Canada - Geography, History and Attractions

in the world there are unique places rich in unspoiled nature and congenial to travelers [Music] welcome to canada one of the world's largest and most livable countries [Music] [Music] it is a culturally diverse nation with people of british and french origins being predominant canada has a population of about 34 million people over one-third of which live in the country's three largest cities montreal toronto and vancouver canada's sophisticated cordial cities are national treasures with major attractions [Music] every one of canada's 10 provinces in three territories has something special to offer visitors from wildlife tours and fishing in the north to kayaking nature tours in the maritimes from skiing and snowboarding in british columbia to enjoying the resorts and culture of quebec from canoeing and sightseeing in ontario to exploring unique areas and museums on the prairie the variety of scenic beauty is absolutely breathtaking the horseshoe falls in niagara falls ontario is one of the world's most impressive and voluminous waterfalls the canadian rockies is a vast protected wilderness area with numerous recreational and scenic attractions [Music] canada is a country with many blessings [Music] by total area including its territorial waters canada is the second largest country in the world [Music] it has the world's longest coastline 243 000 kilometers with oceans on three sides the pacific in the west atlantic in the east and arctic in the north the canadian shield is a huge joint bedrock region in eastern and central canada that covers over half the country [Music] this pervasive area of pre-cambrian metamorphic rock was scoured clean by continental glaciers during the last ice age leaving most of northern canada thinly soiled rich in minerals and dotted with lakes and rivers [Music] canada has far more lakes than any other country with about 25 percent of the world's fresh water including the five great lakes which form the largest surface fresh water system on earth [Music] west canada flattens into an enormous prairie region over a thousand miles wide then rises into a series of mountain ranges beginning with the alberta rockies and ending with the mammoth coast mountains of british columbia and the yukon territory [Music] the name canada has been in use since the earliest european settlements and comes from the huron and iroquois first nations word kanata meaning village [Music] canada became a country in 1867 with the passing of the british north america act by great britain who had won the whole eastern half of what is now north america by defeating france in the seven years war in 1763 [Music] this act with its subsequent amendments embodied the written constitution of canada for more than a century the first prime minister of canada was sir john a macdonald who brought british columbia into the confederation in 1871 and began construction of the transcontinental railway [Music] newfoundland was the last province to join canada in 1949 canada is now one of the world's wealthiest nations with a high per capita income oil and gas reserves second only to saudi arabia and a special economic status as a member of the g8 group of eight nations [Music] newfoundland in labrador is canada's easternmost province comprising the island of newfoundland at the mouth of the gulf of st lawrence and much larger labrador on the north american mainland to the northwest [Music] about one-third of the total population of 508 000 people live on the avalon peninsula on the island's eastern shores [Music] the capital city st john's has a metro area population of 185 000 and is a small but busy modern metropolis newfoundland's northeast coast is famous for whale and iceberg watching with almost 50 tour boats taking visitors to see these natural wonders [Music] seabirds are also popular attractions with millions nesting here each summer to raise their young cape saint mary's ecological reserve on the southern avalon has a cliff top lookout next to several thousand northern gannets nesting only 15 meters away nova scotia occupies a large mainland peninsula and includes cape breton island and about 3 800 small coastal islands the cabot trail on cape breton island is one of canada's most scenic coastal drives [Music] over one third of the 947 000 people living in nova scotia live close to the capital and largest city halifax [Music] the city surrounds a large protected harbor with a naval base and is a leading north american container port [Music] the city is on the site of canada's first permanent british settlement established in 1749 situated on a hill overlooking the harbor is the halifax citadel national historic site which was the fourth and last british naval station completed in 1856 [Music] halifax is the world's longest harbor front boardwalk linking the cruise ship terminal to the historic downtown with superb shopping fine restaurants and sidewalk cafes along the way [Music] just west of halifax is peggy's cove a well-known fishing village with a picturesque lighthouse [Music] [Applause] [Music] a little bit further west also along the south shore of nova scotia is the popular historic town of lunenburg [Music] it is home port to the blue nose 2 a 44 meter schooner which visits halifax the east coast quebec ontario and other ports throughout the province it is the sister ship to the original blue nose which won the international fisherman's trophy race 18 years in a row [Music] the 13 kilometer long