Canada
Canada is the second largest country on earth in terms of land and is one of the most beautiful countries of the world. This country is renowned worldwide for its vast, untouched landscape, its unique blend of cultures, high quality of life and multifaceted history makes it one of the major tourist destinations. Canada is blessed with plenty of natural resources, pristine landscape, virgin mountains, deep blue lakes, colour changing maple trees, vast stretch of wilderness, glaciers, icebergs, Tundra flora and fauna and legendary northern lights. This is a country which is vast, sparsely populated and has one of the last remaining wildernesses in our planet.
Visit North Canada and you will see some out worldly landscape straight from a fantasy epic. Clean crisp chilled air, sparkling Blue waters, clear sky, white gleaming icebergs, majestic polar bears, Grizzly bears, humpback whales, meandering rivers filled with salmon fish, Tundra vegetation, aboriginal structures, northern lights, glaciers, snow covered virgin mountains, and the legendary northern lights; which fascinates the mankind since the antiquity. The Southern Region is renowned for beautiful colours of maple trees, endless blue sky, green farmlands, quaint countryside and some of the world’s most exciting cities, Montreal, Toronto, and Ottawa renowned for various festivals, culture and highest quality of life.
The Western region has endless stretch of mountains, clear lakes, thick foliage of tundra vegetation, Pacific coast sea beaches and the futuristic city of Vancouver, Calgary and Edmonton. Visit the beautiful Banff National Park, search for Gold in Yukon, enjoy cowboy festivals at Alberta, This region offers endless opportunities for each and every traveller. The Eastern region is full of culture and importance. This is the regions which saw first advent of Europeans and one of the earliest colonies in Canada was established. Numerous islands dotted the River St. Lawrence and make it one of the beautiful places of Canada.
Canada is often considered as part of American culture but beware, calling Canadians a part of American culture may result in straight disapproval and heated discussion. In fact, Canadians has a distinct culture and most Canadians often flaunt them and openly say we are not Americans. Canada is a multicultural country result of open hearted and discrimination free immigration policies. Canada was initially settled by indigenous tribes, still present in the vast wilderness of Northern Canada. Later during the medieval ages European explorers discovered the land and began to claim them. Later the British and French started colonies which later become fully fledged Country. During the two World Wars, Canada saw increase in number of Europeans, Asians and African immigrants resulted in a dynamic population.
Canada is one of the most multi dimensional countries on our planet. A strong economy, skilled military and its diplomatic efforts earned it respect globally. On The domestic front it is one of the best countries in terms of parameters of life, technological innovations, conflict management, environment preservation and tourism. Any visit to Canada, irrespective of which region or province you visit, irrespective of what you do, will have an unmatched experience that you will cherish throughout your life.
Weather of
Canada
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The climate of Canada is diverse as a result of its area and geographical features. Much of southern Ontario has a climate similar to the north-eastern United States. Iqaluit, the capital of Nunavut, is just south of the Arctic Circle and remains very cold except for the months of July and August. Summers can be hot in parts of Canada. Summer temperatures over 35°C are not unusual in extreme Southern Ontario and the southern Interior of British Columbia, with Osoyoos being the hot spot of Canada. Summers in the southern parts of Ontario and Quebec are often hot and humid. In the British Columbian Interior, Alberta and Saskatchewan, the humidity is often low during the summer, even during hot weather. In the winter, Southern Ontario is only slightly cooler than the north-eastern United States, but temperatures under -20°C are not uncommon. The climate in Canada also depends on how close to the coast you travel.
