Canada

Discover Canada

Fun Foods

Poutine, Montreal Smoked Meat, Lobster, Nanaimo Bars, BeaverTails, and Maple Syrup

Canada is the second biggest country on the planet, but only 40 million people live there. That means lots of empty space, wild animals, and nature that'll make your jaw drop. Pack your hiking boots.

First Nations, Inuit, and Métis people lived on this land for over 15,000 years before anyone from Europe arrived. They built thriving communities from coast to coast. They created incredible art, spiritual traditions, and taught settlers survival skills like tapping maple trees for syrup.

France showed up in 1534 and said "this is ours now," calling it New France. Britain disagreed. They battled it out, and the Battle of the Plains of Abraham in 1759 handed Britain the win.

On July 1, 1867, Canada officially became its own country. Happy birthday, Canada.

The country's history has some really hard parts too. Indigenous children were taken from their families and forced into residential schools run by the government. This caused pain that lasted generations.

Canadians today are working to face this truth and support Indigenous communities.

Canada also fought for civil rights. In 1946, Viola Desmond refused to leave the whites-only section of a movie theater in Nova Scotia. She was arrested, but she stood her ground.

Today, her face is on Canada's $10 bill.

Canada gave the world some seriously impressive people. Wayne Gretzky, called "The Great One," holds hockey's all-time points record, and nobody's even close.

Tommy Douglas built Canada's free healthcare system, and Canadians named him the Greatest Canadian in history. Terry Fox ran across the country on one leg to raise money for cancer research. He became a symbol of courage.

Your family needs to see Niagara Falls, where water pounds down so hard the ground shakes. Banff National Park looks like someone photoshopped the mountains and lakes because they're that perfect.

The CN Tower in Toronto has a glass floor 116 stories up. You'll either love it or scream.

Poutine is Canada's famous food, and it's french fries buried under cheese curds and hot gravy. Trust the process. Butter tarts are gooey little desserts that will ruin other sweets for you.

Bannock, an Indigenous fried bread, is served all over the country.

Canada Day on July 1 brings fireworks and maple leaf flags everywhere. Thanksgiving happens in October, not November like America. Quebec's Winter Carnival features ice sculptures, parades, and people wearing red hats called tuques.

And Canadians? They love hockey more than just about anything.