Best Countries

Important facts

Capital: Ottawa (See more on SIMPLYYELLOWPAGES.COM)

Official language: English France

Currency: Dollar 1CAD = 0.68EUR

Continent: North North America

There are many options open to you in Canada

There are many options open to anyone planning to vacation in Canada. On the one hand, Canada is very suitable for a city trip due to its numerous famous and well-known cities. On the other hand, Canada has a large number of national parks that invite you to relax and have fun.

According to Countryaah, Canada is the second largest country in the world (in terms of area) after Russia and is located in North America. Canada has only one neighboring country, namely the United States of America. All other borders run along the Atlantic coast.

National parks

The national parks of Canada are ideal for those who want to enjoy nature on their vacation. There are many options for a holiday: you can watch animals, go hiking, canoeing, snowshoeing and much more.

Vancouver

Vancouver, a city on the west coast of Canada, has been known around the world since the 2010 Winter Olympics at the latest. If you go on a trip to Vancouver you can mainly visit modern buildings such as the Colosseum, the Vancouver Public Library or Canada Place. There are also many parks in Vancouver, which take up around eleven percent of the area. The most famous and largest are Stanley Park with the Vancouver Aquarium and Queen Elisabeth Park. Not only is Vancouver a vacation destination, it’s also home to the third largest North American film industry. Many people therefore simply call Vancouver “Hollywood North”.

Montreal in the province of Quebec

Quebec is the largest province in Canada. The city of the same name Quebec is an ideal destination for a city trip. The preserved and intact fortresses of Quebec are particularly worth seeing. This fortress has been declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. Quebec’s city center is made up of two parts: the upper town (Haute-Ville) and the lower town (Basse-Ville). The fortress with the old town is located in the Haute-Ville, which is slightly elevated on a hill. The Basse-Ville is outside the fortress. The largest city in the province of Quebec, however, is the city of Montreal. Montreal is the second largest French-speaking city in the world after Paris. However, the French spoken in Montreal differs from the French in France. Because the language in Montreal is influenced by English and is therefore strongly influenced by Anglicisms. Montreal is ideal for a city trip, because there are many attractions here.

Important facts

Capital: Ottawa

Official language: English France

Currency

Currency (sub-unit)

Dollars (100 cents)

ISO 4217 code

CAD / 124

Geography

Continent: North America

Region: North

Geo coordinates: N 56 ° 7 ‘49.3 ” W -106 ° -20’ -48.4″

Highest mountain: Mount Logan (5,959 m)

Total area: 9,976,140 km²

Mainland: 9,220,970 km²

National border: 8,893 km

Coastline: 202,080 km

Politics

Dependency: Great Britain until 1931

UN member since: 1945

Other political affiliation: Commonwealth

Form of government: Parliamentary monarchy

Houses of Parliament: bikameral

Party system: Multi-file system

State building: federal state

Political culture: Citizen culture with elements of a subject culture

Economy

Export goods: Vehicles, paper, pulp, wood

BSP: $ 1,063,522,000,000

GDP: $ 1,092,640,000,000

GDP purchasing power parity: $ 1.196 billion

Economic growth: 3%

GDP share of agriculture: 2.3%

GDP share of industry: 27.5%

GDP share of services: 70.2%

Inflation rate: 2%

Unemployment: 6.4%

State budget revenue: $ 4294967295

State budget expenditure: $ 4294967295

National debt: 72.1%

Export: $ 407.5 billion

Import: $ 349.8 billion

Foreign debt: $ 462.8 billion

Gold and currency reserves: $ 31.85 billion

Electricity consumption: 568,200 million KWh

Gas reserves: 1,673,000 million m³

Gas production: 154,000 million m³

Gas consumption: 90,000 million m³

Oil reserves: 178,900 million m³

Oil production: 2,640,000 million m³

Oil consumption: 2,360,000 million m³

Cultivation area: 5.28%

Bovine: 14,214,000 pieces

Pigs: 15,112,000 pieces

Sheep: 1,090,000 pieces

Fishing: 1,060,000 t

Demographic data

Residents: 33,099,000

Residents in cities: 25,952,200

Minorities: 5.79 migrants per 1,000 residents; British ancestry 28%, French ancestry 23%, other European background 15%, Amerindian 2%, other: Asian, African, Arab 6%

Average age: 38.9 years

0-14 years: 17.6%

15-64 years: 69%

> 65 years: 13.4%

Population growth: 0.88%

Birth rate: 10.78 / 1,000 residents

Death rate: 7.8 / 1,000 residents

Migration: 5.85 / 1,000 residents

Ratio men / women: 0.98

Fertility: 1.61 children / woman

Infant mortality: 4.69 ‰

Life expectancy men: 76.86 years

Life expectancy women: 83.74 years

Country codes and abbreviations

ISO 3166 Alpha 2: CA

ISO 3166 Alpha 3: CAN

ISO 3166 numeric: 124

Top Level Domain: approx

IOC country code: CAN

UN / LOCODE: CA

Source: Abbreviationfinder

Communication

Telephone connections: 20,750,000

Cell Phones: 15,460,000

Radios: 32,400,000

TV: 22,570,000

Computer: 17,920,000

Internet users: 22,710,000

Transportation

Railway lines: 48,326 km

Paved roads: 421,880 km

of which expressways: 16,900 km

Cars: 18,243,000

Merchant fleet (ships over 1,000 GRT): 173

Pipelines: 98,544

Health

Number of doctors: 66,600

Daily food intake: 3,240 kcal / resident

HIV- infected people: 58,000

Education

Illiteracy: 1 %

History

Foundation: 1840

Last sovereign since: 1931

Religion

Main religious group: Christians

Distribution of religions: Roman Catholic 42.6%, Protestant 23.3%, Muslim 1.9%, none 16% (2001 census)

