Portal:Canada

Thursday, September 24, 2026

Introduction

Flag of Canada

Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the second-largest country by total area, with the longest coastline of any country. Its border with the United States is the longest international land border. The country is characterized by a wide range of both meteorologic and geological regions. With a population of over 41 million, it has widely varying population densities, with the majority residing in its urban areas and large areas being sparsely populated. Its capital is Ottawa and its three largest metropolitan areas are Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver.

A developed country, Canada's advanced economy has a high nominal per capita GDP globally and ranks among the largest in the world by nominal GDP, relying chiefly upon its abundant natural resources and well-developed international trade networks. Canada is recognized as a middle power; its support for multilateralism and internationalism has been closely related to its foreign policies of peacekeeping and aid for developing countries. Canada promotes its domestically shared values through participation in multiple international organizations and forums. (Full article...)

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The history of Northwest Territories capital cities begins with the purchase of the Territories by Canada from the Hudson's Bay Company in 1869, and includes a varied and often difficult evolution. Northwest Territories is unique amongst the other provinces and territories of Canada in that it has had seven capital cities in its history. The territory has changed the seat of government for numerous reasons, including civil conflict, development of infrastructure, and a history of significant revisions to its territorial boundaries. (Full article...)

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Current events

September 19, 2026 – 2026 Indonesia wildfires, Indonesia–Malaysia relations: Indonesia accepts Malaysian assistance to combat wildfires in Kalimantan, including a Bombardier CL-415MP aircraft, three helicopters, and 52 personnel, as the fires cause transboundary haze affecting Southeast Asia. (AFP via France 24)
September 16, 2026 – Canada–European Union relations: European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen invites Canada to become the first associate member of the European Union amidst the ongoing trade war between Canada and the United States. (CNBC)
September 8, 2026 – Canada–United States relations: 2025–2026 United States trade war with Canada and Mexico; Canada's retaliatory tariffs of 15% to 50% on CA$27.6 billion (US$19.9 billion) of U.S. goods, including steel, dairy products, appliances, agricultural equipment, paper products, and electronics, take effect in response to U.S. tariffs on Canadian imports. (AFP via France 24); In response, the United States announces a ban on the imports of Canadian alcoholic drinks, motorcycles, and dairy products beginning September 29. (Reuters)
September 2, 2026 –: The Dutch central bank reallocates 86 tonnes of gold reserves from Ottawa, Canada, and New York City, United States, to London, United Kingdom, increasing the share held there to 32.1%, citing "increasing geopolitical unrest". (AFP via France 24) (Seoul Economic Daily)

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Panoramic view of Mono Cliffs Provincial Park

Credit: Giligone

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The national flag of Canada, popularly referred to as the Maple Leaf, consists of a red field with a white square at its centre in the horizontal ratio of 1∶2∶1, in which is featured one stylized, red, 11-pointed maple leaf charged in the centre. It is the first flag to have been adopted by both houses of Parliament and officially proclaimed by the Canadian monarch as the country's official national flag. The flag has become the predominant and most recognizable national symbol of Canada. (Full article...)

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The culture of Canada embodies the artistic, culinary, literary, humour, musical, political and social elements that are representative of Canadians. Throughout Canada's history, its culture has been influenced firstly by its indigenous cultures, and later by European culture and traditions, mostly by the British and French. Over time, elements of the cultures of Canada's immigrant populations have become incorporated to form a Canadian cultural mosaic. Certain segments of Canada's population have, to varying extents, also been influenced by American culture due to shared language (in English-speaking Canada), significant media penetration, and geographic proximity. (Full article...)

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The Percé Rock, Percé, Quebec at low tide.
Credit: Claude Boucher

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Formal portrait, 1959

Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during her lifetime and was the monarch of 15 realms at her death. Her reign of 70 years and 214 days is the longest of any British monarch, the second-longest of any sovereign state, and the longest of any queen regnant in history. (Full article...)

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... that Canadian influencer and chef Logan Moffitt's viral videos have been cited as responsible for a cucumber shortage in Iceland?
... that Boards of Canada's Inferno samples an Islamic scholar, a Hindu mantra, The Jesus Trip, and an occultist magician?
... that Canadian microbiologist Patricia Taylor helped American diplomats hide in her house in Tehran during the Iran hostage crisis?
... that Canadian punk rock musician Talli Osborne had only briefly spoken to the frontman of NOFX before the band wrote a song about her?
... that one of the original carvers of a totem pole described efforts to restore it as akin to "sending a carpenter to repaint the Mona Lisa"?
... that in one year, a team of Canadian All-Stars twice played against the U.S. college football national champion and came within one point of winning each game?
... that there's a Little Canada on Minnesota State Highway 36?

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The 400-series highways are a network of controlled-access highways in the Canadian province of Ontario, forming a special subset of the provincial highway system. They are analogous to the Interstate Highway System in the United States or the Autoroute system of neighbouring Quebec, and are regulated by the Ministry of Transportation of Ontario (MTO). The 400-series designations were introduced in 1952, although Ontario had been constructing divided highways for two decades prior. Initially, only Highways 400, 401 and 402 were numbered; other designations followed in the subsequent decades. To this day, not all controlled-access highways in Ontario are a part of the 400-series highway network. The network is situated almost entirely in Southern Ontario, although Highway 400 extends into the more remote northern portion of the province. (Full article...)