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Introduction
Canada (in English and French, Canada) is a country of North America. With an area that makes it the second largest in the world, Canada stretches to the extreme north of America, from the Atlantic Ocean to the peaceful and its coast is dismembered in thousands of islands that go into the Arctic. To the south, Canada borders the United States on the longest border in the world shared by two countries.
Understand
Due to its large size, much of its nature remains without human intervention, which makes it a great attraction for those tourists who want to take advantage of its landscapes. Grasslands and forests span much of the country, being interrupted by thousands of lakes and stormy rivers. The western part of the country is crossed by snow-capped mountain ranges, which are home to famous winter enclosures.
However, Canada is not just about nature. The cities, located in the southern sector of the country, show a great variety of cultures. While Quebec is proud of her French origins, Toronto exhibits a rich mosaic generated by the thousands of immigrants it receives. VancouverMeanwhile, it is located in a privileged location between the Pacific and the ski centers. Although culturally similar to its neighboring United States, Canada is more relaxed and open, making it an unforgettable tourist destination.
Regions
Given its size, visiting all of Canada in one trip is nothing short of impossible. It is advisable to consider the following regions.
| Atlantic Provinces (New brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, New Scotland, Prince edward island) Modern way of life, good food |
| Quebec Francophone province, cultural festival |
| Ontario Canada's most populous and multicultural province |
| Prairies (Alberta, Manitoba, Saskatchewan) Large open spaces |
| British columbia Industrious, wooded, cosmopolitan, multicultural |
| The North (Northwest Territories, Nunavut, Yukon) Subarctic wild nature |
Politically, Canada is divided into 10 provinces (British columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, New brunswick, New Scotland, Prince edward island Y Newfoundland and Labrador) and 3 territories (Yukon, Northwest Territories Y Nunavut).
Cities
These are some of the best known cities in Canada.
Other destinations
Jasper national parkIt is located in the province of Alberta. It is the northernmost park in the Rocky Mountains. The park is made up of glaciers, lakes, waterfalls and mountains. The wild fauna that can be found in the place includes elk, reindeer, bears and caribou.
Royal Ontario MuseumAlso known as ROM, it is located in Toronto, Ontario. It is the largest and most famous museum of world culture and natural history in Canada. And in North America it is the fifth largest museum.
Bow LakeIt is a small lake in the west of the province of Alberta. It is found in the Banff National Park, the total area it occupies is 3.2km². It is bordered to the north by Bow Summitt, to the west and south by the Waputik Mountain Range and to the east by the Dolomite Pass, Dolomite Peak and Cirque Peak.
Dundas Square (Dundas Square) Located in Toronto, between the intersection of Yonge and Dundas streets.
In shop
Canada is a country with great distances, a very low population density and an abundance of natural spaces. It looks like United States in its economy and technological capacity, sharing with this country the largest border in the world without military defense, but it is socio-politically different. Canada became a self-governing domain in 1867 by decision of the British Parliament, and is a member of the Commonwealth. Although it is a medium-sized country in terms of population, Canada has earned a certain respect on the international scene given its diplomatic involvement. Internally, this country is successful in negotiating compromises among components of a culturally and linguistically diverse population. Between the different regions of Canada you can find as many differences as similarities. Language, culture, cuisine, and even history vary widely across the country.
One of the great traumas that still persists in the country is that of the government residential schools, through which they extracted aboriginal children from their families and environments to place them in these schools, where they tried to re-educate them in Western values. The rate of suicide and escape attempts among children in this system was very high, prompting the government to rethink it and eventually eliminate it. After apologizing, today the Canadian government recognizes the horror of this educational system and national history museums contain information related to it to maintain memory.
To get
To enter the country you need to obtain a tourist visa called eTA. It costs only 7 Canadian dollars and can be obtained online, without usually having a problem doing it; but it is mandatory, so a traveler without it could be rejected.
By plane
There are planes operated by various companies, especially from the British Isles. Some companies offer flights from Spain making a stopover in them. Unfortunately the prices are quite high, including from the neighbor United States.
Boat
By car
By bus
By train
Travel
By plane
Boat
By car
You can rent a car without problems. In most cases, they will not even ask for the international card.
By bus
Group bus: Coach Begin [1]
By train
Talk
The two official languages of Canada, English and French, are respectively the mother tongues of 57.8% and 23.2% of the population. On July 7, 1969, under the Law on official languages, French obtained a status identical to that of English in all federal governmental instances. This set in motion a process that led Canada to officially redefine itself as a bilingual nation.