Crime

Prison inmates: 39,400

Military

Armed forces (troop strength): 52,000

Main battle tank: 110

Battleships: 20th

Submarines: 3

Warplanes: 140

Helicopter: 130

Defense Spending: $ 12,494,100,000

GETTING THERE

Arriving by plane

Canada’s national airline is Air Canada (AC) (Internet: www.aircanada.com).

Air Canada Rouge (RV) connects Berlin directly with Toronto from June to early October.

Also flying to Canada are Deutsche Lufthansa (LH), Air Berlin (AB), Austrian Airlines (OS), British Airways (BA), KLM (KL) and Swiss (LX).

Edelweiß Air (WK) flies code-share with Swiss from May to September directly from Zurich to Calgary and on to Vancouver.

Flight times

Frankfurt – Montréal: 7 hours 40 minutes; Frankfurt – Toronto: 8 hours 35 minutes; Frankfurt – Vancouver: 10 hours 05 minutes.
Vienna – Montréal: 10 hours 30 minutes (1 stopover); Vienna – Toronto: 9 hours 30 minutes; Vienna – Vancouver: 13 hours 20 minutes (1 stopover);
Zurich – Montreal: 8 hours 10 minutes; Zurich – Toronto: 8 hours 55 minutes; Zurich – Calgary: 12 hours 15 minutes (1 stopover).

Departure fee

A so-called Airport Improvement Fee (AIF) has been introduced at most airports and varies between around 10 and 25 C $.
Children under 2 years of age, transit passengers and passengers with a ticket that was issued in Equador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Iran, Iraq, Libya, Peru, Saudi Arabia, Venezuela or Uruguay are excluded. The fee is paid per person and added to the ticket costs.
Arrival by car

Canada’s only road connections abroad lead via the southern border to the USA or via the western border to Alaska (USA). After the car, the intercity bus is the most common form of transport. The largest bus company in the world is the Greyhound Bus Company (see long-distance bus in the section Travel – National), the busiest routes from the USA are: New York – Montréal / Ottawa; Detroit – Toronto / Hamilton; Minneapolis – Winnipeg; Seattle – Vancouver / Edmonton / Calgary.

Arriving by train

The Canadian railroad company VIA (Internet: www.viarail.ca) cooperates with the American railroad company AMTRAK (Internet: www.amtrak.com), so that several rail lines lead to the USA; the main routes are Montréal – New York and Toronto – New York. Toronto also has trains to Chicago, Detroit, and Buffalo.

Arrival by ship

The main ports are Montréal, Québec and Toronto on the east coast and Vancouver on the west coast. All are called at by international shipping companies; European passenger ships, however, only call at Montréal.

ON THE GO

Traveling by plane

Scheduled flights:
Approx. 75 airlines, including Air Canada (AC), provide regional flight connections. Air Canada Express serves Canada’s east and west. Air Transat (TS) (Internet: www.airtransat.com) also flies on domestic Canadian routes. Horizon Air (QX) flies in western Canada and Air Inuit (3H) in northeast Canada.

Note on air travel

A so-called Airport Improvement Fee (AIF) has been introduced at most airports. Here are some examples:

Moncton (YQM): 20 C $,

Smithers (YYD): C $ 15.

Victoria (YYJ): C $ 10

Sydney (YQY): C $ 25.

Children under 2 years of age and transit passengers are excluded. The fee is paid per person and added to the ticket costs.
On the way by car / bus

The longest highway is the 8000 km long Trans-Canada Highway, which runs from west (Vancouver / British Columbia) to east (St. John’s / Newfoundland).

The Canadian Automobile Association (Internet: www.caa.ca) is affiliated with most European automobile clubs and offers members all the usual facilities. An ADAC international emergency call station has been set up in the USA. It is also responsible for Canada and offers ADAC members and holders of ADAC international health and accident insurance assistance with hotels, rental cars, vehicle or patient repatriation. The Orlando, Florida emergency call station is open 24/7 (Tel: (1888) 222 13 73. Internet:www.adac.de).

