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About Canada's Capital - Being a tourist in Ottawa is fun and educational. You can take a walking tour of the "Mile of History" in downtown Ottawa, the national capital region of Canada in the province of Ontario. Stroll through the famous Byward Market and learn about the Bytown Locks. Make sure to bring your sweater for ice skating on the Rideau Canal. And when you get too cold, you can take a virtual tour of some of Ottawa's historic museums: the Canadian Museum of Civilization, the Canadian War Museum, the National Library, and the National Aviation Museum, just to name a few. While you're there, view the city's culture, parks, and festivities.
Alberta's Special Places - Logging, oil and gas exploration, and other human activities have endangered many animal and plant species in Canada. The province of Alberta is passing legislation that will set aside portions of its six diverse natural regions (mountain, foothill, boreal, shield, parkland, and grassland) in order to protect endangered species. Each of these six habitats is mapped out and explained at this site, with a fact file and photo of the 12 Alberta species that are most in danger of becoming extinct. There are links to articles that define the difference between the terms extinct, extirpated, endangered, threatened, and vulnerable. Be sure to follow the link to the World Wildlife Fund of Canada, where you can search by province for fact sheets with lots more information on other Canadian and international endangered species.
CAMP 100% Pure Maple Syrup - Lots of maple syrup is produced in the Canadian province of Qu bec; in fact, it provides 70 percent of the world's production. This site will tell you about the history and techniques of maple syrup production in Qu bec. As a good source of three essential elements (calcium, iron, and thiamin), maple syrup is really good for you, too, so be sure to try some of the great recipes listed here. Happy eating!
Canada's North - The Government of the Northwest Territories - This site takes you to Canada's Northwest Territories, which encompasses one-third of the land mass of Canada, about 1.3 million square miles. It is a land firmly rooted in the cultural past and old traditions of the Inuit, Inuvialuit, Dene, and Metis; it is a land of adventure and exploration, where some of the wildlife and scenery are like nowhere else on earth.
Canada's SchoolNet - Explore this site and its many resources for K-12 students and educators. Everything has a Canadian focus, and everyone will be interested in the wonderful digital collections. Here are some of the subjects: Celtic music, Cree hand signals, Canadian literature for young adults, sports heroes from Saskatchewan. And there's more!
Canadiana - The Canadian Resource Page - Looking for the words to the Canadian national anthem? Seeking Canadian schools and teachers to contact for projects? Want to link up to CBC radio news? This is a huge jumpstation to all things Canadian.
Discover Alberta! - If you love outdoor recreation and the thrill of caving, hang-gliding, white-water rafting, or downhill skiing in the Rockies, then here is a place you won't want to miss. Banff National Park, Canada's oldest national park, was established in 1855. Jasper National Park is home of the Columbia Icefields, the largest chunk of ice in the Rocky Mountains. Find out even more about Alberta's national parks from the clickable map and the link to the official Banff National Park Home Page. It is no wonder that the motto of this Canadian province is " Fortis et Liber " ("Strong and Free"). No time to explore a glacier? You can also stop here for quick facts, a little history, and a tour of Edmonton, the capital city.
Explore Manitoba - This official site is your home base to find information about Manitoba's government. There is a great picture of the coat of arms, too. It has a very detailed description, explaining the symbology behind the beaver, the buffalo, the crocus, the unicorn, and the lion, among other things.
Explore Manitoba - A Visitor's Guide - This official site offers information on Manitoba's fishing and other outdoor activities, but you'll also find material on urban attractions and historical sites. You can also learn about the official emblems. The great grey owl is the official bird, the crocus is the flower, and the white spruce is the official tree. The province has an official tartan cloth; according to this site: "Each colour has its own significance: Dark Red Squares--natural resources of the province; Azure Blue Lines--Lord Selkirk, founder of Red River Settlement (Winnipeg); Dark Green Lines--the men and women of many races who have enriched the life of the province; and Golden Lines--grain and other agricultural products."
