Canada Facts for Kids | Facts About Canada

We have compiled all the fun facts about Canada that you definitely need to know! If you are looking for facts on countries or other places, make sure you check out all our other places fun facts here.

This country is so big that we had to choose only the best and most fun facts for you.

Here are some of the top things you need to know about this country.

Canada is the world’s second largest country (by land size) after Russia.
Canada is actually a member of the British Empire, meaning they have a Queen.
Canada has the longest coastline in the world.

Looking for more resources on interesting facts about Canada? Check them out here.

Where is Canada?

One absolute fact about Canada is that it is located in the northern part of North America

Canada is a northern part of the North American continent. It is bordered by the North Atlantic Ocean, the North Pacific Ocean and the Arctic Ocean. It also shares a border with 13 American states and has the longest international border in the world! The border is also longer than the biggest river in the world.

How many people live in Canada?

There are more than 38 million who live in Canada, with the capital city being Ottawa.

The top 5 biggest cities in Canada are Toronto, Montreal, Calgary, Ottawa and Edmonton, and all have at least 1 million people.

What language is spoken in Canada?

The official languages of Canada are English and French, with around 20% of people speaking French. Most of the French speakers live in Quebec as French is the official language of the province.

How big is Canada?

Canada is the world’s second-largest country after Russia and covers an area of 9.985 million km². It is made up of 10 provinces and 3 territories and almost half of Canada is covered by forest.

The longest distance across Canada (east to west) is more than 5,500km and from north to south is more than 4,600km!

Geography of Canada

Canada has a varied geography and one of its interesting and famous geographical feature is the Niagara Falls

Because Canada is so big, there are a lot of different types of geography.

Lakes, Bays and Rivers

There are so many lakes in Canada that around 9% of the land area is covered in lakes! It is estimated that there are between 2 – 3 million lakes in Canada with more than 30,000 of them larger than 3km².

The largest lake in Canada (and the second largest in the world) is Lake Superior and it actually crosses into America.

If you took away all the lakes, Canada would be smaller than America.

Niagara Falls is a famous landmark that is made up of 3 waterfalls that sit on the Canadian/American border. The water drops around 50m at speeds of up to 100 km/hour! Niagara Falls is an important source of hydroelectric power.

The biggest bay in Canada is Hudson Bay and is frozen for almost 6 months every year.

McKenzie River is the longest river and is found in the North West of Canada. It is more than 4,000km long.

Mountains

The Rocky Mountains range is the largest mountain range in North America and stretches from Canada all the way down the west into America. This mountain range is famous for hiking and wildlife.

The highest mountain is Mount Logan which reaches 5,959m into the sky!

Which foods are popular in Canada?

Maple syrup

Canada produces around 80% of all the maple syrup in the world! Maple syrup is actually the sap of maple sugar trees and is deliciously sweet. Canadians love to pour maple syrup on waffles, pancakes and even bacon! The maple leaf is a symbol of Canada.

Beaver Tail

Not a real beaver tail, this food is really a fried dough pastry that is topped with anything from cinnamon to sugar or even nutella!

Poutine

Poutine is a yummy snack that consists of fries, cheese curds and gravy. Sounds messy, but the Canadians love it!

What animals are found in Canada?

Canada is home to the largest member of the deer family, the Moose

Beavers

Canada’s national emblem is the beaver. A beaver is a small rodent with a broad flat tail and orange teeth! They like to build dams in rivers and can hold their breath for up to 8 minutes.

Bears

Bears are common in Canada and there are many types including Grizzly Bears, Black Bears and Polar Bears. The Polar Bear is thought to be the largest bear and a male bear can be up to 450 kg. When they stand up on their hind legs, a female polar bear can be up to 2.4m tall!

Canada is home to around 60% of the world’s bear population.

Bonus fun fact: Winnie-The-Pooh is actually named after a bear from Canada and was named by the son of AA Milne (the author of Winnie-The-Pooh).

Check out these cute bear plush toys here.

Moose

A moose is the largest member of the deer family and can be up to 1.8m tall. These animals can weigh more than 400 kg and are found almost everywhere in Canada. Moose have antlers which they naturally lose and regrow every year!

Learn more about Moose with these awesome books here.

Which sports are played in Canada?

Ice Hockey

Ice Hockey is an all year round sport for Canadians and is one arguably the most popular sport in the country. In fact there are more than 2800 ice hockey rinks in Canada! The Toronto Maple Leafs are one of the most popular ice hockey teams in the country.

Lacrosse

Lacrosse is a team sport where players use a lacrosse stick to catch and pass a ball around a lacrosse field and get it into the goal. This sport is mainly played in North America and isn’t that common in other parts of the world.

Golf

Being a member of the Commonwealth, golf is also a popular choice of sport. Some say Canada is one of the best playing golf nations in the world.

Curling

Imagine a sport where a player slides stones across ice towards a target and you have curling! Curling is the most popular televised women’s sport in Canada.

Skiing

Due to the geography and weather Canada is a great place to go skiing and in some places the winter snow season can last up to 7 months!

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police

This police force is famous for riding horses, wearing puffy pants and having bright red uniforms. This mounted police work at a federal level so not all police in Canada dress like this.

The Northern Lights

There is an amazing phenomenon called the Aurora Borealis, or the Northern Lights which is a must see when in Canada. When you look into the night sky it looks as though there are coloured lights of green, blue, red and purple swirling above you. This is caused by particles from the earth and sun colliding and should not be missed. You can see the lights in the northern parts of Canada during the winter months.

Last minute fun facts:

The tallest building in Canada is the CN Tower, standing 553m high.
The coldest temperature ever reached in Canada is -63 degrees celsius.
The $1 coin is called a Loonie because it has a bird called a ‘Loon’ on it. The $2 coin is called a Toonie because it is short for ‘two Loonies’.
Canadians are known for their excessive politeness!

And that’s a wrap for Canada. We have covered all the fun facts on food, sport and so much more. Have we missed anything? Make sure you let us know!

If you are looking for some fun stickers for your project or to put on your luggage, check out these awesome stickers here!