What do you know about Canada? It's the homeland of maple syrup, of course, you also know about hockey. The weather can get very cold over there, that Justin Bieber is one of their exports and that it's the second largest country in the world, after Russia. But what do you really know about Canada?
#1. Meaning of the name "Canada"
"Canada" is an Iroquoian language word meaning "Village." The Iroquoian is a family of languages belonging to the North American tribes, which are famous for the fact that they lacked labial consonants. In modern days, all of the languages are almost extinct, with the exception of Cherokee and Mohawk, spoken only by a handful of elders.
#2. Canada believes in aliens
So much so, in fact, that Canada built the first ever UFO landing pod, in 1967, in St. Paul, a city in Alberta. It was built as a centennial project, in order to attract both tourists and other worldly visitors. The plaque that stands beside it reads: "Future travel in space will be safe for all intergalactic beings, all visitors from earth or otherwise are welcome to this territory and to the Town of St. Paul".
#3. Canadians are funny people
And creative as well, at least when it comes to toponymy and naming their cities. Canada is home to the only city in the world that has two exclamation marks in its name - the town of Saint-Louis-du-Ha! Ha!
#4. Movie industry
The most famous movie ever made in Canada is Porky's. It was released in 1981 and it revolves around the racy and funny adventures some teenage boys go through at a fictional high-school placed in Florida in the 50s. Porky's is a club in the Everglades where the main characters go to become men.
#5. Canadian inventions, more or less accurate
Canada is famous for having claimed the invention of the IMAX, the electrical wheelchair and Trivial Pursuit. Apart from that, there are some certified inventions that belong to Canada, such as peanut butter, instant mashed potatoes, the walkie-talkie, the snow blower, the sonar, hockey, the egg carton, the alkaline battery, the paint roller and five-pin bowling, among others.
#6. Santa is real and he lives in Canada
The country has a free service that handles all of Santa's mail. Apart from that, if you write a letter to Santa, in any language you choose, you will get a letter back from the man himself. The address is North pole, HOH OHO, Canada.
#7. In Canada it smells like money
There have been rumors and claims that the Canadian $100 bill smells like maple. And if that wasn't surprising enough, as it turns out, most people say they are actually bothered by the fact that the bills smell as such. The bank note was released in 2011, it's made entirely out of plastic and it's brown in color. The Bank of Canada has denied that the smell exists.
#8. Canada at war
Funny enough, the US have actually attacked Canada twice, with the intention of invading it, in 1775 and 1812. The plan was to control Canada, so that the British wouldn't be able to use its resources, its ports or its airbases. America lost. Both times.
#9. Polar bears are a real menace
It's a very well-known fact that Canada has a large population of polar bears, especially in the northern region. Churchill, a city in Canada is known as the polar bear capital of the world. The animals gather here and wait for the Hudson Bay to freeze over so that they can start their hunting season. But polar bears can come into the cities as well, which is why locals actually leave their cars open at all times, in order to provide shelter should someone be attacked by a polar bear.
#10. Famous Canadian people
As proven, there is a lot more to Canada then meets the eye. The country uses iceberg water to make vodka, beer and makeup products, it has the safest highways in the world, an annual bathtub race and invented the green ink used on the American dollar bills. Canada is a strange and beautiful place and yes, its people are just as polite as advertised.
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