202 Fun Facts About Canada You’ve Never Heard

Want to learn more about Canada? Check out these fun and interesting facts!

As a Canadian and a lover of trivia, I’ve been accumulating fun facts about Canada for decades. I gained some from my travels, some from my writing, and others from being a tour guide in Nova Scotia.

These fun facts are sure to surprise even local Canadians who may not have heard of things like the Beaver Wars or that we have the first UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Whether you’re looking for weird facts to entertain yourself, interesting facts to learn something, or accumulating Canada trivia facts for a pub quiz, this guide will teach you all you need to know.

Let’s dive in and find out some Canada fun facts!

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General Canada Fun Facts

1. Canada is the second largest country in the world (after Russia).

2. The first colonists in Canada weren’t the British or the French. They were vikings who came with Leif Erikson and founded settlements along the East Coast of Canada.

3. The national animal of Canada is the beaver.

4. Lacrosse is the official sport of Canada. Hockey is our official “winter sport”.

5. French Canadians introduced the maple leaf as the symbol of Canada back in the 18th century.

6. The most powerful part of the Niagara Falls is on the Canadian side at Horseshoe Falls.

7. Canada has 6 time zones.

8. Canada has 10 provinces and 3 territories.

9. There were 37.7 million people in Canada in 2020.

10. 81% of the population live in cities.

11. Almost 50% of the population of Canada were born in other countries.

12. Canada has the 4th lowest population density in the world. There are only 3 people living per square kilometre.

13. 90% of the population of Canada live within 160km of the US border.

14. The median age in Canada is 41 years.

15. The average life expectancy is 81.16 years – which is the 6th highest in the world.

16. The average household is 2.6 people.

17. Canada was the second country in the world to legalize marijuana fully. Uruguay was the first.

18. Canada has hosted the Olympic Games three times; 1976 in Montreal, 1988 in Calgary and 2010 in Vancouver.

19. The Canadian motto is “A Mari Usque ad Mare”. It means “from sea to sea.”

20. Canada’s national anthem, “O Canada”, was written in 1927.

Canada Day Fun Facts

21. Canada is a constitutional monarchy. This means that we still recognize the Queen and have her on our money, but we largely operate on our own with our democratic system.

22. Queen Elizabeth is the head of state. She is represented in parliament by the Governor General.

23. Canada has two official languages: English and French.

24. There are actually more than just two languages in the country though. There are 65 Indigenous languages, over 1 million Chinese language speakers, and hundreds of thousands of speakers of other languages from around the world.

25. The name “Canada” comes from a Canadian misunderstanding. A European settlor misunderstood the Indigenous term “kanata”, which means village or settlement, to be the name of the region.

26. Canada Day celebrates our independence from Britain, but it actually starts counting before we got independence. The day commemorates 1867 as the founding of Canada, when Canada didn’t become fully independent until 1982.

27. Canada didn’t get a flag until 100 years after we became a country. In 1965, the maple leaf flag was born. It replaced the Union Jack.

28. Kingston was the first capital of Canada.

29. Canada has one of the highest immigration rates in the world. We are home to 1/10 of the world’s resettled refugees annually.

Historical Canada Fun Facts

30. You can visit a viking settlement from 1000AD in Newfoundland at L’Anse aux Meadows to see where the first European settlers arrived in Canada.

31. 20,000 year old tools have been found in caves in Bluefish River, Yukon.

32. Americans have invaded Canada twice: once in 1775 and once in 1812. In 1812, Canadians actually burned down the white house during the war the US caused.

33. Oddly, Upper Canada was more southern than Lower Canada.

34. Canada abolished slavery before the US or the UK. We became a safe haven for runaway slaves. You can still see evidence of the Underground Railroad in Africville in Nova Scotia.

35. The oldest pool of water in the world was found in Canadian mine in Timmins, Ontario. It may be as old as 2 billion years!

36. Nunavut is Canada’s newest territory, having joined the country when it separated from the Northwest Territories in 1999.

