Fun facts
Each fact was checked against the source it links to. Facts can change: if one is out of date, tell us.
- 1
Canada has the longest coastline of any country, more than 200,000 km including its islands.
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The border between Canada and the United States, 8,891 km long, is the longest between two countries in the world.
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Canada is the second-largest country in the world by area, after Russia.
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The maple leaf flag was first raised on Parliament Hill on 15 February 1965, now National Flag of Canada Day.
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“O Canada” was first performed in 1880 but became the official national anthem only on 1 July 1980.
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Canada Day was called Dominion Day until 1982.
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The beaver became an official symbol of Canada in 1975, because of its role in the fur trade.
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Canada has two national sports by law since 1994: ice hockey in winter and lacrosse in summer.
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The one-dollar coin is called the “loonie” after the loon bird on it (1987); the two-dollar “toonie” followed in 1996.
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Nunavut means “our land” in Inuktitut. It became Canada’s newest territory on 1 April 1999.
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