confederation bridge links prince edward island to the mainland across the northumberland strait pei is canada's smallest and least populated province 140 000 inhabitants on an island 224 kilometers long tourism is the province's second largest industry and the capital city charlottetown is a very visitor-friendly place [Music] a main attraction of the island is its more than 90 secluded beaches that encircle the island tourists come from around the world to visit green gables house a museum about l.m montgomery author of the anne of green gables books [Music] new brunswick has a population of about 760 000 people and its main industry is forestry [Music] the largest city in the province is saint john located on the fundy coastal drive [Music] the bay of fundy between new brunswick and nova scotia experiences the world's highest tides averaging 14 to 15 meters [Music] in st john the bay tides rise four and a half meters creating a phenomenon called the reversing falls [Music] at low tide thunderous rapids become a site for jet boat rides this phenomenon is caused by the southward flow of the saint john river meeting the incoming tides of the bay of fundy [Music] at hopewell cape the hopewell rocks park is a popular location to explore the flower pot rock formations created by the tides this can be done starting three hours before low tide to three hours after low tide [Music] [Music] when the tide rises it's time to take to the water for some of the best sea kayaking canada has to offer [Music] new brunswick has some stunning beaches on its east coast especially near the city of moncton at the coastal town of sheddiac [Music] one of moncton's attractions is magnetic hill a very curious optical illusion where cars are pulled uphill [Music] quebec is canada's largest province and is predominantly french-speaking with a total population of 7.6 million inhabitants the capital is quebec city located on the saint lawrence river it is one of the oldest and most beautiful cities in the country [Music] the magnificent fairmont chateau frontenac first opened in 1893. it is one of canada's finest [Music] hotels the plains of abraham is a large grassy field high above the st lawrence where the decisive battle that led to british control of quebec took place in 1759 [Music] the citadel is a huge old fort that can be toured the main attraction of the city is old quebec an historic walking area full of fine restaurants cafes and shops [Music] the quebecois people are some of the most gracious and culturally advanced in the country [Music] there are several outstanding attractions located within a short drive of quebec city montmorency falls is the highest in quebec at 83 meters over one and a half times as high as niagara falls [Music] saint ann de beaupre basilica is a famous catholic landmark whose earliest buildings were constructed in the 17th century [Music] quebec's largest city is montreal over half the population of the province lives here [Music] the city is located along the st lawrence river where it widens into fast flowing rapids [Music] the city is named after the low-lying mountain that it has grown up around [Music] on the summit of mount royal is a large park with a panoramic view of the city [Music] like quebec city old montreal is very european in character with cobblestone streets a cafe culture and historic 17th and 18th century architecture [Music] so [Music] old montreal's notre dame basilica is a neo-gothic building dating from 1829 [Music] visitors can go strolling or biking along the waterfront at the old port where a variety of boat cruises are also offered [Music] montreal's olympic stadium was built as the main venue for the 1976 summer olympics [Music] next to the stadium is the montreal biodome a large nature museum representing four ecosystems from the americas [Music] the province of ontario is canada's most populated province with about 12.6 million people most people live in the south in the fertile great lakes st lawrence lowlands it is a beautiful province covered with forests in over 250 000 lakes the central muskoka cottage region and algonquin provincial park are especially popular wilderness recreational areas [Music] another popular destination especially for scenic boat cruises is the beautiful thousand islands recreational area located around gananockway where the saint lawrence river begins [Music] canada's capital city ottawa is located on the ottawa river which forms part of ontario's eastern boundary with quebec the city of ottawa has a population of about eight hundred and eighty thousand the national capital region which includes ottawa and gatineau quebec has many museums most notably the canadian museum of civilization and the canadian war museum [Music] ottawa is also home to the national gallery of canada which features the work of both canadian and international artists the grand fairmont chateau laurier is one of the city's premier hotels [Music] on parliament hill three gothic revival style buildings stand on a 170 foot bluff overlooking the ottawa river they house the offices of the members of parliament the house of commons and the senate guided tours of the center block delve into canadian history and explain the workings of the political system the ceremonial guard of the canadian forces brings stirring military drills and music to parliament hill once every day during the summer with a changing of the guard ceremony [Music] adjacent to parliament hill is spark street mall a heritage shopping and dining