Thursday Thirteen

In lieu of Canada Day post, I decided to list thirteen facts about Canada for the Thursday Thirteen. In no particular order, thirteen facts:


1. Canada became The Dominion of Canada on July 1st, 1867. We officially became a country in 1982. While Canada does acknowledge the Queen, (represented by the Governor General) and under law we need "royal assent' for our bills to become law - Canada is it's own country. We are a "Constitutional Monarchy" - that is we have our own constitution and we acknowledge the Queen as a figurehead - but that's where it ends. Canada makes it's own laws and it is in no way dependant on Britain for laws or governing the country.

2. The National emblem is the maple leaf and has been associated with Canada since the 1700's. The flag of Canada has two red bars and a white center - within there being a maple leaf. It was adopted as the National Flag in 1965. (Before hand Canada used the Union Jack - the British Flag for its flag.)

3. The name "Canada" is derived from the Huron-Iroquois language and means settlement or village.

4. The National Anthem for Canada is "O Canada" - proclaimed on July 1st 1980 - a century after being sung for the first time. (Before hand Canadians sang God Save the Queen/King)

5. Leading Industries: automobile manufacturing, pulp and paper, iron, steel work, machinery and equipment manufacturing, mining, extraction of fossil fuels, forestry and agriculture

6. Leading exports are: automobile vehicles and parts, machinery and equipment, high technology products, oil, natural gas, metals and forest farm products. Imports are: machinery and industrial equipment, (communications and electronic equipment, vehicles and automobile parts, industrial materials (ie: metal ores, iron, steel, precious metals, chemicals, plastics, cotton, wool and other textiles) along with manufactured products and food.

7. Five pin bowling was invented by T.E. Ryan of Toronto in 1909. Basketball was invented by James Naismith in 1891.

8. Two words: Avro Arrow.

9. The lowest temperature recorded in Canada is -63 degrees Celsius at Snag on February 3, 1947. The warmest temperature ever recorded in Canada was 45 degrees Celsius.

10. The most extreme change in temperature took place in January 1962 in Pincher Creek when a warm, dry wind known as a chinook, brought the temperature up from -19 degrees Celsius to 22 degrees Celsius in an hour.

11. The total area of Canada is 9 984 670 square kilometres. Canada's area is the second largest in the world (after Russia which has a total area of 17 075 000 square kilometres). With 2 Million lakes, Canada has the largest amount of freshwater in the world.
12. The Trans-Canada Highway length (using the Perth-Peterborough-Parry Sound route) is 7604 kilometres. It is the longest national highway in the world.

13. The word Canuck originated in about 1850 as a term for French Canadians. During the Great War it was applied to all Canadians.