43+ Amazing Canadian History Facts Every Canadian Should Know

Ottawa, the capital of Canada, is the world's second coldest city, following Moscow.

Toronto, Ottawa, Vancouver, Montreal, and Calgary are the five major cities in Canada. Despite its modest population, Canada performs a significant role in the global economy and is among the United States' top trading partners.

The British Parliament approved the British North America Act on July 1, 1867, which allowed Canada to become a country. In 2019, Canada's population was around 37.59 million people. Cities are home to 81 % of the population. Canada is the world's highest educated population. Post-secondary education is held by more than half of the population.

The Inuit and First Nations inhabitants were the first to settle in Canada. However, the Vikings were probably the first Europeans to arrive in the nation.

It is thought that Norse adventurer Leif Eriksson guided them to the Nova Scotia or Labrador coast in 1000 CE. Ontario, Nova Scotia, Quebec, and New Brunswick merged in 1867 to become a kingdom with its parliament, government, and prime minister, and Manitoba quickly followed suit. Canada became an autonomous region in 1931.

Constitutional monarchy and parliamentary democracy are the two political structures of Canada. Queen Elizabeth II is the current head of state.

Let's learn some interesting historical facts about Canada!

The History Of Canada

Historical facts about Canada! Today, Canada is home to many of the world's oldest terrains, covering 4 billion years of earth history and serving as one of the world's finest natural history archives.

In 1867, the Dominion of Canada became a country. Previously, British North America consisted of a few provinces, the vast Rupert's Land (controlled by the Hudson's Bay Company), as well as the North-Western Province. By 1864, several politicians believed that uniting into one nation would be beneficial.

However, it was not until the 1500s that Europeans began to settle in Canada. Jacques Cartier, a French explorer pursuing fur, found the St. Lawrence River around 1534 and seized Canada for France shortly after.

The French started to settle there in 1541, and it was not until 1604 that an authorized settlement was created. Port Royal was the settlement's name, which was situated in what is now Nova Scotia.

Along with the French, the British started exploring Canada for the fish and fur trade, forming the Hudson's Bay Company in 1670. In 1713, an English-French struggle erupted, and the English took possession of Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, and Hudson Bay.

In 1756, the Seven Year's Fight broke out, with England seeking greater control over the country. With the Treaty of Paris, England was awarded complete sovereignty of Canada after the battle in 1763.

English settlers from England and the U.S. migrated to Canada in the years following the Treaty of Paris. Canada was granted self-government in 1849, and the nation of Canada was formally created in 1867. Upper Canada (now Ontario), Lower Canada (now Quebec), New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia were all part of it.

When Canada purchased the property from the Hudson's Bay Company in 1869, it continued to expand. Later, the territory was separated into regions, one of which was Manitoba. Finally, it became a part of Canada in 1870, with British Columbia following in 1871 and Prince Edward Island following in 1873.

As Alberta and Saskatchewan entered Canada in 1901, the country grew.Prince Edward Island is Canada's tiniest province. It has a length of 140 mi (225.3 km) and a width of 35 mi (56.3 km).

Major Events That Happened In Canada

Canada is more than just a peaceful country famous for its diverse culture, northern lights, beavers, ice, and maple syrup.

Its past reveals a great deal more. Heroics, dramas, tragedies, villains, and much more may be found in Canadian history.

However, Confederation in 1867, the Titanic's sinking in 1912, the Fight of Vimy Ridge in 1917, women in the polling stations in 1918, the invention of insulin in 1922, the Great Depression in 1929, the Second World War in 1939, the Trade Agreement in 1989, and the first female astronaut in 1992 are the most significant events that have shaped Canada.

The procedure through which three British North American kingdoms, the Colony of Nova Scotia, Canada, and New Brunswick, were unified into one Confederation named the Dominion of Canada on July 1, 1867, was known as the Canadian Confederation.

A British ocean ship (the Titanic) collapsed in the North Atlantic Ocean approximately 400 mi (643.7 km) south in Newfoundland, Canada, on April 15, 1912. The large ship, which held 2,200 crew and passengers, collided with an iceberg.

When the cruise liner ship went down, almost 1,500 people died, and many of the remains were retrieved and interred in Halifax cemeteries; including the Fairview lawn burial, which has 121 graves.

From April 9-12, 1917, the Battle of Vimy Ridge took place during the First World War. It is Canada's greatest celebrated military triumph, a symbol of the beginnings of Canadian patriotic pride and consciousness that is widely mythologized.

In Canada, women's suffrage happened at different times in other provinces to distinct populations of women.

In 1921, Canadian researchers Banting and Best discovered the potential of diabetes treatment through injecting insulin produced from animal pancreases.

The early '30s global Great Depression was an economic and social shock that resulted in millions of Canadians being jobless, hungry, and often destitute.

In the War of St. Lawrence and the bombing of a light-house in Estevan Point (British Columbia), Canada was directly attacked.

Nevertheless, Canada had the globe's fourth-largest air force and fifth-most oversized navy by the war's end.

In 1989, Canada became a member of the Organization of American States (OAS) and negotiated a free trade agreement in the United States. It was replaced by the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) in 1992, incorporating Mexico.

Roberta Lynn Bondar became the first Canadian female astronaut when she launched aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery on January 22, 1992, carrying aspirations, dreams, and warm wishes of millions of Canadians.

Canada was the first country in the world to allow same-sex weddings between individuals who did not live in the country.

The Discovery Of Canada

Two captured guides spoke of the Iroquoian term Kanata, which means 'settlement,' to Cartier. Canada's name first appeared on maps in the 1550s. In 1497, John Cabot became the first European to visit Canada.

