Canada Guide

Canada had been inhabited for many years by First Nations or Aboriginals and has evolved into a multicultural, bilingual federation from an European colonies’ group. Canada obtained sovereignity peacefully from the United Kingdom which had been the country’s last colonial possessor, in the 20th century.

European Contact
There have been many reports of contact being made between the country’s first peoples and other continents before Christopher Columbus. After Columbus, there have been settlements of Basque Cod whalers and fishermen in Newfoundland and Labrader. Later the European explorer called John Cabot landed on the North American coast and claimed it for England’s King Henri VIII. In 1534, Jacques Cartier set up colonies further inland in Canada. In 1605, Samuel de Champlain made the first French settlement in Port Royal and New France in 1609. The British claimed the places around Hudson Bay and south Nova Scotia and also had their presence in Newfoundland.

New France(1604-1763)
After Quebec City was found by Champlain in 1608, it became New France’s capital. The communities in the coastal regions were mainly based on cod fishery and, along the St. Lawrence River, the economy was based on farming. Fur trade was also done by the French voyagers but this encouraged only a small population. Immigration to this area was low and it had only a population of 6500 by the year 1759.

Wars in Colonial Era
Repeated number of wars were fought between France and Britain in 17th and 18th centuries. During the Seven Year’s War the control of Quebec City was gained by the British after the 1759 ‘Battle of the Plains of Abraham’ and Montreal in 1760.

Canada under the British control( 1764-1867)
After the ‘Seven Year’s Wars’ end and signing of the ‘Treaty of Paris’ in 1763, most of the territories were ceded by France to the British. The British ruler left alone most of the French speaking inhabitants in their social, politics, religions and culture. In the next century violent conflicts continued and lead into the war of 1812 and Rebellion in 1837.

Post-Confederation Canada(1867-1914)
After the British North America Act coming into force in July 1, 1867, the province of Canada, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick became a federation. Although the country had its monarch in England, the term ‘dominion’ was used to show Canada as the self governing colony of the Empire of Britain. In 1870, the dominion was joined by Manitoba, in 1871 by British Columbia and in 1873 by Prince Edward Island.

World Wars
Canada participated in the First World War and the highpoints of its military achievements were the Battle of Vimy Ridge on 9th April, 1917. In 1918, Canada spearheaded the Allied Attacks and defeated more than 40 German divisions. The success of the Canadian troops made the government more assertive. They also became less deferential to the British authority. Canada was also involved in the Second World War after declaring war on Germany in September 10, 1939. The forces of Canada were involved in Hongkong’s failed defense, Italy’s Allied Invasion, Battle of Normandy and the Dieppe Raid.

About Alberta Canada

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February 17th, 2009

Alberta is one of Canada’s prairie provinces and is located in the country’s western part. In the west, it is bounded by the British Columbia province, in the east by Saskatchewan, in the north by the Northwest Territories and the south by the U.S state of Montana. Edmonton is Alberta’s capital and is located south of the province’s centre. The province’s largest city is Calgary which is located 300 kms south of Edmonton. Calgary is a major transportation hub and one of the major commerce centers of Canada.

Geography and Climate
Alberta has an area of 661,850 square kms and is the fourth largest province of Canada. In the north, the province extends to 1223 kms from north to south and 660 kms from east to west. Its highest point is located at Mount Columbia’s summit in the Rocky Mountains and the lowest point is located in the Slave River in the Wood Buffalo National Park. Alberta has a number of lakes and rivers and has adequate water resources. Most of the province’s northern half has boreal forest and the Rocky Mountains are largely forested. The southern part of the province is prairie and the central region extends in an arc between the forests and the prairies. This central region contains the maximum fertile soil and population in the province.
Alberta has a climate of dry continental type with cold winters and warm summers. During the winter Alberta has a minimum temperature of about -54°c in the north and -46°c in the south. During summer the maximum temperature ranges from 32°c in the mountains to 40°c in southern parts.

History
Alberta, after 1670 was a part of Rupert’s Land. After the French arrival in 1731 in the northwest, communities like Bonnyville and Lac La Biche were established. Peter Pond was Athabasca region’s first explorer and he built the Fort Athabasca at Lac La Biche in the year 1778 on Northwest Company’s behalf. In 1788, the Fort Chipewyan was built by Roderick Mackenzie on Lake Athabasca. Sir Mackenzie discovered the river of mighty outflow, which presently bears his name, the Mackenzie River. The Alberta district was created in the year 1882 as the Northwest Territories’ part. The district of Alberta was enlarged and given the provincial status in 1905.

Economy
Alberta has one of the strongest economy in Canada which is supported by its growing petroleum industry, and a lesser extent by technology and agriculture. It has the highest per capita GDP than the other provinces of Canada. The most urbanized region of Alberta is the Calgary-Edmonton Corridor, which is also one of the country’s fastest growing regions. Also the province has the country’s most free economy.