English and French have identical status in federal courts, in Parliament, and in all federal state societies as well as other governmental institutions in Canada. The public has the right to receive, wherever there is a significant demand, services from the federal government in one or another language. The use of bilingual road signs varies from province to province. Thus, multiculturalism is an official Canadian immigration policy, to become a Canadian citizen you need to speak fluent English or French - 98.5% of Canadians speak at least one of the two languages (English only: 67.5% %, French only: 13.3%, both: 17.7%). Note however that as Quebec and some regions of other provinces have French as their main (or official) language, it can be very difficult to obtain services in French over the entire territory, although the country declares itself bilingual.
Although French is mainly spoken in the province of Quebec, other provinces - the New brunswick, eastern and northern Ontario as well as the south of Manitoba - they have a substantial part of French-speaking people. Of all those who speak French as their first language, 85% live in the province of QuebecFrench is the official language of the province of Quebec, as well as that of New brunswick, of Yukon and of Nunavut (together with English for the last three). French is used as a language for education, for judicial proceedings, and in other government services in all provinces and territories that mostly speak English or Inuktitut. Several indigenous languages have an official status in the Northwest Territories; Inuktitut is the language of the majority of the population of Nunavut and one of eleven official languages of this territory.
Non-official languages are also important in Canada, with about 5.2 million people speaking at least one as their first language. Unofficial languages in order of mother tongue include Mandarin (853,745 native speakers), Italian (469,485 native speakers), German (438,080 native speakers), and Punjabi (271,220 native speakers).
To buy
To eat
The most traditional product in Canada in terms of gastronomy is maple syrup, a kind of sweet syrup that looks like honey, and produced from maple, the national tree of Canada (whose flag is its leaf).
Drink and go out
You can find several drinking areas in Canada, mainly at dusk and at night.
Sleep
- Pemberton Gateway Village Suites, 7330 Crabapple Court, Pemberton, British Columbia V0N 2L0, Canada. ☎604) 790-6676.
Learn
All foreigners require a study permit to study in Canada; Enrolling in an academic program on a tourist visa is illegal.
Canada, as a bilingual country, has both English and French universities which, while not as famous as those of its southern neighbor, are generally well known and attract students from all over the world. Some of these universities also run intensive language courses for foreigners who want to improve their English or French.
Work
Canada is generally a good place to work. The minimum wage varies by province, from $ 9.25 / hour in the Yukon Territory and $ 9.40 / hour in Alberta to $ 11 / hour in Ontario and Nunavut. As with most of the developed world, the economy is moving from one dominated by manufacturing to one dominated by services. Therefore, factory and manufacturing work is becoming scarcer each year and highly sought after, with most factories requiring a high school education or trade certificate. Minimum wage jobs are becoming more common each year, however with the booming housing market there are still quite a few good construction jobs to be had. Hiring practices are similar to those in the United States.
Foreigners, including citizens of the United States, who wish to work in Canada must obtain a work permit to do so, unless they are already permanent residents of Canada. International students can work part-time for up to 20 hours per week on campus, and those enrolled in Canadian bachelor's programs can work part-time off-campus as long as it is stipulated on their visa. It is illegal for foreigners to work in Canada on a tourist visa, and doing so will result in you being deported and barred from reentering.
Canada's visa rules include a category for people who can be self-employed in Canada. Artists, musicians, and athletes or coaches who are "capable of making a significant contribution to the cultural or athletic life of Canada" are eligible, but the bar is set quite high for them; for example, a coach with considerable Olympic or professional sports experience will likely qualify, but other experience may not count. Experienced farmers who want to buy and run a farm in Canada are also considered in this category and the bar is lower; If you have a decent business plan and enough money to get you started then you will most likely be admitted.
Once a work authorization has been granted, you will need to obtain a social security number (SIN) so that your employer can report your wages to the government for tax purposes. Income tax in Canada applies at both the federal and provincial levels, although with the exception of Québec, the federal government collects income tax on behalf of the provinces, which means you do not have to file separate tax returns. . Those based in Quebec will need to file their federal and provincial tax returns separately.
Security
Safety in Canada is rarely an issue, and some basic common sense will go a long way. Even in the largest cities, violent crime is not a serious problem, and very few people are armed. Violent crime need not worry the average traveler, as it is generally limited to particular neighborhoods and is rarely a random crime. Overall, crime rates in Canadian cities remain low compared to most similarly sized urban areas in the United States and much of the rest of the world (although violent crime rates are higher than most Western European cities). Crime is higher overall in the western provinces than in eastern Canada, but it is even higher in the Yukon, the Northwest Territories, and Nunavut. There have been several high profile shots in public / tourist areas; The fact that these incidents are so heavily covered by the media is related to the fact that they are considered very rare events.