37. Newfoundland was the last province to join the confederation of Canada in 1949.

38. The oldest golf club in North America was founded in 1873. It’s still open and you can play a round at The Royal Montreal Golf Club today.

Fun Facts About Canada’s Geography

39. Canada has the longest coastline in the world.

40. The Canada-US border is the world’s longest undefended border. The divide is marked by a gap in the trees across the country lines.

41. The oldest rocks in the world can be found in the Canadian Shield. They’re over 4.28 billion years old! You can drive past them on a Northern Ontario road trip.

42. Canada has 20% of the world’s fresh water.

43. Without all of our lakes, Canada would only be the 4th largest country in the world.

44. Canada has over 2 million lakes – that’s the most of any country in the world.

45. Canada is bigger than the entire European Union. It’s 30% bigger than the 3rd largest country, Australia.

46. The northernmost deserts in the world are in Canada. We have one in British Columbia that is 15 miles long. The second is in Saskatchewan. The smallest one in the world is in Osoyoos, BC.

47. The most northerly sand dunes are in Saskatchewan. Find them in Athabasca Provincial Park. They’re over 30m tall!

48. The northernmost settlement in the world is Alert, Nunavut. It’s just 817m from the North Pole!

49. The largest non-polar icefield in the world is in St. Elia Mountains, Yukon. It’s over 40,000 square km, 16,000 of which are in Canada.

50. Nunavut is Canada’s largest landmass. It is 1/5 of Canada’s total area.

51. Prince Edward Island is the smallest province. It is only 225km long and 56km wide.

52. The highest waterfall in Canada isn’t Niagara Falls. It’s actually in BC at Della Falls, which is over 440m tall.

53. Canada has 48 national parks and 5 marine conservation areas. We also have 970 historic sites maintained by Parks Canada.

54. The first national park in Canada, Banff National Park, was established in 1885. It’s only 3 years younger than the first National Park in the world, Yellowstone.

55. The national parks in Canada are so big that 30 of them are larger than many of the world’s countries!

56. Wood Buffalo National Park is the largest national park in Canada and the second largest in the world.

57. To help foster wildlife safety, Banff National Park has overpasses covered in shrubs and trees for wildlife to cross highways.

58. 10% of the world’s forest is in Canada.

59. The longest highway in the world is in Canada. The Trans-Canada Highway covers 4,860 miles!

Interesting Facts About Canada

60. Superman and Wolverine were both created by Canadian comic book writers.

61. The official phone number of Canada is 1-800-O-Canada.

62. The average Canadian watches 21 hours of TV per week.

63. Canadians first get married at 29 for men and 27 for women, on average.

64. Canada is caught between the US and UK. We use the metric system to weigh food and measure distances, but we use the imperial system for our temperatures on ovens and our height. It’s very confusing!

65. We use British spellings in Canada, like “re” instead of “er” and “ou” instead of “o”.

66. Legally, Canada can become a US state at any time. One of the 13 Articles of Confederation states that we will be automatically accepted as a state if we ever want to.

67. Canadians drink more than 22 million litres of beer a year! That means over 79 litres per Canadian annually.

68. Canada has 6x as much oil as Russia.

69. Canada is home to 15 million cattle, 9 million of which you can find in the Prairies.

70. There are 5 official political parties in Canada: The Liberal Party, the Conservative Party, the New Democratic Party (NDP), Blog Quebecois, and the Green Party. But we have some interesting smaller parties and write ins for every election, too!

71. Canada has 9% of the world’s renewable energy supply.

72. In Canada, you can find 522 airports with paved runways. We also have 931 unpaved airports, typically in smaller areas.

73. There are about 459 cars per 1000 people in Canada.

74. The Hudson’s Bay Company or “The Bay” as they’re more commonly known are the oldest commercial company in North America. They are also one of the oldest in the world. They were founded in 1670.

