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People and Places^225

2 NIAGARA FALLS

About 180 million litres

(40 million gallons) of water

plunge over Niagara Falls

every minute. The falls are

58 m (190 ft) high, and lie

between lakes Erie and

Ontario on the border

between the USA

and Canada.

1 BANFF, CANADA
Spectacular scenery like this is
one of the reasons Canada is
such a popular tourist
destination. Banff National Park,
in Alberta, is in the majestic
Rocky Mountains.

WHY IS CANADA BILINGUAL?

Until the middle of the 18th century, large parts of

eastern Canada were ruled by France and many

French people settled there, mainly in Quebec. Today,

one-quarter of Canadians speak French as their first

language. Canada is officially bilingual and recognizes

both English and French as its official languages, but

some French speakers in Quebec want to leave Canada

and set up their own independent state.

HOW DO CANADIANS COPE WITH THE COLD?

One-third of Canada lies within the Arctic Circle, and

much of the land is permanently frozen. Farming in

the north is therefore impossible, and food supplies

are flown in from outside. Houses are built on stilts

above the snow, and pipes are heavily insulated

against the cold. Further south, large cities such as

Montreal and Toronto have underground shopping

centres so that shoppers can stay inside during winter.

1 TORONTO, CANADA

The Toronto skyline is dominated

by the CN Tower, currently the

world’s third-tallest free-standing

structure at 555 m (1,822 ft).

Toronto is Canada’s biggest city

and its main commercial and

industrial centre.

Rainbows

often form

in the mist

ALASKA (US STATE)

Capital city:

Juneau

Area: 1,477,268 sq km

(570,374 sq miles)

Population: 699,000

Official language: English

Major religion: Christian

Currency: US dollar

CANADA

Capital city: Ottawa

Area: 9,984,670 sq km

(3,854,085 sq miles)

Population: 34 million

Official languages: English and

French

Major religion: Roman Catholic

Currency: Canadian dollar

GREENLAND

Capital city: Nuuk

(Godthab)

Area: 2,175,219 sq km

(839,852 sq miles)

Population: 56,000

Official languages: Greenlandic

and Danish

Major religion: Lutheran

Currency: Danish krone

CANADA, ALASKA,

& GREENLAND

FIND OUT MORE. Canada 417 • Fishing 67

Greenland

Canada