2,000,000+
Lakes
More than the rest of the world combined.
Vol. 24 · A quiet guide to a vast country
Almanac · 2026Twelve things,
Twelve things,
surprisingly Canadian.
A handful of numbers, dates, and small obsessions that explain more about this country than most history textbooks.
Curated quarterly · No streaks, no quizzes
9,984,670
Square kilometres
Second-largest country on earth. Mostly trees.
6
Time zones
Newfoundland insists on its own half-hour. Respect.
−63 °C
Coldest recorded
Snag, Yukon. 1947. Bring a sweater.
243,042 km
Coastline
The longest on the planet, by a country mile.
30%
Of all forest on Earth
Canada quietly holds nearly a third.
1965
The flag was born
The maple leaf is younger than most grandparents.
2
Official languages
English, French, and a chorus of Indigenous languages older than either.
0
Words for snow that aren't very specific
Powder, crust, corn, sastrugi, qanik. We have receipts.
1×
Per person, per year
Average Canadian eats one full litre of maple syrup. Allegedly.
≈ ∞
Times we say sorry
It's not weakness. It's traffic management.
1
Beaver on the nickel
Castor canadensis: the country's smallest, busiest mascot.
“A country is mostly the small facts you carry around about it.”
Field notebook, Mile 1,888
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