75. The Bank of Canada began producing banknotes in 1935.

76. Canada is the 5th largest diamond producer in the world by volume and 3rd largest by value. The biggest diamond mine is Diavik in the Northwest Territories. They once found a 187.7 carat diamond there!

77. 6 cities in Canada have more than 1 million people: Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, and Ottawa.

78. Canada is the largest producer of uranium in the world.

79. In Ocean Falls, BC, it rains an average of 330 days per year.

80. Visit Evestan, Saskatchewan for 2,537 hours of sun per year. It’s the sunniest place in Canada!

81. Oak Island in Nova Scotia is home to mystery treasure. It’s been excavated for years to try to find the mystery millions, but so far no one has been able to. It is now haunted with a terrible curse.

82. Canada’s money is fitted with braille for the vision impaired. We’re one of a few countries that do this.

83. Trivial Pursuit was invented by Canadians Scott Abbot and Chris Haney. It’s also one of my favourite board games.

84. Canada is just waking up to the mistreatment of our Indigenous Peoples. From lack of running water in reservations 20 minutes from Toronto to the horrible mall killings of Indigenous children at residential schools, it is clear that Canada needs to do better. Tragically, these injustices are likely just skimming the surface.

Regional Fun Facts About Canada

85. Toronto, Ontario is home to the largest underground shopping complex in the world.

86. Quebec manufacturers more than 77% of the maple syrup consumed worldwide.

87. The highest tides in the world occur in the Bay of Fundy in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. Get out of there at high tide or you’ll be swept away by 100 billion tons of water that rise over 40ft each day.

88. The tallest mountain in Canada can be found in the Yukon. Mount Logan is over 5,900m tall!

89. Montreal is the second largest French-speaking city in the world, after Paris, France.

90. Saskatchewan doesn’t recognize daylight savings time. Which is odd, since it’s one of the largest regions for farming in Canada.

91. 50% of the polar bears in the world live in Nunavut.

92. However, Churchill, Manitoba is the polar bear capital of the world.

93. Churchill sees the largest polar bear migration in the world.

94. They also have a polar bear jail.

95. Visit Churchill, Manitoba in summer to see the largest Beluga whale migration in the summer.

96. The town Gander, Newfoundland is famous for helping a grounded plane in 9/11. It is the inspiration for “Come From Away”, the musical.

97. In Ottawa, you can stay in a haunted jail hostel.

98. Regina is the center of Canada, geographically.

99. The longest street in the world, Yonge Street, is in Toronto.

100. You can kayak past 10,000 year old icebergs in Iceberg Alley in Newfoundland.

101. New Brunswick is home to Magnetic Hill, where your car can magically roll uphill when in neutral.

102. Quebec City is the only walled city in North America.

103. Winnipeg is the coldest city in Canada.

104. Calgary is famous for the Chinook weather phenomenon. The temperature can raise by 10 degrees in minutes!

105. Calgary is home to the Calgary Stampede, also called the greatest outdoor show on earth.

106. Nunavut’s license plates are shape like polar bears.

107. Newfoundland is colloquially known as “the Rock”. But it has nothing to do with Dwayne the Rock Johnson!

108. Cirque de Soleil was created in Montreal.

109. The Northwest Territories recognizes the most official languages of any state or province. They have 11 official languages. They are Gwich’in, Chipewyan/Dené, Inuinnaqtun, Tłįchǫ Inuktitut, Cree, North Slavey, South Slavey, Inuvialuktun, English, and French.

Amazing Facts About Canada for the Record Books

110. The coldest temperatures ever recorded in Canada were -63C.

111. Canadians consume the most macaroni and cheese of any country in the world. In fact, we consume more mac and cheese than maple syrup!

112. Wasaga Beach in Ontario is the longest freshwater beach in the world.

113. Three of the largest islands in the world are in Canada: Baffin Island, Victoria Island, and Ellesmere Island.

114. The largest freshwater island in the world is located in Ontario: Manitoulin Island.

115. Canada is the most educated country in the world. 50% of people have attended post-secondary education.

116. Speaking of education, 99% of Canadians are literate.

117. Ottawa, Canada’s capital city, is the second coldest capital in the world (after Moscow).

118. The world’s longest outdoor skating rink is located in Ottawa. The Rideau Canal becomes a 17.4km free rink for all to enjoy every winter.

