Fun Facts About Canada: 22 Surprising Facts and Trivia Questions

Canada is the second-largest country on Earth and somehow still humble about it. Whether you are prepping a Canada Day quiz, settling a debate, or just here to feel a little more patriotic, here are 22 fun facts about Canada, followed by a round of trivia questions and answers you can steal for game night.

Geography and nature

• Canada has the longest coastline of any country in the world, more than 200,000 kilometres of it.
• Canada has more lakes than the rest of the world combined, over two million of them.
• The Canada and United States border is the longest international land border on the planet, about 8,891 kilometres.
• Manitoulin Island in Ontario is the largest lake island in the world, and it has lakes of its own.
• The coldest temperature ever recorded in Canada was minus 63 degrees Celsius at Snag, Yukon, roughly as cold as the surface of Mars.
• Churchill, Manitoba is known as the polar bear capital of the world.

Inventions and firsts

• Basketball was invented by a Canadian, James Naismith, in 1891.
• Insulin was discovered in Toronto in the early 1920s, one of the most important medical breakthroughs in history.
• The name Canada comes from the Iroquoian word kanata, meaning village or settlement.
• Canada did not adopt its famous red maple leaf flag until February 15, 1965.
• Lacrosse and ice hockey are both official national sports of Canada, lacrosse for summer and hockey for winter.

Food facts

• Canada produces about 71 percent of the world's maple syrup, most of it from Quebec.
• There really was a Great Canadian Maple Syrup Heist, when thieves siphoned off millions of dollars of syrup from a Quebec reserve.
• Hawaiian pizza was invented in Ontario in 1962, not Hawaii.
• Canadians are among the world's biggest consumers of macaroni and cheese, and Kraft Dinner is practically a national dish.

Quirky and true

• Santa Claus has a Canadian postal code, H0H 0H0, and letters addressed to it get a reply.
• Ontario passed an Apology Act so that saying sorry is not treated as an admission of legal fault, which is very on brand.
• The beaver is Canada's official national animal, made so by an act of Parliament in 1975.
• Canada has 10 provinces and 3 territories.
• Newfoundland runs on its own half-hour time zone, thirty minutes ahead of Atlantic time.
• The Trans-Canada Highway is one of the longest national highways in the world at nearly 8,000 kilometres.
• Canada is the second-largest country in the world by area, behind only Russia.

Canada trivia questions and answers

Copy these straight into a Canada Day quiz or a road-trip game.

• What is Canada's national animal? The beaver.
• Which two languages are official in Canada? English and French.
• Which Canadian invented basketball? James Naismith, in 1891.
• Where was insulin discovered? Toronto, in the early 1920s.
• About what share of the world's maple syrup comes from Canada? Roughly 71 percent, most of it from Quebec.
• What is Santa's Canadian postal code? H0H 0H0.
• How many provinces and territories does Canada have? Ten provinces and three territories.
• When did Canada adopt the maple leaf flag? February 15, 1965.
• What are Canada's two national sports? Lacrosse and ice hockey.

Canada Day facts

If you came here for July 1, a few quick ones. Canada Day marks Confederation in 1867, when the British North America Act joined the first provinces into one country. It was called Dominion Day until 1982, when it was renamed Canada Day. And yes, it is a statutory holiday across the country, which is the most important fact of all.

Wear it proud on Canada Day

Facts are more fun on a shirt. We design and print original Canadian graphic tees in Canada, ship from inside the country with no customs fees, and price everything in CAD. For Canada Day and all summer, the Great White North tee and the We Are Canada maple flag tee lead the Canada Day collection. If you are figuring out the rest of the outfit, our guide on what to wear on Canada Day has you covered.

Quick answers

What is the most surprising fact about Canada? Canada has more lakes than the rest of the world combined, over two million of them.

What food was invented in Canada? Hawaiian pizza, in Ontario in 1962, along with the maple syrup that supplies most of the world.

What is a good Canada trivia question? Ask which Canadian invented basketball. The answer, James Naismith, surprises almost everyone.

Why is Canada Day on July 1? It marks Confederation in 1867, when the first provinces joined into one country. It was called Dominion Day until 1982.