Canada: A Guide to the Provinces

Many people have a tough time distinguishing Americans Between Canadians, here is one thing you need to know, overall Canadians are much nicer than Americans, and that’s it. Canada and America have had a very long history together. Mostly involving empires such as the British and French invasions of North America. Because of the French taking over the province of Quebec from 1534-1763 and the British later taking control of the whole country of Canada from 1763 to somewhere in the 20th century (Its very widely disputed even today to when Great Britain officially lost control over Canada, it kind of still does). Since of the French occupation of Canada the province of Quebec speaks French, and the rest of Canada speaks primarily English (Although they are both official languages of Canada, even all their signs and official speeches and tweets made by the prime minister are “required” to be in both English and French). Although there are a few accents in the different regions, most of the younger Canadians speak in the “General North American” accent, though people in the maritime provinces tend to have a more Irish accent, Canadians with the stereotypical Canadian accent pronounce their "ou" sound differently than Americans. They also tend to use the exclamation "eh" and to use words that Americans don't. They say the last letter in the alphabet as "zed" and Americans say it as "zee,"

Going from west to east there are the provinces of, British Columbia which has one of the largest cities in Canada, its also known for its mountains, and Strait of Georgia, which divides Vancouver Island from the mainland, Vancouver.

Then there is Alberta, Alberta is mostly known for oil and all things cowboy, think of that one neighbor who throws parties all the time, yeah that’s Alberta. Besides that, Alberta is a flat and dull place (Don’t come after me all of you Albertins, Albertains? Albertans? I don’t know what you are called but don’t hunt me down)

Next up is Saskatchewan which is quite a mouthful, but they are known for their ginormous grain farms and their freezing winters that begin in October and end somewhere in February.

The province of Manitoba is the last region until the great lakes. So, Manitoba owns a sliver of the Hudson Bay, by a sliver I mean less than 65 miles wide of the Hudson Bay at most so don’t expect much out of it. This region is mostly known for its polar bears, and Churchill one of its most northern towns along the bay and is called “The Polar Bear Capital,” okay you got me I guess Manitoba is kind of cool, (Pun intended, and I'm sorry for that)

The most chill of all the ten provinces and three territories is Ontario. Ontario is home to Toronto and Montreal, one of the biggest cities in Canada, and the latter being the capital of the whole country. Ontario is situated in the great lakes area. This causes Ontario to own about half of all the great lakes, sharing the other half with the United States. Ontario, is also home to Niagara Falls (A giant waterfall along the U.S-Canada Border, though I hear the Canadian side is better)

The only province with French as its primary language is Québec. Québec has a long history of being under French rule during the colonization of America then being sold to England which then became a part of the Canadian territory and later became a “Dominion” of England along with the rest of Canada. This means that their head of state is the current monarch of Britain. The ruling of the French has influenced Québec in its language, architecture, and even flag. There have been many votes for Québec to become an independent country but has never gained enough traction. The largest city in Québec and subsequently one of the largest in Canada is called Québec-City, the city contains main historical buildings and castles and is even surrounded by a giant stone wall. Wow that was a lot to write about Quebec, But they are one of the oldest and controversial provinces of Canada, So, Let’s move on, eh?

Now to the Maritime provinces.

Prince Edward Island is the smallest province of Canada, it has an area of 2,185 mi² (5659.124 square km’s) They are famous for their potatoes, and their own variation of Canadian Poutine (Fries with gravy and melted butter, if you ever go to Canada it’s a must.)

Nova Scotia, Nova Scotia is the equivalent of Maine. In this maritime province they are popular for their Lobster, Textiles, and Scallops.

New Brunswick, in this province they are famous for a newly collapsed cliff, named the “Flowerpot Rock”. Here the main dishes include, Fiddleheads, Chicken Fricot, and Poutine Râpée (A French-Canadian fusion dish.)

Newfoundland and Labrador, in this interesting province, it is very far north and is sparsely populated. Although, the few people who do live here have unique Irish/Scottish styled accents, as most immigrants were not British or French unlike in the rest of the country. But Irish and Scottish. Iconic foods here include Moose, and many variations of fish.

Now, the territory’s in the Canadas north are all very similar, they all have a majority population of indigenous tribes. In this snowy place of Canada, the main hunted animal and staple food is the whale. Yep, many people are shocked by this, but if you go here, try it.

So, Canada, a vast country with many different faces, and cultures. Is a truly wonderful country and you should definitely travel here if you ever have the chance.