Canadian Facts

Canada is the second largest country in the world (9,984,670 square kilometres) after Russia (17,075,000 square kilometres).

The Great Lakes - Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie and Ontario - are the largest group of freshwater lakes in the world (total surface area of 245,000 square kilometres, of which about one third is in Canada).

On Canadian territory, the longest distance North to South (on land) is 4,634 kilometres from Cape Columbia on Ellesmere Island, Nunavut to Middle Island in Lake Erie, Ontario.

The longest distance East to West is 5,514 kilometres from Cape Spear, Newfoundland and Labrador, to the Yukon Territory - Alaska boundary.

Canada has the world's longest coastline (202,080 kilometres).

The largest non-polar ice field in the world can be found in the St. Elias Mountains, Yukon Territory (40,570 square kilometres of which 16,900 square kilometres are located in Canada, the remainder being in Alaska).

The world's largest island in a freshwater lake is Manitoulin Island in Lake Huron (2,765 square kilometres).

The largest island in Canada is Baffin Island, Nunavut, (507,451 square kilometres).

The highest mountain in Canada is Mount Logan, Yukon Territory, 5,959 metres.

The longest river is the Mackenzie River (4,241 kilometres), Northwest Territories-Alberta-British Columbia.

There are 13 World Heritage Sites in Canada including the Kluane National Park and Reserve in the Yukon and British Columbia’s Tatshenshini-Alsek Park and The Historic District of Québec, containing the only walled city north of Mexico. Québec City was the first city in North America to be placed on UNESCO's World Heritage Sites list.