Canada- Culture and population 

You couldn't possibly fail to swot up on some of the most intriguing Canada facts before visiting the country, could you? Here, Freepackers has made the job easy for you, with fascinating tidbits about the Canada culture and population.

Capital: Ottawa (Ontario)                                                                                                                

Area:  9 984 670 km², almost 20 times the size of France

Population: 33 million inhabitants

Currency:The Canadian dollar $

Geography: Canada is a huge country stretching 5,000km from one coast to the other. The regions of British Columbia, Quebec City in Quebec and Ontario for Niagra falls attract the majority of tourists.  The main cities are Toronto, Ottawa, Quebec and Montreal.

Best time to visit:Seasons are much the same as in Europe, with moderate heat in the summer (June to August) and sub-zero conditions in the winter (November to February).

Climate:One of the most fascinating Canada facts is that the majority of Canadians actually live in the south, as it’s much warmer there! In Quebec and Ontario, seasons are much the same as in Europe, with spikes of heat in the summer and freezing cold winters. On the west coast (Vancouver), an oceanic climate prevails which is generally mild and humid. The interior of the country, however, is very often dry and sunny (British Columbia, Alberta). 

The best time of year to go is spring and autumn. Of course, many tourists also visit in the freezing winter for the world renowned condidtions for snow sports, making Canada one of the best places in the world for skiing and snowboarding.

French speaking Quebec

Quebec is the capital city of the metropolis of Montreal. With its language, culture and institutions, the population of Quebec have created their very own unique nation based on the existing native French culture in Europe. Unique in its French heritage, Quebecis one of the only lands in North America to have preserved its Francophone culture. With a population of 7.9 million, 94.6% of the natives (in 2001) to Quebec speak  French as their second language. For almost 80% of the population, French is the mother-tongue language, with English and others being the second language spoken. From a European aspect, its history, culture and hospitality of its inhabitants put Quebec on the tourist map, both nationally and internationally. 

Sport and lifestyle

As previously mentioned, Canada is world-famous for its excellent snow conditions during the winter months, making it a haven for skiiers and snowboarders from around the world. As well as traditional winter sports, Canada is very passionate about ice hockey, with the sport's popularity within the country being very apparent when visiting. If you have time when travelling around Canada, you should try to catch a match , not least as there will be many to choose from. Canadian football is also very popular, often compared to that of American football and the British sport of rugby, given that all three sports use an 'egg-shaped' ball and 12 players per team. Canadians are very proud of their clean-living and generally relaxed nation, with one of the most interesting Canada facts being that 55% of Canadians declared that they were 'very happy' in a recent survey.

Things to remember on a Gap year in Canada

As intrigued as you may be about the Canadian culture, there are certain things that you should be careful to do when visiting the country...

• Be smart: Remember to organise your travel insurance before you travel, as Canada has only private medical care and if you're not insured and need hospital treatment or medication while travelling, you could face a very large bill.
• Research laws and restrictions before travelling. Be savvy in determining what is 'legal' and 'illegal'.
• Many bearsroam the forests of western Canada, and even if they only rarely present a danger, we must remain vigilant and avoid leaving food in the open.