Long-distance bus: Each region has an extensive bus network; the largest bus company is the Greyhound Bus Company, whose route network in North America covers 193,000 km. Greyhounds Go Anywhere Fare and the North America Discovery Pass are valid for unlimited bus travel for a specified period throughout Canada, the United States or certain areas; they must be purchased outside of North America (Internet: www.greyhound.com). Also, Gray Line coaches (website: www.grayline.ca) offer trips to the major Canadian resorts. There are also regional bus companies, the most important of which are:
Eastern Canada: Acadian Lines, Terra Nova Transport and SMT Eastern.
Central Canada: Adirondack Trailways, Coach Canada, Greyhound Lines of Canada, Gray Goose Bus Lines, Saskatchewan Transportation, and Orleans Express.
Western Canada: Brewster Transport, Greyhound Lines of Canada, Pacific Coast Lines, and Vancouver Island Coach Lines.
A selection of popular routes:
Acadian Lines: Amherst – Truro, Amherst – Halifax.
Adirondack Trailways: New York – Buffalo – Toronto.
Brewster Transportation: Banff – Jasper (scheduled services only).
Coach Canada: Toronto – Niagara Falls, Buffalo – Toronto – Detroit.
Gray Goose Bus Lines: Routes between Manitoba and Ontario.
Laidlaw Coach Lines: Connection to and from Vancouver Island.
Orleans Express: Montréal, Québec, Rivière du Loup.
Saskatchewan Transportation Co.: Alaska – Saskatoon.
SMT Lines: various routes through New Brunswick.
Via Rail: Toronto – Ottawa – Montréal.

People over 65 years of age receive discounts in some provinces. For more information on tariffs and routes, contact Greyhound Canada (Internet:www.greyhound.ca).

Rental cars can be rented at airports and in large and small towns. The prices depend on the season, vehicle type and rental period. The minimum age is 21 years (in some cases even 25 years). A major credit card in Canada is required. The rental conditions vary from province to province. Canadian car rental companies can request an international driver’s license in addition to their national ones. It is therefore recommended that German travelers have an international driver’s license issued before departure.

Documents:German national driver’s license is valid for 3 months in all provinces and 6 months in British Columbia. All other nationalities: International driver’s license, liability insurance.

Traffic regulations:
right-hand traffic ;
Seatbelt compulsory;
Winter studded tires are not compulsory in Ontario, but permitted year-round in the Northwest Territories and Yukon and in winter in the other provinces. (The official start of winter varies depending on the province);
In many provinces, the low beam must be switched on during the day.
Radar detectors are prohibited.
With the exception of some regions of Québec, right turns are allowed at red lights.

Speed limits:
in built-up areas: 50 km / h,
on country roads: 80 km / h,
on motorways (highways, expressways, thruways, freeways): 100 km / h.

City buses have unit fares that do not depend on the distance. You have to have the exact change ready as the driver does not change money. Tickets are not issued due to the unit price.

On the go by train

VIA Rail Canada (Internet: www.viarail.ca) operates an extensive rail network throughout Canada. Representation in Germany: Canada Reise Dienst (CRD) International GmbH, Fleethof, Stadthausbrücke 1-3, D-20355 Hamburg. Tel: (040) 30 06 16 70 (Internet: www.crd.de).

The VIA Rail- operated luxury transcontinental passenger train The Canadian on the Toronto – Vancouver route runs three times a week via Winnipeg, Saskatoon, Edmonton and Jasper. There are connections from the Atlantic provinces and from Québec City and Montréal. There are over 40 regional railway companies.
InterCity trains connect Québec, Montréal, Halifax, Toronto, Windsor and Ottawa. Long distance trains are conveniently equipped with dining cars, air conditioning, etc.

The Rocky Mountaineer (Internet: www.rockymountaineer.com) runs during the day from Vancouver to Calgary via Banff (‘Kicking Horse Route’), from Vancouver to Jasper (‘Yellowhead Route’) or from Whistler to Jasper (‘Fraser Discovery Route’) and offers a wonderful view of the Rocky Mountains (journey time: 2 days). There are discounts for people over 60 years of age.

The Rocky Mountaineer luxury train also operates the Coastal Passage route from Seattle to Vancouver. You can also travel through the Rockies

in the luxurious vintage cars of the Royal Canadian Pacific (Internet: www.royalcanadianpacific.com).

The Polar Bear Express (Internet: www.polarbearexpress.ca) runs daily (except Mondays) from the end of June to the end of August from Toronto via North Bay, Cochrane and Moosonee across the Canadian wilderness.

Note on rail travel

Fare reductions and rail passes:
Children under 2 travel free, children between 2 and 11 pay half the price. Travelers over 60 years and students (with student ID or ISIC card) receive a 10% discount.

The Canrail Pass must be purchased outside of Canada on presentation of the passport. It offers journeys on 12 days within 30 days on the route network of VIA Rail Canada. The Canrailpass is available at a reduced price for children, young people up to 17 years of age, students and senior citizens. The Canrail Pass can be extended by up to 3 days.

The corridor passis a pass that connects the metropolises of the east with one another. This pass is valid for 10 days and can be used for any number of journeys within this period, either in 1st class (VIA1) or economy class (2nd class) in the Québec-Windsor Corridor. However, only one round trip is allowed between two cities. Seniors from 60 years, children and young people up to 17 years as well as students receive discounts.

Further information about Rail Passes is available from Via Rail Canada or CRD (address above).

On the way by ship

The ferries on the east and west coast are regular, fast and inexpensive. More information under the headings of the individual provinces or from the tourist office.