4. Canada has the largest moose population in the world

While Canada’s national animal is the beaver, the country is often noted for its other wildlife as well, including polar bears, wolves, narwhals, and of course, moose.

The country boasts the world’s mightiest moose population, ranging from 500,000 to 1,000,000 individuals nationally. Moose can be found in almost every province and territory in Canada.

5. Canada’s national sport is hockey…and lacrosse

While often associated with the sport of hockey, Canada actually has two national sports. Per the National Sports of Canada Act, while ice hockey is recognized as Canada’s national winter sport”, lacrosse is the country’s national “summer sport” of Canada.

Canada performs exceptionally in both sports, ranking highly in international competition.

6. Surprising Canadians

While only boasting a population of 41 million people, Canadians can often be found at the apex of their fields across industries and subjects. Some examples of influential people you might not guess are Canadians are:

• Alexander Graham Bell
• James Cameron
• Guy Laliberté (Founder of Cirque du Soleil)
• Joni Mitchell
• Elliot Page
• Shania Twain
• Margaret Atwood
• James Naismith (creator of basketball)

7. Over half of the world’s lakes are in Canada

Canada boasts more lakes than anywhere in the world. In fact, according to Statistics Canada, the country has access to over 20% of the world’s surface freshwater, and 7% of the world’s renewable water flow.

Canada is estimated to be home to close to 2 million lakes. Among these lakes is “Pekwachnamaykoskwaskwaypinwanik”, a lake located in the province of Manitoba. The lake boasts the longest place name in Canada (31 letters), which translates from the Cree language to “where the wild trout are caught by fishing with hooks”.

8. Canada’s national parks are larger than many countries

38 National parks are contained within Canada, spanning more than 340,000 square kilometers (131,274 square miles) in total. This massive landmass covers approximately three percent of the country’s total landmass.

In comparison the total size of Japan is 377,000 kilometers, while Germany spans 357,000 kilometers—making Canada’s national parks cumulatively as large as either of these countries.

9. 90% of Canadians live within 100 miles of the U.S.-Canada border

While literally the second largest country in the world, Canada is also densely populated relative to its overall size.

90% of Canada’s population (36.9 million people) live within just 100 kilometers (about 62.14 mi) of the country’s Southern border.

10. Canada is the second-most educated country in the world

According to data from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), Canada has the second most-educated population in the world.

The OECD measures the proportion of populations that have completed tertiary education (which is defined as the proportion of the population that has completed that highest level of education, by age group.

Canada is surpassed only by South Korea, which is the most educated country in the world today.

11. Most of the world’s maple syrup is produced in Canada.

Over 100 million kg of maple syrup were produced nationally in Canada in 2021. With more than 6,000 maple farms and 54 million maple taps nationwide, the nation is a major player in the manufacture of maple syrup.

It should come as no surprise that selling maple syrup can be quite profitable in Canada and even spark controversy. Significant maple syrup theft was uncovered in 2012 as a result of an inquiry; 3,000,000 kilograms, or 3,000 tonnes, to be exact, were taken from a Quebec storage facility. When adjusted for inflation, the estimated value of the stolen maple syrup came to $24.1 million CAD, making it the most valuable theft in Canadian history. In December of the same year, the six offenders were taken into custody.

12. The world’s longest street is located in Canada.

Yonge Street is located in Toronto, Canada, and boasts the title of the longest street in the world. Named after Sir George Yonge, the former British secretary of war, the street is one of the oldest in all of Canada, dating as far back as 1794.

Yonge Street’s length has been called into question, with critics citing that the street is often conflated with Ontario Highway 11 when taking measurements—artificially increasing its length. Regardless, even when disregarding Ontario Highway 11, Yonge Street measures 56 kilometers (about 34.8 mi) in length, comfortably making it the world’s longest.

13. The coldest ever temperature recorded in Canada was –63°C

Recorded in 1947, at the village of Snag, in the Yukon Territory—Canada’s coldest ever-recorded temperature was –63°C (-81.4°F).

For reference, according to the government of Canada, at –27°C individuals risk windburn (excessive dryness, redness, and soreness due to the wind eroding the top layer of oil on the skin) and frostbite and hypothermia.

14. Canada has a $1 million coin

The aptly named “Big Maple Leaf” is a gold coin produced by the Royal Canadian Mint in 2007—and valued at $1 million CAD. In fact, the Royal Mint created five of these coins at their Ottawa facility.