There is no doubt about it. Canada is REALLY big! Covering an area of 3,855,103 square miles (9,984,670 sq km), Canada is the second largest country in the world after

Russia, which has a total area of 6,592,695 square miles (17,075,000 sq km).

Looking at a map is one thing, but to get a good sense of how large Canada is, consider the following:

• The entire Australian continent will fit into Canada, with lots of room left over for ew Zealand, Papua-New Guinea, and all of the other South Pacific islands in Micronesia.

• Europe could be placed within Canada five times,

• Looking at Canada from north to south, Canada’s boundaries extend to the geographic North Pole, and the southern most point is at the same latitude as the California/Oregon border and just north of Rome, Italy.

Also as the map indicates, Canada’s most easterly province, Newfoundland and Labrador is located closer to the United Kingdom than it is to the western Canadian province of British Columbia.

While Canada is the second largest country in the world, our population is about 33.1 million – around 15 % less than the state of California, or just less than half the population of the United Kingdom. Ninety percent of our population lives within 100 miles (160 km) of the U.S. border. Our four largest cities have a combined population of fewer than 12 million – just over one-third of the national population.

A Nation of Superlatives

Being as large as it is, it goes without saying that Canada claims some of the longest, highest, largest, fastest and tallest records in the world. For trivia buffs, here are a few superlative facts about Canada:

• Canada has the longest coastline of any country in the world (125,567 mi or 202,080 km).

• The world’s highest tide occurs in the Bay of Fundy at Burntcoat Head, Nova Scotia (mean large tide range is 52.8 feet or 16.1 m).

• The Great Lakes – Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie and Ontario, are the largest group of freshwater lakes in the world with a total surface area of 94,595 square miles (245,000 sq km), of which about one third is in Canada.

• Still under development, The Trans Canada Trail will be a shared-use recreational trail winding through every province and territory. It will be the longest trail of its kind in the world, spanning approximately 10,719 miles (17,250 km). • The Trans-Canada Highway is the longest national highway in the world point to point (4,725 miles or 7,604 km). • iagara Falls’ Horseshoe Falls is acknowledged as one of the world’s greatest cataracts because of its estimated mean annual flow of 211,888 cubic feet/second (6,000 cubic m/second).

• At 8 miles (12.9 km), Confederation Bridge, which links New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island, is the longest bridge over ice-covered waters in the world.

• Wood Buffalo National Park (Alberta & Northwest Territories) is home to the world’s largest free-roaming bison herd and the only nesting site of the endangered whooping crane.

• Newfoundland and Labrador claim some of the largest concentration of sea birds in the world. The Witless Bay Reserve is home to the largest Atlantic puffin colony in orth America, and the second largest Leach’s storm-petrel colony in the world.

• The richest dinosaur locality in the world is located in Dinosaur Provincial Park, Alberta.

• The only walled city in North America, north of Mexico is Quebec; it was also the first North American city to be placed on UNESCO’s World Heritage Sites’ list.

• Wood Buffalo National Park (Alberta & Northwest Territories) is the largest park in Canada, at 17,300 square miles (44,807 sq km),

• The oldest national park is Banff in Alberta, created in 1885.

• The highest waterfall in Canada is Della Falls, British Columbia, with a vertical drop of 1,444 feet (440 m).

• At an elevation of 19,551 feet (5,959 m), the highest mountain in Canada is Mount Logan, Yukon Territory.

• The largest island in Canada is Baffin Island, unavut, at 195,928 square miles (507,451 sq km).

• Auyuittuq on Baffin Island is Canada’s first national park above the Arctic Circle, established in 1972 .•

When in Canada, be sure to visit Toronto Escorts