Tourism
Alberta has many tourist attractions which include, outdoor locales for hiking, skiing and camping; shopping locales like Calgary Stampede and West Edmonton Mall. Other great attractions include outdoor festivals, international sporting competitions, professional athletic events, etc. The natural attractions in Alberta include the Wood Buffalo National Park, Columbia Icefields and the Elk Island National Park. The Rock Mountains in Alberta has famous tourist destinations like Jasper National Park and Banff National Park.

About Northwest Territories

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February 16th, 2009

Yellowknife is the capital of The Northwest Territories are situated in Canada’s northern part. This territory borders Nunavut in the east, Yukon in the west, British Columbia in the southwest and Saskatchewan and Alberta in the south.

Geography
Northwest territories has a total land area of 1,140,835 square kms and a total population of 41,464. The capital of these territories is Yellowknife. Geographical features of the Northwest Territories include, the Great Slave Lakes, the Great Bear which is Canada’s largest lake, the Mackenzie River and Canyons in the Nahanni National Park Reserve which is also one of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The territorial islands in the region include, the Border Island, Banks Island, Prince Patrick Island, parts of Melville Island and Victoria Island. The region’s highest point is situated in Mount Nirvana at a height of 9100 ft near Yukon’s border.

History
In June 1870, the present day northwest territory was created when it was transferred by the Hudson’s Bay Company to the Canadian Government. In 1882 and 1896, the territory was devided into 8 districts which were, Alberta, Assiniboia, Athabasca, Franklin, Mackenzie, Saskatchewan, Ungava and Yukon. In 1898, Yukon was separated into another territory and in 1905, the Saskatchewan and Alberta provinces were created. This only left the districts of Franklin, Keewatin and Mackenzie in the territory. Between the years 1925 and 1999, the area of the Northwest Territories measured 3,439,296 square kms. Lastly, on 1st April, 1999, the territories’, eastern three fifth which included the districts of Keewatin, Franklin and Mackenzie were separated to become another territory called Nanavut.

Economy
The Northwest Territories’ geological resources include, natural gas, petroleum, diamonds and gold. The territories’ low population and vast natural resources has made the region’s per capita GDP, the highest of all the provinces in Canada. The per capita GDP of the NWT is C$97,923.

Culture
The Northwest Territory’s aboriginal issues includes the future of the ‘Dene’ community who were employed in uranium ore mines in the 1940s. Social tension exists between the ‘Inuit’ and ‘Dene’ communities, but recently steps have been taken towards their reconciliation. Land claims by the Inuit in NWT have resulted in the creation of the province called Nunavut which is the Inuit Homeland. Another land claim by the Dogribs has resulted in a region within the territories called Tli Cho, which gives the Dogribs their own resource royalties, taxes, legislative bodies, etc, though the health and education sector will still be controlled by the NWT.

Attractions
A major tourist attraction in the Northwest Territories include, the Fort Macpherson which is located on the narrow land slope rising above the Peel river. On the winding routes of the Peel River, canoeists can paddle to reach the Mackenzie Delta. The capital of the territories, Yellowknife has many attractions for tourists like Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre, Northern Frontier Visitor’s Centre, the Legislative Assembly, the Diavik Diamond Display, the Yellowknife Cultural Crossroads, etc. National Parks like the Aulavik National Park, The Tutut Nogail National Park, etc, are also present in the region.

Yellowknife City

Manitoba

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February 15th, 2009

About Manitoba

Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of 647,798 square kms. Its population is 1,207,960 with half of its people located in the Capital Region of Winnipeg. Winnipeg is the capital and the largest city of Manitoba province. Other major cities of the province are Thompson, Brandon, Steinbach, Windler, Selkirk and Portage la Praire.

Geography
Located in Canada’s western part, Manitoba has borders with Saskatchewan in the west, Ontario in the east, Hudson Bay and Nanavut in the north and U.S states of Minnesota and North Dakota to the south. This province has the world’s tenth largest fresh water lake, the Lake Winnipeg. The other two large lakes of the region are, Lake Winnipegosis and Lake Manitoba. A number of uninhabited islands are present along the Lake Winnipeg’s eastern shore. Important watercourses in the region include the Assiniboine, Red, Winnipeg, Nelson, Whiteshell, Churchill Rivers and Hayes. The Red River Valley region of the province is quite flat. Also, the province has many rocky and hilly areas and many large sand ridges. The highest point in the region is Baldy Mountain which is 832 meters above sea level, and the Hudson Bay Coast is its lowest region.