street the byward market is a traditional farmers market surrounding a two-story building of boutiques bistros and restaurants [Music] canada's largest city and ontario's capital is toronto [Music] toronto is the fifth largest city in north america stretching 43 kilometers along the north shore of lake ontario covering 641 square kilometers [Music] there are 2.8 million people living in the city 5 million in the greater toronto area and 11 million living within a two-hour drive architecturally toronto's downtown offers incredible contrasts from gleaming skyscrapers to brick historical buildings the fairmont royal york hotel opened in 1929. the cn tower is canada's national tower and at 553 meters tall it is the world's tallest freestanding tower [Music] the tower is a national landmark that is visited by about 2 million people from all over the world each year toronto is home to canada's largest museum the royal ontario museum [Music] [Music] the toronto zoo is canada's largest zoo and one of the city's most popular attractions casa loma is a medieval style castle open to the public that was constructed at great expense in 1911 by canadian financier industrialist and military man sir henry palette [Music] [Music] ontario place is a huge family fun park located on the lakeshore [Music] one of the best ways to get around and get to know the city is by taking a jump on and jump off open top double decker sightseeing bus [Music] toronto hippo tours takes visitors to toronto's major landmarks in a bus that floats the water portion of the tour takes passengers through ontario place [Music] historic black creek pioneer village is a journey back in time to a typical crossroads community found in the toronto area during the 1800s [Music] just a short drive north of toronto near kleinberg is the world famous mcmichael canadian art collection the galleries consist of almost six thousand one hundred percent canadian artworks by the famous group of seven their contemporaries tom thompson first nations and inuit artists do [Music] less than two hours drive west of toronto is canada's top tourist attraction niagara falls [Music] the falls is located on the beautiful niagara river which flows 58 kilometers north from lake erie to lake ontario through the great gorge [Music] at the city of niagara falls the flow of the river is split by goat island into two separate spillways creating two large beautiful waterfalls one on the american side of the river and the other on the canadian side called the horseshoe falls it is the larger and higher horseshoe falls that receives most of the attention [Music] the horseshoe falls is an average 57 meters high accounting for half the elevation drop from lake erie to lake ontario the crestline of the canadian horseshoe falls is 670 meters wide [Music] the height of the american falls ranges from 21 to 34 meters before reaching a tallest slope of huge fallen rocks that were deposited by a massive rock slide in 1954 [Music] it's a romantic spot which attracts about 50 000 honeymooners each year [Music] the beauty and power of the falls can be experienced from many surrounding public lookout points especially the table rock at the very edge of the falls there are more spectacular views from the skylon tower the journey behind the falls and niagara helicopter tours [Music] the maid of the mist is the area's longest standing tradition and most popular way to get up close to the falls [Music] the niagara river gorge is as exciting as the falls [Music] [Music] the whirlpool aero car takes visitors over the largest whirlpool in the world [Music] niagara falls is far more than a natural phenomenon the city has many fun exciting attractions like clifton hill bird kingdom butterfly conservatory and of course marineland one of the area's largest and longest running favorites [Music] east along the niagara parkway from niagara falls is niagara on the lake one of ontario's most hospitable and attractive towns no visit to niagara on the lake is complete without a tour of the venerable fort george national historic site of canada it was a key fortress in the war of 1812 when the fledgling united states army fought british loyalists for the new lands that would become canada manitoba has a population of 1.2 million people 707 000 of which live in its capital city winnipeg the city's main tourist area is the forks a 23 hectare riverside development in the heart of downtown winnipeg it includes shops restaurants a market and a children's museum all surrounded by parks promenades gardens and sculptures it has named the forks because it is the place where the assiniboine river flows into the red river many scenic bow tours are offered up and down the rivers assiniboine park is 445 hectares of parklands gardens and a zoo lower fort gary national historic site of canada is the oldest stone 19th century fur trading post still intact in north america [Music] the province of saskatchewan is heavily forested in the north with many lakes and rivers the south is mostly flat prairie land where over 54 of canada's wheat crop has grown [Music] the province is home to about one million people and the capital city is regina the provincial legislative buildings are located on wascana lake which is one of the city's most scenic recreational areas [Music] the city's attractions include art galleries and the royal saskatchewan museum which has permanent life sciences earth sciences and first nations [Music] galleries the royal canadian mounted police heritage center