1. Canada did not have its own flag until 1965.

The absolutely iconic Canadian flag did not replace the British flag until 1965, almost 100 years after independence. In formal language, the heraldic design was registered as «Gules on a Canadian pale argent a maple leaf of the first». In other words: a red background with a central white square featuring a stylized eleven-pointed red maple leaf, known as “The Maple Leaf” or “l’Unifolié”. Young as it is, the flag is highly recognizable all over the world and much loved by Canadians.

2. 2. The origin of the word “Canada” is an interpretive error

French explorer Jacques Cartier travelled in the first third of the sixteenth century to the lands of the New World and tried to talk to the natives. Obviously, there was neither Internet nor Google Translator at the time, so when the Iroquois referred to «kanata» meaning their village, Jacques misinterpreted the term as meaning the whole nation. And this is how the word «Canada» was coined to name the young American nation ever since.

3. As a general rule, vehicles are never locked in Churchill

In the town of Churchill there is a rule by which vehicles must be left unlocked… Why? It is just a safety measure, so people can escape polar bears (!!) by getting inside them. A local population of some 1200 bears is a serious enough reason to allow anybody to do so. Besides, the town is not connected by road with the rest of the world, so nobody can get very far if your car is stolen.

4. Canada is so big that it has six time zones

Sir Sandford Fleming, a railway engineer, advocated the adoption of six time zones in the 19^th century. So if you travel across Canada, you will find yourself in the Pacific Time Zone, Mountain Time Zone,  Central Time Zone,  Eastern  Time Zone,  Atlantic Time Zone,  and Newfoundland Time Zone. A real nightmare for your watch, for the traveler and… probably for those who want to check what time their favorite TV show is on!

5. 10% of the planet’s forest is in Canada

Canada is a vast country full of natural wonders. If we consider that such a large country has the ninth lowest population density on the planet, it is easy to conclude that the whole country is mostly an untouched wilderness area containing 10% of the world’s forests. About half of Canada is forest.