119. The largest tulip festival in the world takes place in Ottawa every spring.

120. The Edmonton Mall holds many records: the largest mall in North America, the largest indoor amusement park in North America, the largest indoor waterpark in North America, and the largest parking lot in Canada.

121. The baseball glove was invented in 1883 in Canada.

122. Dr. James Naismith invented basketball in Canada in 1891. You can visit his museum in Almonte.

123. The largest totem pole in the world stands in Victoria at 54.94m tall.

124. Insulin was discovered by a Canadian doctor, Frederick Banting in 1921.

125. Aptly, the snowblower was a Canadian invention in 1927.

126. The stem cell was discovered by James Till and Ernest McCulloch in Canada.

127. The skidoo or jet ski was invented in Quebec.

128. Whistler is ranked as the best place in North America to ski.

129. Canada is most famous for the Canadarm in our contributions to space research. The mechanical art spent 30 years working on NASA’s Space Shuttle Program.

Weird Facts About Canada

130. There’s an area in Hudson Bay that has less gravity than the rest of the Earth.

131. Nanaimo, BC has an odd tradition of racing their bathtubs every year.

132. The “Beaver Wars” were one of the most brutal conflicts in Canadian history, all over some beaver pelts.

133. The Hawaiian pizza was invented in Canada by a man who wasn’t even Hawaiian!

134. Santa is a Canadian citizen, legally!

135. If you mail a letter to the north pole with the postal code “HOH OHO”, it will get delivered to Canada. You’ll even get a letter back from santa!

136. In Churchill Manitoba, nobody locks their doors to their house or cars in case of a polar bear attack.

137. Canada has its own Loch Ness monster: Ogopogo. Located in Lake Okanagan, BC.

138. It’s against the law for comics in Canada to depict criminal acts.

139. Prostitution is technically illegal in Canada. But only purchasing it. Selling it is allowed.

140. The Westboro Baptist Church and all its members are banned from Canada.

141. Canada has an ongoing war with Denmark, but it’s a bit…unusual. There is an island in the Arctic that both countries have been trying to claim since the 1970s. They routinely visit and leave a bottle of Canadian whiskey or Danish schnapps to stake their claim. The other soldiers will take the other country’s bottle, drink it, and leave their own every time they visit.

142. The biggest crime in Canadian history was the 2012 Great Canadian Maple Syrup Heist. Someone stole 3000 tonnes of maple syrup from Quebec. It was valued at more than $18 million.

143. An unsolved mystery remains around the 1845 Franklin Expedition. The ships of Sir John Franklin disappeared while trying to find the Northwest Passage. In 2014, the wreck of the ship was finally discovered. But no one knows what happened to the 129 sailors who perished.

144. There is a law against smelling bad in Canada. You could face 2 years in jail!

145. Sasquatches are protected under BC law. It is illegal to kill one. Granted, you’d have to find them first!

146. Canadians apologize so much that we passed an Apology Act. The act allows people to apologize or express sympathy for someone’s suffering without admitting liability. For example, if your employee broke their leg on the job, you can express sympathy without admitting liability for their injury.

147. Canada has many weird town names. The best are Dildo, Newfoundland, and Vulcan, Alberta.

148. There’s a stereotype that Canadians put milk in bags – and it’s true! Our milk comes in bags because it’s easier to ship. You can buy it at the store and put it in a reusable container at home.

149. In Newfoundland, there’s a unique tradition to become a true Newfie. Getting Skreeched In is a process that involves drinking a shot of vile rum known as Skreech and then kissing a dead cod.

