Interesting things you need to know about Canada before you travel

The new world for working structure, standard education and endless possibilities — Canada. Here is all you need to know before travelling to Canada.

Canada is one of the best countries to immigrate to. It loves to take people as immigrants into their country and many people have taken advantage of it. If you have your visa after the arduous process of getting it, then, you are almost on your way. These are a few things you need to know before you board your flight.

1. It is a very big country

Canada is an enormous country of about 9.9 million square kilometres, surrounding by three oceans. This means that the United Kingdom could fit into Canada over 40 times. So, expect very long distances if you expect to travel from one city to the next, even with air travel.

2. It is freezing cold

In most parts of Canada, temperatures can dip to as low as -30°C or -40°C. For people coming from tropical countries, such as Nigeria, adjusting to the cold can be quite difficult. Remember to wear/carry along lots of layers and avoid going out when the temperature is really low.

3. They have two official languages

Canada is a bi-lingual country, which means there is a section of Canada that has only French speakers. However, it's not a strict requirement to know some French. In French parts such as Quebec, including the cities of Montreal and Quebec City, make an effort to speak a little bit of French to locals though.

4. Alcohol isn't available in supermarkets

You won't find alcohol so easily in some parts Canada as alcohol sales have a lot more rules than in other countries. In British Columbia, you can only find alcohol in provincially-owned and private liquor stores while this is not the same as in Quebec.

5. They are really polite folks

The running stereotype about Canadians is that they are really polite folks. “Sorry” is a word that you can never stop hearing in Canada, especially when you walk down a street or go to a store. At any opportunity, Canadian apologise even when the situation might not necessitate it. In fact, it got so bad that in 2009 the Canadian government had to pass an ‘Apology Act’ in Ontario. It means that if any Canadian says ‘sorry’ at the time of a crime or incident, it won’t count as an admission of guilt – just an expression of sympathy.

6. Beware of bears

There are three kinds of bears to worry about in Canada, from least to most scary: black bears, grizzly bears and polar bears. Black bears are about 500,000 in population but they don't go near humans unless starving. Grizzly bears are quite huge and tend to attack more humans. They are about 20,000 in number. Polar bears are more dangerous and their population in Canada, 12,000, make up for 70% of polar bear population in the world. Because of how frequently they tend to attack, residents of Churchill, Manitoba actually leave their car doors unlocked in case someone needs shelter.