speakers, and 3.5% Chinese (Mandarin or Cantonese) native speakers.   The other popular languages in Canada include Spanish, Arabic, Italian, German and Urdu. In fact, about 18.8% of Canadians are native speakers in languages other than English, French or Chinese.

Fun Fact 3 – Canada is Really Cold!

If you search the internet you quickly realize that Canada is among the top 10 coldest countries in the World on most of the lists. The coldest month of the year is January. You can hardly find a city in Canada in which the average January temperature is above the freezing point of water (i.e. 0°C or 32°F). Sometimes the temperature reaches below -40°C (-40°F).

The warmest community of Canada is Kamloops in British Columbia with an average annual high temperature of 14.8°C (58.6°F) and the average January low temperature of −5.9°C (21.4°F).  The coldest community of Canada is Resolute in Nunavut with an average annual high temperature of −12.7°C (9.1°F) and the average January low temperature of −35.3°C (−31.5°F).  [source]

Did I tell you, Canada neighbours the North Pole?

Fun Fact 4 – Three Oceans Surround Canada!

Depending on who you ask, our earth has four or five oceans, namely; the Atlantic, the Pacific, the Indian, the Arctic, and the Southern (Antarctic). Three of these oceans surround Canada; the Atlantic to the east, the Arctic to the North, and the Pacific to the west. Canada borders the US to the south but there are four mighty lakes between them, called the Great Lakes, namely; Lake Ontario, Lake Erie, Lake Huron, and Lake Superior. These are all freshwater lakes. Lake Superior is the largest freshwater lake in the world with an area of 82,100 km² (31,700 mi²) and a maximum depth of 406.3 m (1,333 ft). [source]

Fun Fact 5 – Canadians Have Won the Nobel Prize 25 Times!

Canadians are seriously active in the field of science, literature, and world peace. So far 25 Canadians may call themselves Nobel laureates. Here is the list [source]:

• Chemistry
  • Sidney Altman
  • William Giauque
  • Gerhard Herzberg
  • Rudolph A. Marcus
  • John Polanyi
  • Michael Smith
  • Henry Taube
• Physiology or Medicine
  • Frederick Banting
  • David H. Hubel
  • Charles Brenton Huggins
  • John James Rickard Macleod
  • Ralph M. Steinman
  • Jack W. Szostak
• Literature
  • Saul Bellow
  • Alice Munro
• Physics
  • Willard Boyle
  • Bertram Brockhouse
  • Arthur B. McDonald
  • Donna Strickland
  • Richard E. Taylor
• Economic Sciences
  • Robert Mundell
  • Myron Scholes
  • Michael Spence
  • William Vickrey
• Peace
  • Lester B. Pearson

It feels good to be Canadian, eh?!!!

If you wish to visit or move to Canada or if you have encountered any issues with the immigration authorities, you may fill out our free assessment form or book a consultation session to assess your potential opportunities or offer you immigration, visa, or citizenship advice.

Al Parsai, MA, DTM, RCIC
Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant
Ashton College Instructor – Immigration Consulting

Disclaimer:
This article provides information of a general nature only. It may no longer be current. It does not give legal advice nor should you rely on it as legal advice. If you have specific legal questions, you should consult a lawyer. If you are looking for immigration advice, book an appointment. All the characters in the articles are fictional, unless otherwise clearly stated. Any resemblance in names, dates, and places (whether individuals, organizations, regions, or countries) is coincidental.