He sailed on the Matthew, a ship named for him. In Bonavista, Newfoundland, there is a replica of the ship. Vikings first arrived on the east coast of Canada in 1000 AD.

The first trace of the past in Canada is tools dating back 20,000 years.Henry Hudson did not sail over Hudson Strait to Hudson Bay till 1610. Captain George Vancouver methodically explored the west coast in Canada between 1792 and 1794. The United States attacked Canada twice, in 1775 and 1812.

Canada's head of state is the British monarch. A governor-general, who has highly restricted authority, represents the monarch. The democratic federal government of Canada, which comprises a legislature and a prime minister, makes laws.

Quebec City has a trait that distinguishes it from other Canadian cities, walls. Quebec City is the sole town north of Mexico with fortified walls, among the most remarkable facts about Canada.

Fun Facts About Canada's History

You are going to love reading these fun facts about Canada! On February 15, 1965, Canada celebrated its 100th anniversary as a country, and it was only then that it received its flag. The official languages of Canada are English and French. Toronto, Canada's largest metropolis, is widely regarded as the world's most multicultural city.

Toronto's Rogers Centre houses the world's biggest Sony big-screen television. After Paris, Montreal is the world's second-biggest French-speaking metropolis. Due to the Rideau Canal, Ottawa is also host to the world's largest skating rink.

New Brunswick is the only province in Canada that is officially bilingual. Nunavut, Canada's newest territory, having split from the Northwest regions in 1999. Saskatchewan does not observe daylight savings.

Canada's smallest province, Prince Edward Island, has lovely red sandy beaches and is an excellent place to ride. Many critical battles of the war were fought by Canadian troops, such as the unsuccessful 1942 Dieppe Raid, the Battle of Normandy, the Normandy landings, the Allied invasion of Italy, and the War of the Scheldt in 1944.

Dr. James Naismith, a Canadian, developed basketball.

Geographical facts about Canada!The Canadian Shield, a historic territory with a few of the world's earliest documented rocks, makes up nearly half of the country. Much of Canada's terrain comprises gently sloping hillsides with rock outcrops.

As it is too far north of forests, the southern regions of the Shield are filled in boreal woods, whereas the northern areas are tundra. The central plains, sometimes known as prairies, are located in the western part of the Canadian Shield.

The southern lowlands are largely grassy, while the northern plains are densely forested. Because of ground depressions left by the previous glacier, this area is also peppered with hundreds of lakes.

The rocky Canadian Cordillera, which stretches from the Yukon Territory into Alberta And British Columbia, is further west.

In terms of oceans, the Bay of Fundy, which separates Nova Scotia from New Brunswick, has the world's greatest tides. Twice daily, the waves of this waterbody move 100 billion tonnes of water.

Nunavut's town is the world's furthest north permanent base. Alert is a transitory base for military and scientific personnel working on-site, situated on Ellesmere Island's north end, approximately 508 mi (817.5 km) from the North Pole.

Della Falls in British Columbia, at 1,444 ft (440.1 m) high, is the highest waterfall in Canada. The average annual rainfall in Ocean Falls of British Columbia is 330 days. The greatest freshwater island on the planet is located in Canada.

It has the planet's longest highway, the Trans Canada Highway, which is roughly 4725 mi (7,604 km) long. The fact that Canada has six time zones and the world's longest coastline 151600 mi (243976.55 km) is an amazing statistic about its geography.

It's fascinating to learn that part of Hudson Bay has lower gravity than the entire earth. Canada is the world's greatest producer of Uranium, as well as a rare element called Cesium.

Forests facts about Canada!Almost 30 of Canada's national parks are bigger than several nations!

Although it is unclear whether L'anse aux Meadows of Newfoundland or Nahanni National Park of the North-west territories was the world's initial UNESCO World Heritage Site, the country is home to the planet's inaugural UNESCO World Heritage Site.

There are 48 national park reserves and national parks in Canada, as well as 970 historic places and five ocean conservation regions. The greatest natural park of Canada is the Wood Buffalo National Park.

In addition, it is the world's second-biggest national park. In 1885, Banff National Park became Canada's first national park. Canada owns 10% of the world's forested areas.Canada is home to 30% of the world's boreal forest and 10% of worldwide forest cover.

In Canada, there are approximately 200 mammalian species. In Canada, there are about 630 different bird species.

The beaver in Canada is the world's second-largest rodent, measuring up to 60 lb (27.2 kg). The capybara, which may measure 100 lb (45.3 kg) and is located in South America, is the greatest rodent. There are 15 million cattle in Canada, with 9 million living in the Canadian Prairies.

Industrial facts about Canada! Canada is largely underpopulated and has a prosperous economy based on vast natural resources and well-established international trade systems. The agricultural output, energy technologies, and telecommunications are now the world leaders.

The United States receives the great bulk of Canada's exports. Since the 1500s, Canada has supplied the world with furs, salmon, and other natural resources.

Following Venezuela and Saudi Arabia, Alberta's oil sands own the world's third-largest oil reserves. More than 77 % of the world's maple syrup is produced in Quebec. Canada generates 80 % of the world's supply in total.

Trade and land use in Canada differ by region. On occasion, the Canadian dollar is referred to as a 'petro currency.' The eastern part of the nation is the most industrialized, but large coastal cities like Vancouver, British Columbia, and Calgary, Alberta, are also heavily industrialized.

Alberta also generates 75 % of Canada's oil and is a significant coal and gas producer. In addition, Canada is the world's fifth-largest diamond exporter by volume and third-largest by value.

Thanksgiving Day in Canada takes place on the second Monday in October. It is often called Canadian Thanksgiving. So that it doesn't get confused with the Thanksgiving in the United States that takes place in November.