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An update from Evaneos
Canada

Geography and cllimate in Canada: a country of contrasts

Canada has a well-justified reputation as a picture postcard destination: extreme cold and snow as far as the eye can see in Winter, thousands of lakes, immense forests, whales and bears, squirrels and beavers... That's Canada! Here, nature is stronger than mankind, who has to adapt himself to the climate to appreciate its beauties.

Five big geographic zones

Canada is the second biggest country in the world after Russia. It covers about 5,000 km between the Atlantic Ocean and Pacific Ocean. Its only frontier is with the United States and it extends as far north as the Arctic Circle, where trucks and cars can only travel in the Winter when the water of the lakes is frozen.

Canada has ten provinces, three territories, and dozens of different landscapes! On the Pacific side there is British Columbia and the Rocky Mountains. These majestic mountains mark the separation of the three provinces of the Great Plains: Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba. Farther east is Ontario with Ottawa, the federal capital Toronto, the economic capital of the country, and the French speaking province of Quebec. Finally, there are the Atlantic provinces: Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick. In the north of Canada there are the three territories: Nunavut, the North West Territories and Yukon.

Indian Summer in Mont Tremblant Park, Quebec

Distinct seasons

Canada covers six different time zones and reaches the Arctic, so its climate varies a lot in different regions. But, wheneveryou travel, every season in Canada is worth seeing.

The Canadian poet, Gilles Vigneault, said of Quebec, "Winter is my country". He could have said the same for all of Canada... or nearly. Most of the country is covered in a white robe for several months, with temperatures which can descend as low as -30 in some regions (or even more!) In the west of Canada the winters are mild, and it rains more than it snows. On the Atlantic coast Spring can tiptoe out in February, but you have to wait for April in the rest of Canada. Summer is the opposite of winter, hot and humid! All over the country, it's the ideal time for renting a chalet and walking. Autumn is legendary. The flamboyant colours of an Indian summer are a sight that really shouldn't be missed.

The flora and fauna are very diverse.

Because of its different climatic zonesCanada is lucky enough to have very varied flora and fauna. In the Arctic and sub-Arctic zones the sun is always frozen. There you only find plants that can survive the cold: moss, lichen, saxifrages and cinquefoils. A little further south, especially in maritime areas, there are magnificent boreal forests covered in black and white spruce, fir trees, larches, pines...From Manitoba to Nova Scotia you will find the Laurentian Forests with their famous maples, the country's emblem, from which you can harvest delicious maple syrup...The prairie provinces, which are drier and more arid, often look like the steppes.

Among the unusual animals that you can see in Canada are the black bear, the grizzly bear, lynx, wolves, coyotes, foxes and skunk. These animals can be found in nature far from the towns but are shy, and difficult to see. The Polar Bear only lives in the Arctic, and the puma in British Columbia. In the south of Canada you can also see caribou and moose, animals which are the country's emblems. And of course, it is easy to see beavers and squirrels, which make very good photographs.

Aurélie Chartier
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