July 1st 2016 represents the 149th birthday of this wondrous country we call home. In honour of this occasion I did some research and came up with some interesting tidbits of information that you may or may not know. It was definitely difficult to only choose a few, so if you have time, do some research on your own this week.
- “Canada” is an Iroquoian language word meaning “Village.” The name “Canada” comes from the word “Kanata” used by the Iroquois, a native American tribe who lived in Quebec in the 16th century. It means village or settlement. Explorer Jacques Cartier mistakenly took the word to mean the name of the whole area, not just a village.
- People in Churchill Manitoba leave their car doors unlocked in case their neighbours or other pedestrians need to make a quick escape from polar bears.
- For one day in 1943, Ottawa designated a hospital room to be “extraterritorial” (international) ground so a Dutch princess could be born a full Dutch citizen. (A Dutch requirement for her to keep her princess title)
- Canada is the most educated country in the world. Over half of the residents have a college degree.
- The nation’s official phone number is 1-800-O-Canada. I kid you not.
- Canada’s lowest recorded temperature was -81.4 degrees Fahrenheit (-63 C) in 1947
- Prostitution is legal in Canada. Purchasing the services of a prostitute is not.
- During WW2, Canada gave out buttons to people who tried to enlist but were refused due to medical reasons to show their willingness to fight.
- Canada is the second largest country in the world, right after Russia. However, Canada is the 8th least dense country in the world, with most people living in cities. If it were not for immigration, Canada’s population would probably be shrinking.
- Underneath the city of Toronto, is a system of pedestrian walkways called PATH connecting 1200 stores and restaurants, 50 office towers, 20 parking garages, 5 subway stations and a railway station. With 30 km of walkways, it is the largest underground shopping complex according to the Guinness World Records. It is a welcomed relief from the heat of summer and the biting cold of winter.
- Canada consumes the most doughnuts and has the most doughnut shops per capita of any country in the world.
- Canada has fewer people than Tokyo’s metropolitan area.
- Canada has more lakes than the rest of the world’s lakes combined.
- In Saskatchewan, a hoodie is called a “bunnyhug.”
- Canada’s post office receives millions of letters addressed to “Santa Claus, North Pole” each year. They respond to each one as Mrs. Claus. It is an employee-led volunteering initiative. They have claimed the address “Santa Claus, North Pole, H0H 0H0.”
- Kraft Dinner (“KD”) is the top-selling grocery item in the country. Canadians consume 55% more of it than Americans do. In fact, Canada consumes more macaroni and cheese than any other nation in the world.
- No cows in Canada are given artificial hormones for milk production. Which means no dairy products, like milk, cheese, or yogurt, produced in Canada contain hormones either.
- There is a law in Montreal that keeps skyscrapers within reason. No building is allowed to be taller than the cross on top of Mount Royal (232.5 m above sea level) which overlooks the city.