150. Speaking of weird traditions, the Yukon is home to the Sour Toe Shot. It’s literally a shot of vodka with a petrified human toe in it. People donate their toes for the honour of it being in the bar’s offering! Don’t swallow the toe though, or you’ll have to pay a $2,500 fine.

151. For some reason, the Royal Canadian Mint once made a giant loonie (the $1 coin) out of 99.99% gold. It’s worth over $1 million!

152. Someone did a study and apparently 32% of Canadians are “very happy”, while 55% are “quite happy”.

153. Canada is known for its extreme weather. In Pitcher Creek in 1962, the temperature went from -19C to 22C in 1 hour!

154. For some reason, Alberta is cursed with the worst weather in Canada. They have more natural disasters than any other province, including floods, hailstorms, fires, and tornadoes!

155. Although Winnie the Pooh is said to be British, he was actually named for a female bear named Winnie in Canada.

156. In 2015, a Canadian man tied 100 balloons to a garden chair to fly over Calgary. And it worked! But he got arrested, so don’t try it for yourself.

157. There are rumors that Canadian police give out “positive tickets” when people do good deeds.

Fun Facts About Canada’s Food

158. The Caesar cocktail was invented in 1969. It’s become Canada’s national drink. It’s like a Bloody Mary, but substitutes Clamato juice for tomato juice.

159. The Nanaimo Bar, one of the national desserts of Canada, was invented in Nanaimo, BC.

160. There are more doughnut shops in Canada per capita than any other country in the world! The most famous is Tim Hortons.

161. Canadians invented poutine in Montreal in the 1950s. This classic dish of french fries, gravy, and cheese curds is known around the world now.

162. Ginger ale was invented in Toronto in 1907.

163. Peanut butter was invented in Montreal in 1884.

164. California sushi rolls were invested in Vancouver in 1971.

165. Chewing gum was invented in Toronto in the 1860s.

166. Ottawa was the first place to make the Beaver Tails fried dessert in 1978.

167. In the 1960s, canola oil was developed in the Prairies.

168. Butter tarts were invented in Barrie, Ontario in 1900.

169. Canada has a unique type of wine you won’t find anywhere else: ice wine. Ice wine is made from grapes that have been frosted over once. It’s a sweet dessert wine that you’ll love.

170. Canadian wine is produced in Ontario, BC, Nova Scotia, and Quebec. Ontario is the best region with over 370 licensed wineries. You’ll want to take a wine tour to make the most of them!

171. In 2015, a bottle of Alexander Keith’s beer was discovered dating back to the 1870s. It’s nearly as old as Canada! It’s definitely not drinkable after a century in the ocean, but it’s a pretty cool discovery.

Fun Facts About Canada’s Animal

172. There are 2.5 million caribou in Canada.

173. We are the snake capital of the world. Narcisse Snake Pits in Manitoba have the largest concentration of garter snakes in the world. You will literally never find me there!

174. We have 11 species of geese. The evilest is the Canadian Goose. That’s not a scientifically proven fact, but every Canadian will agree with me.

175. The beaver, Canada’s national animal, is the second largest rodent in the world, after the capybara.

176. Canada has over 630 bird species. You can find them in national parks or near waterways, like at the Toronto Islands.

177. There are about 200 mammal species in Canada.

178. Once, a man caught a 9.3kg lobster in Nova Scotia (for reference, most dinner lobsters are 1.5lbs).

179. Dog food is tax deductible in Canada. Here’s how!

180. Alberta has been rat-free for 50 years. A great reason to move to Alberta!

Famous People from Canada

181. Actors:

• Ryan Reynolds
• Pamela Anderson
• James Cameron
• Jim Carrey
• Mike Myers
• Rachel McAdams
• Catherin Ohara
• Keanu Reeves
• Ellen Page
• Jason Priestly
• William Shatner
• Christopher Plumber
• Eugene and Dan Levy
• Howie Mandel
• Martin Short
• Dan Akroyd
• Will Arnet
• Joshua Jackson
• John Candy
• Seth Rogen
• Kieffer Sutherland

