- [Matthew] Canada isn't all just maple syrup and poutine,
although those things are awesome!
Here are 10 incredible things you didn't know about Canada.
Number 10 is Canada's size.
From Pelee Island, Ontario all the way up to Alert, Nunavut,
Canada is a massive country spanning nearly
9.99 million square kilometers
and surrounded by three oceans,
the Pacific, Atlantic, and Arctic.
It's the largest country in the Western Hemisphere
and the second largest country on Earth behind Russia.
But these official figures only account for the land
and fresh water areas of Canada.
They don't include the sea water inside the country
between its lands or ocean territory around it,
which make up another 1.8 million square kilometers.
Canada' 10 provinces are quite sizeable, too,
with Quebec the largest, being 2.7 times the size
of the entire country of France
and over six times the size of the U.K.
And it's a good thing that Canadians
and Americans get along so well,
because we share the world's biggest undefended border
which spans 8,892 kilometers across.
Canada is certainly a behemoth of a country.
Number nine are its natural wonders.
When it comes to Mother Nature's dealings,
I think it's fair to say Canada drew the best cards.
It might shock you to learn that over 20%
of the Earth's fresh water supply is in Canada.
Though that statistic becomes more understandable
when you realize that there are nearly
two million lakes in the country
and fresh water takes up around 9%
of the colossal nation's total area.
There are more natural lakes in Canada
than in all the rest of the world combined.
We're pretty lucky that our government
recognizes the need to protect the natural beauty, too.
In fact, there are a number of national parks
that are actually larger than several countries.
Wood Buffalo National Park,
which sits between Alberta in the Northwest Territories,
is over 44,800 square kilometers,
making it the second largest national park on the planet
and bigger than all of the Netherlands or Switzerland.
Number eight is the food.
(loud crunching)
When picturing the culinary delicacies of Canada,
my guess is most of you think of maple syrup and poutine,
and rightfully so.
But what will probably surprise is just how important
Canada is to the world's access to food.
Let's start with maple syrup.
What would pancakes or waffles be without it?
If you have a bottle of this
delicious stickiness in your home
you likely have Canada to thank,
as over 80% of the world's supply comes from there,
with most of it being produced in the province of Quebec.
Canada is also the world's biggest provider of lentils,
with nearly 80% of the planet's green lentils
grown in the cool climates and rich soils of Saskatchewan.
With all of the incredible growing conditions in Canada,
wheat has obviously become a huge export for the country
and has made The Great White North
the sixth biggest supplier of wheat
to the rest of the world.
Number seven are things that were invented in Canada.
(electronic beeps)
If any of you living outside
the incredible place that is Canada think that Canucks
are just a bunch of dumb lumberjacks, think again.
Not only did Canada receive international recognition
for having the seventh best education system in the world
in December of 2016,
but many of the things that you depend on every day
were invented in The Great White North.
For instance, would it surprise you to learn
that peanut butter, egg cartons, and even McIntosh apples
were first created in Canada?
Stepping out of the kitchen,
Canadians are also responsible for the odometer in your car,
the ink used to make American paper money,
paint rollers, walkie talkies, and even IMAX movies.
But if peanut butter and IMAX
aren't world-changing enough for you, consider this.
Canadians discovered insulin
which has saved millions upon millions of lives
and are responsible for the creation of standard time.
And that's only naming a few.
Number six is Canada's population.
(crowd cheers)
Though it's the second largest country,
Canada is home to less than half a percent
of the entire world's population,
holding the title of the eighth
least densely populated country on the planet,
with only 10 people per square mile.
There are over 36.6 million people living in the nation,
but over 86% of them live in major cities
in Ontario, Quebec, British Columbia, and Alberta,
according to the 2006 Census.
There are actually more people
living in the state of California in the United States
than there are in the entire country of Canada.
But despite this, our population is still surging.
From 1995 to 2015,
Canada gained over 6 1/2 million people
with an increase in population of around 1% per year.
However, research has shown
that a huge portion of that increase
is from immigrants coming into the country.
If we stop letting people in,
Canada's population would actually start decreasing rapidly.
Number five is how Canada got its name.
(descending whistling)
Though Canada is a proud and accomplished country,
there is a bit of teasing that could be done at our expense.
Not from constantly saying sorry or eh after everything,
but from how the country got its name.
It's been said that in 1535
when French explorer Jacques Cartier
was navigating his second voyage to North America
in an attempt to find the Northwest Passage to China
he spoke with two young Iroquois men
who called their village Kanata.
