Happy Birthday, Canada!

I don’t have much to say today, except Happy Birthday Canada. Today is July 1st, once it had been known as Dominion Day, and Canada is now 145 years old. Not old by a country’s standards but not too young either.

Here are some facts about Canada, some not terribly boring. 😉

It is the second largest country in the world and home to the geographical and magnetic North Poles.

Our population is just shy of 35 million. According to Wikipedia, that’s a population density of 3.41 per square km. Hmm. A whole lot of open space, I’d say.

There are two official languages in Canada: English and French. When I was growing up, learning French was a requirement from grades four to six. After that it was optional but I continued learning and now… Well, I’m not fluent but I wouldn’t be completely lost if I was dropped in Quebec City or Paris, though the dialects of French differ between Canada and France. Actually, they vary within the country as well, just ask anyone from Acadia.

Yes. We are wild about hockey. Currently, the NHL is peopled with approximately 54% Canadian-born players. That doesn’t necessarily mean anything on its own, but it does show how passionate we are about it and how much a part of our lives it is while growing up. With that much interest in the sport up here and so many children’s and youth leagues, talents and skill are bound to emerge at some point.

We make, or have made, money – more specifically, coins – for several other countries that include Barbados, Portugal, Spain, Taiwan, Panama, Brazil, Fiji, China, Italy, Israel, Jamaica, Norway and the United States. I’ve been to the Royal Canadian Mint in Winnipeg. It’s pretty neat. The security is tight and they don’t actually let you get close enough to see anything of importance. Although, they do have a real gold bar sitting in the gift shop… with an armed guard standing over it, watching every move you make.

Some famous Canadians include (and I’m sorry, but a bunch are actors. 😉 ) Ryan Gosling, Keifer Sutherland, Bryan Adams, David James Elliott, Peter Jennings, Eugene Levy, Lucy Maud Montgomery (one of my favourite authors), Leslie Neilson, Mary Pickford, Christopher Plummer, Captain Kirk… uh, I mean William Shatner, Jacques Villeneuve, Fay Wray, Neil Young, Romeo Dallaire, Jack Warner, Rick Hansen, Terry Fox, Sydney Newman, Sir Frederick Banting, John McCrae… And many, many others. If you don’t recognize some or any of these names, take a few minutes on Google or Wikipedia to learn about them. You never know. You might be surprised to realize you do know who they are. 🙂

There are cities and towns in Canada with some interesting names. Here are a few: Witless Bay, Paradise, Moose Jaw, Blow Me Down (not kidding. Not even a little bit), Dildo, Gander, Spread Eagle, Moosomin, Vulcan, Balzac, Chilliwack, Hope, and a bunch of others.

And that’s about all the fun – or boring? – facts you’ll get out of me today. I’m   about ready for a nap, or as my nephew calls it, “quiet time.” 🙂 Hey, leave me alone. I was up at four thirty a.m.

I’ll leave you with this, a link to this list of some common Canadian myths – debunked!!

Take care and happy reading.

And Happy Canada Day!!