Tuesday, July 1

Happy Birthday, Canada!

Tuesday July 1, 2008 is Canada's 141st birthday. Believe it or not, Canada is not just a land of ice and snow. In the summer, southern regions of the nation can see temperatures over 100 degrees Fahrenheit, though this is rare. A hot summer day is usually in the high 90s.

Here are a few more facts about Canada:

* Canada is located on the North American continent and is the second largest country in the world.

* Canada is bordered by the United States of America to the south, the Pacific Ocean to the west, the Arctic Ocean to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the east.

* Canada consists of ten provinces and three territories. The newest territory is Nunavut, pronounced Noon-a-voot, was established in 1999 and consists of two million square miles.

* Canada's capital is Ottawa, Ontario.

* Stephen Harper is the Prime Minister of Canada. He is leader of the Conservative Party, also known as the Tories.

* John A. McDonald was the first Prime Minister of Canada.

* Canada's most prominent emblem is the maple leaf. It appears on our flag, which you can see at the top of my sidebar.

* Another Canadian emblem is the beaver. When Canada was young, there were millions of beaver here. The skins were highly sought after in England for beaver skin hats.

* Other symbols of Canada include the Bluenose II and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. People also associate moose and the Common loon with Canada.

* Canada's motto is: from sea to sea. Her national anthem is O' Canada.

* Canada has six time zones.

* Over one million aboriginal peoples, consisting of North American Indian, Metis and Inuit live within the borders of Canada.

* Canada is home to one quarter of the world's fresh water supply.

* Over two million lakes are situated in Canada and were formed millions of years ago by glaciers.

* Half of the nation is forest region.

* European settlers first arrived in Canada in the 1500s. It was named Canada in 1535 by explorer Jaques Cartier. He heard Native Canadians say the word Kanata, which means village and thought they were referring to the country. Instead of pronouncing it Kanata (Can-ah-ta) he called it Canada.

* Canada was formed on July 1, 1867. For many years it only had four provinces; Ontario, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Quebec.

* At one time the region that is now Ontario was Upper Canada and Quebec was Lower Canada.

* Canada sells electric power to the United States.

* Canada has 42 national parks. These were established to protect plant and animal life. The largest national park is Alberta's Wood Buffalo National Park. It is the only site where whooping cranes nest and is home to the world's largest herd of buffalo.

* Canadians invented the light bulb, television, the electron microscope, the snow mobile, green garbage bags, basketball (a Canadian invented it in the US) and the baseball glove, among other things.

* Hockey is Canada's national sport.

* Canada is a bilingual and multi-cultural country.

* Canadians celebrate Canada Day by going to celebrations where there are activities for the entire family, food and, after dark, fireworks.

I could go on and on with other facts about Canada, but that is enough for today. I wish my Canadian friends a Happy Canada Day and my American friends a Happy Independence Day. Enjoy the festivities and stay safe. ~Blessings, Mary~

23 comments:

  1. Well Happy Birthday Canada to you too Mary! I didn't realize that about the newest territory, IKES! I will be sure to share your blog today with my dd. I hope you're doing well. Are you still having fun with your renovations? They are going to look fantastic when they are all completed and the sense of accomplishment you'll get will perhaps motivate you to redecorate some more??? Mary??? MAAARRRRYYYYY??? Come back! Come back! I was only kidding! :)

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  2. HAPPY CANADA DAY MY FRIEND!!!

    I relished all the info you've given us. I especially appreciated how your country was named....I didn't know that.

    Enjoy your special holiday.

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  3. And Canada is a GREAT place to live. I love to travel but I am always glad to call Canada home.

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  4. Have been to Canada many times and always enjoy it totally! Have a few relatives left there too. Always used to get our tea bags there for the nice strong tea! Thanks for all the good information!

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  5. Hey girl, I have no time to read this morning but wanted to say goodmorning!!!!!!! Life is so busy but friends are so important.... I will be home late but will be back and read about Canada...........

    Hugs

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  6. To quote Alex Trebeck" those crazy canucks" I hope that you are haveing a great Canada Day.Happy birthday to your country.

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  7. Happy Canada Day.

    I really liked reading your blog. Thanks for all the info. Have a great day.

    Hugs,
    Glo

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  8. And, a very Happy Birthday Canada too! Loved this post with all the little bits of information you included about your beautiful country. (BTW -my parents were married in Niagara Falls, Ontario -August 26, 1943. Don't know why but just know that's a little fact.)

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  9. Happy Canada Day my beautiful friend, love you.

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  10. I did not know all of those interesting facts about Canada. Thank-you so much I really enjoyed reading this....Mary

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  11. Happy Canada day Mary.and many,many,more.
    Have you come back yet ? Edge was calling to you.....LOL

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  12. Sounds a little like our Independance Day.
    Mama Bear

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  13. Happy Canada day to you! Those were interesting facts.

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  14. Happy Canada Day, dear Mary!

    And thank you for the sweet birthday wishes for my little girl, today, too!

    Hugs,
    ~Tammy

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  15. Happy Canada Day and thank you so much for the "Facts on Canada". Truly fascinating!

    Kari

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  16. Happy Canada Day,
    What interesting facts you've shared. Most of them were new to me.
    I'd love to see more of Canada someday soon.
    xo

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  17. How interesting! Thanks for sharing all the tidbits about Canada.

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  18. Happy Canada Day to you!
    I sort of feel like it's my holiday too because many of my ancestors used to live there.
    Genealogy does this sort of thing to us.

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  19. Thank you for the good history and geography lesson. We lived in Int'l Falls, MN, just across the border from Fort Francis, Ontario, but we didn't get very far into Canada while we lived there - too bad. From you and Pea, I have learned a lot about your beautiful home.

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  20. Happy Canada Day! Thank you for the nice visit to my blog. I'm looking forward to getting to know you better. Please come again, and I will do the same.

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  21. Fascinating facts about Canada! Thank you. I hope you had a wonderful Canada Day! :-)
    Hugs,
    Tina

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