Happy Canada Day (July 1)

HiddenValley cn

In spirit of all things Canadian, we’ve asked Bryan Adam’s to host a free concert in our community. We haven’t heard back so I think he’s too busy. In lieu of this, we have five cool facts about Canada!

1. Twenty percent of the world’s fresh water is in Canada, and it has more lakes (over three million) than any other country. Not only do we have a lot of water, but we are also surrounded by a lot of water. Canada has the longest coastline in the world with 202,080 km.

2. Canada boasts 30% of the world’s boreal forests and 10% of the world’s total forests. About half of Canada’s landmass is covered by forest. There are about 180 different species of trees in Canada. Timber is among the main exports of the country. Canada is the third most forested country in the world.

3. With our literacy rate at 99%, almost all Canadians can read and write, and since “eh” is listed in the Canadian Oxford Dictionary as a valid word, we can now add that into our newsletter articles.

4. Only in Canada could it go from minus 19 degrees Celsius to 22 degrees Celsius in an hour! (Pincher Creek, Alberta in 1962. Look it up!) This isn’t something we want to be known for, but a record is a record!

5. Speaking of Alberta, we are a pretty large province, taking up 661,880 km2. In contrast Ireland is 70,270 km2. The distance from Calgary to Edmonton is 299 km, whereas the width of Ireland is 275 km.

Bonus Fact: With no scientific proof behind this claim, Canadians seem to be the only travelers that define distance using time. For example, when we talk about how far Edmonton is away from Calgary, many of us would answer by saying it’s three hours away, not the distance it is. To confirm this claim, ask a friend and see what they say. Pretty weird, eh!?

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