Facts & statistics Canada is a country in the northern half of North America.

Its territory extends across the width of the

continent, and it is therefore flanked by the Pacific Ocean to its west and the Atlantic Ocean to its east. To the north,
Canada is bordered by the Arctic Ocean, and to the south by the United States. By surface area, Canada is the second
largest country in the world.

The Capital: Ottawa Life Expectancy: 81 years

Main Cities: Toronto, Montréal, Vancouver Dialing Code: +1
Population: 36.3 million Emergency Numbers: 911
Size: 9.98 million sq. km (3.85 million sq. miles) Currency: Canadian Dollar
Major Religion: Diverse, but Christianity is the Symbols: $
largest, with 67% of the population Central Bank: Bank of Canada
Main Languages: English and French Currency Sub-Units: Cents = 1/100 of a Dollar
Climate: Mixed, but large areas have Arctic or Denominations: Notes: $100 $50 $20 $10 $5.
sub-Arctic climate Coins: $2 $1 50¢ 25¢ 10¢ 5¢

Local culture & language: The culture of Canada has been primarily influenced by the various European cultures and
traditions of its constituent nationalities, particularly British and French culture. There are also influences from the cultures
of its indigenous peoples, and from the neighbouring USA.

Core Canadian values include fairness, equality, inclusiveness and social justice. This is evidenced by the country’s
approach to governance, which includes public health care, higher taxation to promote the redistribution of wealth, the
legalization of same-sex marriage, the abolition of capital punishment and the suppression of far-right politics.

 Canada generally has a very open and accepting attitude towards other cultures and religions.

Clothing: Canadian clothing is very much like that of the United States and most other western countries. The main thing
to note is that it can get very, very cold in large parts of the country (with temperatures getting as low as -40 C in some
areas), so make sure you wrap up warm.

Language in Canada: The two official languages in Canada are English and French, with English having the vast majority of
speakers at around 60%. Due to Canada’s historically welcoming attitude to immigrants, the overall language mix spoken
in the country is very diverse, with reasonable populations speaking Chinese, Punjabi, Spanish, German, and Italian,
amongst others.

Canada is also home to a selection of aboriginal languages, which are spoken by the relatively small populations of
indigenous peoples who reside there. Unfortunately, due to the very low numbers of native speakers, the majority of
these languages are not expected to be able to survive for more than a few generations.

Etiquette & customs: Canadians are generally polite, tolerant and relatively informal. As with any large country, there is
a great amount of variation in customs and etiquette from one region to the next. The most obvious difference is in the
province of Quebec, which has more French influence than British. As a result, it is not uncommon for people to greet
each other by kissing each other’s checks, left and right, rather than the handshake popular in the rest of the country.

Canadians are generally very polite, and it is important to remember your manners if you want to get on well with people.
If you are dining with locals, then table manners are informal, and you need not worry about refusing particular dishes or
asking questions about the food. Do make sure to say please and thank you. If you are invited to someone’s home for a
meal, it is considered polite to bring a small gift such as a bottle of wine or some chocolates.

Religion: The range of religions practiced in Canada are as diverse as its inhabitants, and freedom of religion is a
constitutionally protected right. Christianity is the most prevalent, with around 65% of the population as adherents.
Atheism has also been increasing steadily in recent decades, and around 24% of Canadians now state that they have no
religious affiliation.