182. Musicians:

• Michael Buble
• Celine Dion
• Justin Bieber
• Shawn Mendes
• Bryan Adams
• Paul Anka
• The Guess Who
• Rush
• The Barenaked Ladies
• alanis Morissette
• Bachman Turner Overdrive
• Neil Young
• Avril Lavigne
• Sarah McLachlan
• Nelly Furtado
• K.D. Lang
• Leonard Cohen
• Shania Twain
• Joni Mitchell
• The Weeknd
• Sandra Oh
• Anna Paquin
• Cobie Smulders
• Evangeline Lily

183. Artists:

• The Group of Seven painters

184. Other Famous People:

• Margaret Atwood, best known for The Handmaid’s Tale
• Lucy Maud Montgomery, author of Anne of Green Gables
• Michael Ondaatje
• Terry Fox, who ran across Canada on one leg for Cancer
• John McCrae, author of In Flander’s Fields.
• Marshall Saunders, the first million-selling author in Canada.

Canada Trivia Facts

185. New Brunswick is the only bilingual province, officially.

186. “Eh” is listed in the Oxford English Dictionary thanks to Canadian slang.

187. The US, UK, and Mexico are the top countries that Canadians visit on vacations.

188. The red canoe is a symbol of early explorers in Canada.

189. Canadian Mounties aren’t just for show. They’re actually our equivalent of the FBI.

190. Canada was the first country in the world to create a landing pad for UFOs. You can visit it in St. Paul, Alberta. It opened in 1967.

191. Canada has its own Dead Sea. You can find it at Little Manitou Lake.

192. The capital city of Canada is Ottawa, not Toronto.

193. Toronto is the largest city in Canada.

194. Canada has two official drinking ages: 19 across the country, but 18 in Quebec. (Which is why we all go to Quebec for our 18th birthday.)

195. The CN Tower is no longer the world’s tallest freestanding structure. It held this title until 2007.

196. Atlantic Canada and the Maritimes are two different distinctions. The Maritimes includes New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and PEI. However, Atlantic Canada also includes Newfoundland.

197. The “loonie” got its name from the Loon (a bird) on the tail side of the $1 coin. A “toonie” is “two-loonies”.

198. Canada’s Thanksgiving is on a different day than the US. Find out why!

199. The first UNESCO World Heritage Site was developed in Canada. There’s some debate as to whether it is Nahanni National Park or L’Anse Aux Meadows. Both are still heritage sites to this day.

200. Speaking of UNESCO sites, Canada has 20 registered UNESCO World Heritage Sites. These sites are:

• Canadian Rocky Mountains
• Dinosaur Provincial Park
• Gros Morne National Park
• Head-Smashed-In-Buffalo Jump
• Historic District of Old Quebec
• Joggins Fossil Cliffs
• Glacier Bay
• Landscape of Grand Pre
• L’Anse Aux Meadows
• Old Town of Lunenberg
• Miguasha National Park
• Nahanni National Park
• Red Bay Basque Whaling Station
• Rideau Canal
• SGang Gwaay
• Waterton Glacier International Peace Park
• Wood Buffalo National Park
• Mistaken Point
• Pimachiowin
• Writing-on-Stone

201. The world’s smallest jail is located in Rodney, Ontario. It’s only 24.3 square metres big.

202. Canada has 27 Nobel Prize laureates.

🇨🇦 Looking for the best Canada trip? I recommend this one!

Test Your Canada Knowledge

Wrap Up of Canada Fun Facts

Now you should know a bit more about the True North.

I always appreciate a place a bit more when I understand its history and the weird fun facts that are lurking behind it. My favourite weird fact about Canada is always that we have declared Santa an official Canadian citizen.

What is your favourite fun fact that you learned?

If you enjoyed this post, please share it with your friends to help others learn these Canada fun facts. Or host a quiz for your friends with my Canada trivia facts.

It’s a great start for a house party or Canada day celebration.

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