History
A first person of Europe to sail to the region, now known as Manitoba was Henry Hudson in 1611. The first voyage of trading came to Hudson Bay, between 1868-1869 and formed the Hudson’s Bay Company. During 1690 to 1691, the European fur trader, Henry Kelsey was first to see the prairie grasslands and the Plains tribes in Manitoba. In 1730, Sieur de la Verendrye and Pierre Gauttier de Varinnes visited the valley of Red River and opened the Area for fur trade and French exploration. In 1870, after the negotiation between the Canadian government and the provisional government, the Manitoba province was created and it entered the Confederation in 1870. The Manitoba province was originally only 1/18 of the current size. But later, it progressively grew by absorbing land from Northwest Territories until reaching its current size in the year 1912.

Economy
Manitoba’s economy is heavily depended on tourism, agriculture, energy, oil, mining, minerals, forestry, etc. Agriculture is found in the province’s southern half and is vital to the economy. Manitoba is the country’s largest producer of dry beans and sunflower seeds and also a leading producer of potato. Around 12% of the country’s farmland is present in this province. The Portage La Prairie city is North America’s potato processing capital. This place has the potato processing plants of Simplot and MaCain Foods and they provide French fries to Wendy’s, McDonalds and various other commercial restaurant chains. Also situated in this place is ‘Can-Oat milling’ which is one of the world’s largest oat mills.

Tourist Attractions
Manitoba has many attractions for the tourists. Some of the popular attractions include, the Manitoba Legislative Building, The Manitoba Theatre for Young People, Manitoba Children’s Museum, Johnston Terminal, Assiniboine Zoo, Praire Gallery, Royal Canadian Mint, the Manitoba Museum, the Stoneware Gallery, Western Canada Aviation, the McPhillips Street Station Casino, etc.

About British Columbia

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February 10th, 2009

British Columbia is Canada’s westernmost province and famed for its natural beauty. Victoria is British Columbia’s capital and it is also Canada’s 15th largest metropolitan region. The largest city of this province is Vancouver which is also the country’s third largest metropolitan area.

Geography
British Columbia is bordered by the Pacific Ocean in the west, by the Alberta province in East, by the Northwest Territories and Yukon to the north, in the northwest by U.S state of Alaska and in the south by U.S states of Idaho, Montana and Washington. The land area of British Columbia is 944,735 square kms which includes about 6000 islands and mountainous fjords. Its capital, Victoria is situated at the Vancouver Island’s southern tip and the most populous city of Vancouver resides in the southwestern corner of the Lower Mainland. The other major cities of the province include, Burnaby, Surrey, Richmond, Coquitlam, Delta, New Westminster, Pitt Meadows, Langley, Abbotsford, Nanaimo, Kamloops, Kelowna and Prince George. The province’s 75% area is mountainous, 60% is forested and only 5% is arable.
Seven of the National Parks of Canada are located in British Columbia. These are Glacier national Park, Kootenay National Park, Gulf Islands National Park Reserve, Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve, Mount Revelstoke National Park and Yoho National Park.

History
British Columbia had human habitation from 11500 years ago. Throughout its region there was a high population of the indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest’s coast. Explorations in British Columbia started after 1770, by James Cook, George Vancouver, Sir Alexander Mackenzie, John Finlay, Samuel Black, Davis Thompson and Simon Fraser. After the1818 Anglo American Conventions, joint occupancy by the citizens of United States and Britain took place. This joint occupancy ended after the Oragon Treaty in 1840. These early posts grew into communities, settlements and cities. The confederation League which formed in the year 1867 pressed the province to join the league and British Columbia joined the Confederation on 20th July, 1871. After that, the province’s forestry, mining, fishing and agricultural sectors started developing and the population continued expanding.

Economy
The economy of British Columbia is resource dominated and centered in the industry of forestry and mining. The Vancouver region of the province is famous as Hollywood North and is North America’s third largest film production location. The cultivation of marijuana also plays a major role in the province’s economy. Throughout its history, the economy of British Columbia has had dramatic downswings and upswings specially in the sector of mining activity.
Recreation
Due to the varied mountainous terrains and coasts present in British Columbia, it has been attractive to tourists for hiking, camping, rock climbing, mountaineering, fishing and hunting. Both, non-motorized and motorized water sports are available in many places. Whitewater rafting, kayaking, sailboarding and sailing are widely popular in the inland rivers and coasts. During the winter, telemark skiing and cross-country skiing are very much enjoyed in the coastal mountain range, the Rockies, Shuswap highlands and the Columbia Mountains.

Old Montreal (Vieux-Montréal)

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February 6th, 2009

Old Montreal is a major tourist attraction, with the oldest of it’s buildings dating back to the 1600s, it is one of the oldest urban areas in North America.

In the eastern part of the old city, near Place Jacques-Cartier, are found such important buildings as Montreal City Hall, Bonsecours Market, and Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours Chapel, as well as preserved colonial mansions such as the Château Ramezay and the Sir George-Étienne Cartier National Historic Site of Canada.