Health
You are unlikely to face health problems here that you would not face in any other western industrialized country (despite claims of long waiting lists and inferior care, which often varies by hospital and is often exaggerated). The health care system tends to be very effective and widely accessible.
In the past two summers, Canadians in some provinces (Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta) have faced some cases of West Nile virus, an occasionally deadly infection transmitted by mosquitoes. Also various diseases such as whooping cough are common in rural areas and downtown Canada. Although Canada has universal health care for residents, health care is not free for visitors; therefore, it is important to ensure that they are covered by your insurance while traveling in Canada.
Please note that most Canadian provinces have banned indoor smoking in public places and near entrances. Some prohibitions include areas such as bus shelters and outdoor patios.
Respect
Canada is a multicultural country, especially in the main cities. A survey found that about 50% of Toronto's population (the largest city) was born outside of Canada, and another roughly 20% had at least one parent born outside of the country. Immigrants have come from all over the world, and many cities have entire districts dominated by specific immigrant groups, such as Chinatown, Little Italy, etc. Various writers have asserted that, in contrast to the American "melting pot", Canada points to a "cultural mosaic."
It is also, in general, a tolerant society. Some decades ago, the Minister of Justice, Pierre Trudeau (who was the prime minister and father of the current prime minister), eliminated the laws against homosexual acts and stressed that "the state does not have business in the rooms of the country." There are laws against various types of discrimination and hate crimes, gay marriage is now legal, and half the cabinet is female. Most Canadians will treat overt displays of racism, sexism, or homophobia with rather blatant contempt.
That said, not all Canadians are as tolerant as they might pretend to be. There is a long history of racism, especially against native peoples and various immigrant groups (Chinese and Irish in the 19th century, later mainly blacks and South Asians, today mainly Muslims).
Equally important is avoiding assuming positions or cultures based on identifiable signs. For example, some native English speakers may not have a British or Scottish background, or the Chinese girl you might meet cannot speak a word of Chinese and may never have been anywhere near China. The first point is especially true in the prairie provinces and the latter for individuals from areas with ethnic conflict - do not assume that anyone you come across is personally connected or shares the views of your nation of birth.
Although Canada may have close cultural ties to the United States, the relationship between the two countries can be contentious. Referring to Canadians as Americans is no better than referring to Irish as English or New Zealanders as Australians and can be taken as insulting. Do not treat Canada as part of the United States or disparage Canada's status as a distinct nation. Equal to that are references to British or Scottish or (in Quebec) French relationships as those that are in decline or full of potential faux pas.
Be politically aware - there is a great deal of regionalism in Canada, and the learning curve is steep when trying to explore these differences. In particular, Quebec's somewhat strained relationship with the rest of Canada - the result of a still-active secession movement - can be a touchy subject. Also note that not all French-speaking Canadians are secessionists, and most French-speaking communities outside of Quebec, such as the Acadians in New Brunswick, pride themselves on being French-speakers and Canadians.
When entering a private home in Canada you are usually expected to remove their shoes unless the host specifically says no.
Canada is widely regarded as a very polite society, where apology, excuse, and appreciation is very common, even in large urban areas. Canadians follow a relatively standard "Western" system of niceties and manners, very similar to those of the United States.
Keep in touch
Telephone
In Canada the largest mobile phone operators are Roger Wireless [2], Bell Mobility [3] and Telus Mobility [4]. The only operator that uses GSM is Roger Wireless. Canada belongs to Zone 2 roaming, and receiving calls usually costs about € 1.40 / minute.
If you are staying for several days, the most practical thing is to take a free mobile phone and buy a pre-paid GSM SIM card from Roger Wireless (or from a virtual operator that also uses GSM such as 7-Eleven Speak Out [5] or Primus Canada [6]). So that they can call you from Spain and not pay high roaming rates, a good option is to use a Spanish virtual number directed to the Canadian mobile. [7]
In Wikipedia you can see more information about mobile companies in Canada (in English) [8]
Surroundings
- United States - south. The state of Alaska - West.
- Greenland - East.
external links
Wikipedia has an article on Canada.w: Canada
Wikimedia Commons houses multimedia content about Canada. Commons