Many inland cities, especially those in the Prairies, experience extreme changes in weather. Winnipeg, Manitoba has hot summers that can easily exceed 35°C , yet experiences very cold winters where temperatures around -40°C are not uncommon. Southern coastal cities in British Columbia are generally milder year-round and get little snow. The Atlantic Provinces are usually not as cold as the Prairies and the Territories although they constantly experience temperatures below zero in the winter. The Atlantic Provinces are also well known to experience many blizzards during the winter season. In British Columbia, Vancouver and Victoria are temperate and get very little snow, and seldom experience temperatures below 0°C or above 27°C
Food of
Canada
In Canada there isn't much food known as "Canadian" except for maple syrup, nanaimo bars (chocolate-topped no-bake squares with custard or vanilla butter filling and crumb base), buttertarts (tarts made with butter, sugar and eggs), beaver tails (fried dough topped with icing sugar), fiddleheads (curled heads of young ferns), and a few other examples. French-Canadian cuisine is distinctive and includes such specialties as tourtière, a meat pie dish that dates back to the founding of Quebec in the 1600s, cipaille (meat and vegetable pie), cretons (mince of pork drippings), ragoût de pattes (pigs' feet stew), plorine (pork pie), oreilles de Christ (fried larding bacon), poutine, a dish consisting of French fries, cheese curds and gravy croquignoles (home-made doughnuts cooked in shortening), tarte à la farlouche (pie made of raisins, flour and molasses), tarte au sucre (sugar pie), and numerous cheeses and maple syrup products. Staples include baked beans, peas and ham. French-Canadian cuisine also incorporates elements of the cuisines of English-speaking North America, and, unsurprisingly, France. French-Canadian cuisine is distinctive and includes such specialties as tourtière, a meat pie dish that dates back to the founding of Quebec in the 1600s, cipaille (meat and vegetable pie), cretons (mince of pork drippings), ragoût de pattes (pigs' feet stew), plorine (pork pie), oreilles de Christ (fried larding bacon), poutine, a dish consisting of French fries, cheese curds and gravy (its popularity has spread across the country and can be found from coast to coast), croquignoles (home-made doughnuts cooked in shortening), tarte à la farlouche (pie made of raisins, flour and molasses), tarte au sucre (sugar pie), and numerous cheeses and maple syrup products. Staples include baked beans, peas and ham. Besides this, there are large numbers of national franchise like A&W, Boston Pizza, East Side Marios, Cora's, Harvey's, Montana's, Mr. Sub, etc.
Best Time to Visit
Canada
One can visit Canada at any time of year, but most people arrive in summer when temperatures are pleasant and much of the action moves outdoors. In southern Canada, summer generally refers to the period between Victoria Day (late May) and Labour Day (early September). In the northern regions, summer starts as late as mid-June and ends, often abruptly, with the first snowfall in early to mid-September. In most areas, March to May and September to October bring fewer tourists and often surprisingly pleasant weather. Fall, which finds forests cloaked in a spectacular mantle of colour, is a great time to visit. Canadian winters are long, cold and dark. With most outlying attractions closed, your explorations are pretty much limited to the ski resorts and cities. Québec City, Toronto and Winnipeg are among those cities hosting big winter carnivals.
How to Reach
Canada
By Air: You are likely to arrive to Canada by air, most likely into Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, Calgary or Vancouver (the 5 largest cities, from East to West). Many other cities have international airports as well, with the following being of particular use to visitors: Halifax, St. John's, Winnipeg, Edmonton, Regina, Saskatoon, Kelowna, and Victoria. Air Canada, WestJet and Air Transat are the country's only national air carriers, covering the entire country and international destinations.
By Train: Via Rail is Canada's national passenger rail service. Amtrak provides connecting rail service to Toronto from New York via Niagara Falls, Montreal from New York and Vancouver from Seattle via Bellingham. The train is an inexpensive way to get into Canada, with tickets starting from as low as US$43 return to Vancouver. There is also thruway service between Seattle and Vancouver.
By Bus: Greyhound Canada serves many destinations in Canada, with connecting service to regional lines and U.S. Greyhound coaches. Many routes connect major Canadian and American cities including Montreal - New York City which is operated by New York Trailways, Vancouver - Seattle operated by Greyhound and Toronto - New York City via Buffalo, this route in particular is operated by a number of bus companies: Greyhound, Coach Canada, New York Trailways and two new discount services: Megabus and Ne-On.
By Boat: In British Columbia, you can enter Canada by ferry from Alaska and Washington. Alaska Marine Highway serves Prince Rupert, whereas Washington State Ferries serves Sidney (near Victoria) through the San Juan islands. There is a car ferry from Victoria to Port Angeles run by Black Ball; there are also tourist-oriented passenger-only ferries running from Victoria to points in Washington.