is a training facility and museum open to the public [Music] rising out of the prairie in the far south of the province is one of saskatchewan's most beautiful and popular vacation wilderness areas the cypress hills this elevated pine and spruce forested park straddles the western provincial boundary with alberta deep in the hills is the fort walsh national historic site it was a trading post and the northwest mounted police's western headquarters established in 1878 following the massacre of nakota natives over a misunderstanding about a missing horse alberta has a population of 3.2 million people more than half of which live in the two largest cities edmonton and calgary the province is referred to as canada's energy province because of its immense oil and gas resources alberta's landscape is mostly prairie in the east and the huge rocky mountain range in the west [Music] head smashed in buffalo jump is a place in the foothills where native people of the north american plains used to kill bison for food and clothing by chasing them over a precipice an interpretive center built unobtrusively into the ancient sandstone cliff details how this practice went on for almost 6 000 years until the arrival of europeans in north america wiped out the herds [Music] the eastern alberta badlands of the drumhiller valley and dinosaur provincial park offers spectacular scenery and activities several hundred complete dinosaur skeletons have been excavated from the badlands the royal tyrell museum in drumhill has gigantic dinosaur skeletons and other fossil displays it is canada's only institution devoted entirely to paleontology [Music] the capital of alberta is edmonton [Music] the royal alberta museum has permanent aboriginal culture natural history and wild alberta galleries one of the province's premier attractions is the west edmonton mall the world's largest mixed entertainment complex and shopping center the city of calgary is the corporate head office capital of canada the landmark calgary tower has a revolving restaurant and an observation deck featuring a glass floor [Music] canada olympic park is a ski hill in the winter and a mountain biking park in the summer it was a premier venue for the 15th olympic winter games held in calgary in 1988 and it still has bobsleigh skeleton and luge facilities it also features north america's fastest zipline [Music] just an hour's drive from calgary is canada's most popular park banff national park [Music] it contains over 6 500 square kilometers of wilderness surrounding the beautiful bow river valley where the town of banff is located the town is a tourist hot spot with a great variety of amenities and excellent accommodation like the world renowned fairmont banff springs hotel [Music] just five minutes from the town is the banff gondola where visitors can ride to the top of sulphur mountain to enjoy a 360 degree view of six mountain ranges [Music] the one kilometer long elevated summit ridge interpretive boardwalk leads visitors along sulphur mountains summit ridge to higher viewpoints and the historic samson's peak meteorological station [Music] just a 15-minute drive from the town of banff is beautiful lake minnewanka where tour boats depart several times daily from mid-may to mid-october for a one and a half hour cruise of the surrounding area along the scenic bow valley parkway is one of the most popular hikes in banff national park johnston canyon [Music] lake louise's turquoise water shimmering beneath the victoria glacier is an iconic scene of the canadian rockies [Music] on the lake's eastern shore is the fairmont chateau lake louise a rockies landmark with a history going back to 1890 [Music] across the valley visitors can enjoy riding the lake louise sightseeing gondola [Music] lake louise is at the southern end of the icefields parkway which follows the great divide this 230 kilometer long modern highway follows the continental divide from lake louise to the town of jasper through some of the most spectacular mountain landscapes on earth [Music] in the south bow lake and payton lake are popular hiking and sightseeing areas [Music] east of the crossing along highway 11 is icefield helicopter tours where visitors can go up for a bird's eye view of this incredible area [Music] about halfway up the parkway on the boundary between banff and jasper national parks is brewster's ice age adventure visitors ride in specially designed brewster ice explorer vehicles to the middle of the athabasca glacier where they have the opportunity to step out onto the ice in the north of the parkway are two waterfalls sunwakda and athabasca falls as well as the spectacular mount edith cavall hiking area [Music] wildlife is abundant and animal encounters are common so visitors must exercise caution and maintain a safe distance [Music] do [Music] the friendly accommodating town of jasper is nestled in the wide athabasca valley only a 10-minute drive from the town is the jasper tramway which transports visitors into the high alpine in just seven minutes the upper station is at 2277 meters above sea level and has a restaurant gift shop and observation decks the best viewing is in early morning or evening [Music] east of jasper townsite is moline canyon where visitors can hike around a narrow canyon that reaches depths of 50 meters [Music] no trip to the canadian rockies is complete without a boat cruise to world famous spirit island on moline lake [Music] [Music] nothing at all to do with the islands and everything to do with