Kanata is literally the Saint-Lawrence Iroquoian word
for village or cluster of dwellings.
However, Cartier mistook the word to mean the actual name
of the native people's entire territory,
and thus declared that he'd found an area called Canada.
Though this legend has been debated
by historians and pop culturalists,
it's widely accepted that Canada
is named after a word for village,
which accurately makes it the biggest small town ever.
Number four is the UFO landing pad.
Canada is well-known as a country
that loves multiculturalism with visitors being welcomed
with open arms from almost anywhere, even outer space.
Nestled comfortably between the city of Edmonton, Alberta
in the province of Saskatchewan's western border,
the small town of St. Paul
boasts one heck of an invitation
to extraterrestrial visitors.
50 years ago on June 3, 1967,
two years before man set foot on the moon,
the people of St. Paul revealed their new tourism draw
during Canada's centennial celebration.
A 130-ton UFO landing pad,
the first official one on Earth,
that encouraged aliens to make peaceful contact.
The monument was built out of steel and cement
and cost just over $11,000,
all of which was donated by local businesses
who also provided the labor to construct it.
But come on people of Earth, let's be completely honest.
Which country would you like having represent your planet?
Number three is the Apology Act.
It's a well-documented fact known by pretty much everyone
that Canadians seem to love saying sorry.
Many believe it to be our favorite word
and one in which we use a little too far often.
So often, in fact, that the Canadian government
actually passed a law protecting citizens
from accidentally claiming responsibility for their actions
simply because they said it.
Before the Apology Act was passed on April 23, 2009,
simply saying you were sorry
could be used by an opposing lawyer to prove
that you claimed to be the guilty party in a given case.
Think about it, have you ever had someone bump into you
and then you said sorry on reflex
even though it was their fault?
This law says that just because you instinctively apologized
doesn't mean you've admitted any fault.
The word sorry, at least in Canada,
now only represents sympathy.
And if you don't like that for some reason, well, sorry.
Number two is Santa Claus is Canadian.
(sleigh bells jingle)
Okay, okay, well, sort of.
Santa is such a nice man,
bringing presents and joy to children worldwide.
So would it really come as a surprise to learn
that the kindhearted Santa Claus
is actually a citizen of our other Great White North?
That's right, Kris Kringle is a Canuck!
In an effort to encourage literacy in growing children,
current and former Canada post employees
donate over 190,000 hours of their time each year
responding to around 1.5 million letters
written to Santa from children around the world.
The postal service uses the fictional postal code
H0H0H0, or ho ho ho,
to identify the letters.
And a response is sent back in whatever language
the initial letter was written in, including braille.
Canadian government not only declared
that Santa is a citizen, but on December 20, 2013
they actually gave him a passport
so that he can reenter the country
easier on Christmas morning.
Trust me, nobody wants to have to go through customs
after a trip like that.
And number one is Canada is the best, almost.
It won't come as a big surprise
that a Canadian calls his home country
the greatest country on the planet.
But when several other countries
and the U.N. back up that claim,
well, let's just say that some jaws might drop a bit.
Canada frequently finds itself at the top,
or at very least close to it,
in a number of surveys and studies,
including one done at the Wharton School
at the University of Pennsylvania
which showed that our home and native land
is the second-best country in the world,
only a few points shy of the top spot.
Pffft, Switzerland.
Canada has also been voted
as the best travel destination by Lonely Planet,
and I can't recommend enough that you visit it.
We've been given the top spots in areas
like the most polite country, best movie shooting locations,
best air quality, funniest people,
and frequently scores first place
as the country with the highest quality of life.
I gotta say it's an amazing place.
Though, of course, I might be a bit biased.
And before you guys go I'm proud to say
this video was inspired by Canada's 150th birthday.
And to celebrate, I'm working with TELUS'
Million Hours Movement.
Together we're trying to reach one million hours
of service to Canadian communities as proud Canadians.
It doesn't matter who you are,
you can get involved for this great cause.
So please take a minute to visit the link
in the description or join the conversation on social media
through the hashtag MillionHours.
Join me in this awesome cause.
(loud smack and whooshing)
And that's it, thank you guys as always for watching.
If you feel like it, drop a like on this video,
and on the right you'll find two of my most recent videos
that you can press or click right now
if you want to watch some more.
And that's it, thanks again for watching.
Visit the link in the description,
and I will see you in the next video.
Bay!
(gentle music)