Further west, Place d’Armes is dominated by Notre-Dame Basilica on its southern side, accompanied by the Saint-Sulpice Seminary, the oldest extant building in Montreal. The other sides of the square, however, are devoted to commerce; to the north is the former Bank of Montreal Head Office and to the west, the Aldred Building and the 1888 New York Life Building, the oldest skyscraper in Canada. The rest of Saint Jacques Street is lined with lofty old bank buildings - like the Old Royal Bank Building - from its heyday as Canada’s financial centre. The southwest of the old city contains important archeological remains of Montreal’s first townsite, around Place d’Youville and Place Royale, and in the Pointe-à-Callière museum.

Architecture and cobbled streets in Old Montreal have been maintained or restored to keep the look of the city in its earliest days as a settlement, and horse-drawn calèches help maintain that image. Finally, the old town’s riverbank is completely taken up by the Old Port (Vieux-Port), whose maritime facilities are surrounded with a vast recreational space with a variety of museums and attractions. Some guided tours departing from the Notre-Dame Basilica charge differing fees and last about 90 minutes. Themed tours include “The Old Montreal Ghost Trail” among others.

Niagara Falls

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February 6th, 2009

Some great pictures of this natural wonder of the world, Niagara Falls.

Top 5 Places To Visit In Canada

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February 6th, 2009

The CN Tower!

The CN Tower is a symbol of Canada, located in downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada, is a communications and observation tower standing 553.33 metres (1,815.4 ft) tall. It surpassed the height of the Ostankino Tower while still under construction in 1975, becoming the tallest free-standing structure on land in the world. On September 12, 2007, after holding the record for 31 years, the CN Tower was surpassed in height by the still-under-construction Burj Dubai. It is the tallest free-standing structure in the Americas and the signature icon of Toronto’s skyline, attracting more than two million international visitors annually.

CN Tower Toronto

Niagara Falls

The Niagara Falls are massive waterfalls on the Niagara River, straddling the international border between the Canadian province of Ontario and the U.S. state of New York. The falls are 17 miles (27 km) north-northwest of Buffalo, New York and 75 miles (120 km) south-southeast of Toronto, Ontario, between the twin cities of Niagara Falls, Ontario, and Niagara Falls, New York.

Niagara Falls at night

Banff, Alberta

Banff is a resort town and largest town in Banff National Park, in Alberta’s Rockies, Canada. and one of Canada’s most popular tourist destinations, known for its mountainous surroundings and hot springs. It is a major destination for outdoor sports and features extensive hiking, biking, scrambling and skiing areas within the region. Two ski resorts are located in close proximity: Sunshine Village and Ski Norquay.

Cascade Mountain behind Banff Avenue

West Edmonton Mall

West Edmonton Mall (WEM), located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada is the largest shopping mall in North America and the fifth largest in the world, founded by Ghermezian brothers who immigrated from Iran in 1959. It was the world’s largest mall for a 23 year period from 1981 until 2004.

West Edmonton Mall covers a gross area of about 570,000 m² and cost CDN$1.2 billion to build. There are over 800 stores and services and parking for more than 20,000 vehicles. More than 23,000 people are employed at the property. The mall receives 28.2 million visitors per year and between 60,000 and 150,000 shoppers daily depending on the day and season. The mall is currently valued at CDN$926 million

Europa Boulevard - small section of West Edmonton Mall

Quebec City

Quebec City is the capital of Quebec, internationally known for its Summer Festival, Winter Carnival, and the Château Frontenac, a hotel which dominates the city skyline. The National Assembly of Quebec (provincial parliament), the Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec (National Museum of Fine Arts), and the Musée de la civilisation (Museum of Civilization) are found within or near Vieux-Québec. Among the other attractions near the city are Montmorency Falls and the Basilica of Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré in the town of Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré.

Nunavut the Newest Territory

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February 6th, 2009

Nunavut is the largest and newest territory of Canada (covering about about 1.9 million km² (750,000 sq mi) of land and 161,000 km² (62,000 sq mi) of the land; it was separated officially from the Northwest Territories on April 1, 1999 via the Nunavut Act and the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement Act, though the actual boundaries had been established in 1993. The creation of Nunavut – meaning “our land” in Inuktitut – resulted in the first major change to Canada’s map since the incorporation of the new province of Newfoundland in 1949.

Nunavut comprises a major portion of Northern Canada, and most of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, making it the fifth-largest country subdivision in the world. The capital Iqaluit (formerly “Frobisher Bay”) on Baffin Island, in the east, was chosen by the 1995 capital plebiscite. Other major communities include the regional centres of Rankin Inlet and Cambridge Bay. Nunavut also includes Ellesmere Island to the north, as well as the eastern and southern portions of Victoria Island in the west. Nunavut is both the least populated and the largest of the provinces and territories of Canada. It has a population of 29,474 spread over an area the size of Western Europe.

nunavut-map