the view behind it british columbia is a mostly mountainous province with more than a thousand miles of rugged pacific coastline it is home to more than 4.2 million people [Music] the southeast of the province is the beautiful columbia valley the hot springs mineral pool at radium hot springs is the most popular attraction in the area [Music] the rocky mountains don't end in alberta british columbia's yoho national park has spectacular waterfalls mountain lakes and soaring peaks [Music] british columbia is the world's leading helicopter skiing region the province is also a world leader in cat scheme which is a newer less expensive and equally enjoyable way of accessing untracked deep dry powder snow [Music] chatter creek mountain lodges has 627 square kilometers of spectacular back country cat and helicopter ski terrain near the columbia ice field in the rocky mountains [Music] in the southwest corner of the province surrounded by rugged mountains and pacific coast is british colombia's largest and canada's third largest city vancouver [Music] greater vancouver has a population of approximately 3 million people the city is a unique mixture of urban development flanked by natural park areas stanley park is a 400 hectare natural park located right next to the downtown the 8.8 kilometer seawall is the park's most scenic and popular walking biking jogging and rollerblading route the totem pole display area at brockton point is the most visited tourist attraction in all of british columbia [Music] prospect point is a high lookout offering panoramic views of the north shore mountains the lions cape bridge and ferrari inlet [Music] located in the heart of the park is canada's national aquarium the vancouver aquarium marine science center [Music] vancouver began in 1867 as a wild west settlement called gastown started by a colorful character named gassy jack dayton who ran the local saloon today gastown is a heritage district with fine restaurants nightclubs unique shops and a steam-powered clock the vancouver lookout atop harbor center whisks visitors high above the city streets via glass and closed elevators for a 360 degree view of the downtown and surrounding area granville island has a large public market fine restaurants theaters bars and art shops all in a scenic location along the waterfront [Music] on the other side of burrard inlet in north vancouver are two of the city's most popular attractions the capilano suspension bridge is vancouver's oldest tourist attraction [Music] the bridge spans 137 meters across capilano canyon suspended 70 meters above the capilano river [Music] across the bridge are beautiful nature trails through giant douglas fir and cedar forests [Music] [Applause] the grouse mountain aerial skyride takes visitors on a one mile journey to a high mountain plateau overlooking the city of vancouver the fraser valley and the strait of georgia [Music] the refuge for endangered wildlife at the top of grouse mountain is a five-acre mountain habitat that is home to two orphan grizzly bears [Music] vancouver and whistler to the north are home to the 2010 winter olympics [Music] whistler blackcomb is the largest downhill ski area in north america with 1.6 kilometers of vertical and 3200 hectares of terrain on two mountains [Music] vancouver island is the largest island on the west coast of north america it offers a special mixture of unspoiled wilderness and culture [Music] long beach between the towns of euclid and tofino in pacific rim national park is the island's most popular recreational area [Music] on the south coast of vancouver island is british columbia's capital city victoria it is known as the garden city because of its mild climate beauty and old english child the fairmont empress hotel is a landmark capturing the grandeur and elegance of a bygone era many attractions are found around the inner harbor area where the parliament buildings are located including government street the royal bc museum undersea gardens and the royal london wax museum prince of wales whale watching excursions leave victoria's inner harbor on a regular schedule throughout the spring summer and fall [Music] wildlife cruises search for orcas gray whales minky whales humpbacks dolphins porpoises and sea lion colonies [Music] vancouver island's most popular attraction is the butchart gardens receiving close to a million visitors annually the dramatic sunken garden began in the years following 1904 when jenny butchard wife of portland cement baron robert pin butchart began to beautify a depleted limestone quarry on their property there are now 22 hectares of planted gardens [Music] canada's northern territories are the yukon in the west the northwest territories and the new territory of nunavut created in 1999 in the east wilderness adventures and fishing are major attractions the far north is truly otherworldly with unique landscapes and wildlife [Music] canada is truly one of the world's great countries culturally rich full of natural beauty and inhabited by peaceful warm-hearted people welcoming all the world [Music] you

Channel: Craig's Travel Videos

Views: 4,809,838

Keywords: Canada, Rockies, Niagara Falls, Vancouver, Vancouver Island, Northern Canada, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Quebec, Montreal, Quebec City, Ottawa, Toronto, Manitoba, Winnipeg, Saskatchewan, Regina, Alberta, British Columbia, Calgary, Edmonton, Tourism, Attractions, Holiday

Id: 5Ba1JtVoegU

Length: 63min 22sec (3802 seconds)

Published: Wed Jun 12 2019