What do you think of when you think of Canada? Deserts? Beaches? Palm trees? Vineyards? Probably not, but today we’re going to change your view of the Great White North. It’s not all tundra and polar bears (all though it does have plenty of those!). These are 10 surprising facts about Canada you probably didn’t know!
* Alberta has badlands, like wild west style badlands.
* One major road connects eastern and western Canada (through Ontario). It is called Highway 17 (Trans-Canada Highway) and in the most remote regions it's only one lane in each direction.
* 75% of Canadians live within 160 km (100 miles) of the US border
* The Great Bear Rainforest in British Columbia is part of the Pacific temperate rainforest region that stretches across the US and Canada. It is the largest area of temperate rainforest in the world.
* The Okanagan Desert is a semi-arid area located in British Columbia. That’s right, Canada has a desert...and cacti!
* Once, $30 million worth of maple syrup were stolen from a reserve in Quebec.
* Canadians are famous for giving the world kerosene, insulin, IMAX, electron microscopes, and snowmobiles.
* The Okanagan Valley is a breathtaking wine growing region in British Columbia.
* Canadians lead the world in illegal visa overstays in the United States. An estimated 93,000 Canadians are living south of the border with expired visas.
* There are less people in Canada than there are in the Tokyo metropolitan area. As of this writing, Canada has 35.6 million. The Tokyo area has 37 million.