First Nations in Canada - Imagine yourself living thousands of years ago. You're traveling across a land bridge from Asia to North America and coming into the vast wilderness we now know as Canada. Maybe you would have hunted buffalo, moving your tipi and following the herds as they crossed the plains. Maybe you would have established a permanent village along the Pacific coast and fished for salmon and whales. Read all about the six distinct Canadian Indian cultures and the main tribes in each. Find out how they lived and hunted, what their dwellings looked like, and what they wore. This site takes you through the centuries of change the native populations have experienced, including progress in the last 30 years. This site is available in English and French.
Gander Academy's Canada Theme-Related Resources on the World Wide Web - If you can visit only one comprehensive reference site on Canada, make sure it's this one. All the emblems are listed in one place and you can find out about famous Canadians, Canada in space, national parks, Canadian place-names, and more.
Ghosts of the Klondike Gold Rush - It's 1898, and we're going to join the 100,000 others stampeding toward Canada's mysterious Yukon hoping to fulfill their dreams. We've survived avalanches and beat starvation, and we've made it as far as Dawson City. Now we're ready to pan for gold and strike it rich! You may not find "real" gold here, but you'll pick up nuggets of fact and fiction about this memorable time in history. Find out what motivated some of these prospectors by hearing what the grandchildren of a Klondike stampeder have to say.
Government of British Columbia - Did you know that British Columbia, or B.C., is bigger in land area than France and Germany combined? This official site explains all about B.C. government, including the official emblems: Dogwood (provincial flower), Steller's jay (provincial bird), jade (provincial gemstone), western red cedar (provincial tree).
Government of Newfoundland and Labrador - Visit this official site and find out lots of interesting facts. For example, ever heard of "Iceberg Alley"? That's where the icebergs drift south from Greenland, sometimes all the way into the north Atlantic shipping channels. That's what happened to the Titanic in 1912. See some pictures, and find out where you can spot icebergs along the coasts.
Government of Yukon - From this official government site you can take a link to the travel and tourism area. You'll find all kinds of information about visiting this section of the country. Read all about its climate, and get vital statistics such as birthrate, employment, and population.
Hinterland Who's Who Index - Lemmings--those are cute little computer game characters who run up and down hills and in and out of caves, right? Better check out this site! Real lemmings are mouselike rodents that live in the treeless areas of northern Canada. They are a very important species in Arctic ecosystems. The curious thing is that lemming populations fluctuate drastically, peaking about every four years and then crashing almost to extinction. One of the Inuit names for the collared lemming is kilangmiutak , which means "one who comes from the sky." Read about this Indian legend and the various theories on the rise and fall of the lemming population as well as interesting information about more than 80 other animals native to Canada's hinterlands. Put on your snowshoes and follow the animal tracks across northern Canada.
Leo Ussak Elementary School - These kids go to a cool school--we really mean it's cool there. This school is way up north. They live in the Northwest Territories, above the 60th parallel. At this site, you can learn about Inuktitut, the language of the Inuit people, and you can get a lot of information about what life is like in an Arctic village. Although the school is very Net-savvy (read about how they videoconference with a school in Hawaii) and modern, they honor the elders and their traditional ways; you'll find a good deal of cultural information here. For example, what kinds of foods do kids eat there? "Here in Rankin Inlet you can eat caribou (a lean, nutritious, delicious meat), delectable arctic char, lake trout, or grayling. In the fall you can pick ripe, juicy berries growing all over the tundra. You can sample seal, mukta (yes it's true, Inuit do consider it a delicacy to eat whale blubber!) and goose. You can also have a Pizza Hut pizza or Kentucky Fried Chicken if you want!" And how do people sleep when the sun stays above the horizon all "night"? "On June 21st, it is light almost all of the time. People sometimes put cardboard, plastic garbage bags or aluminum foil on their windows to help make it dark enough to sleep. It is darkest on December 21st when the sun rises at 9:45 in the morning and goes down at 2:45 in the afternoon. Sleeping is no problem then!"
National Atlas on Schoolnet - You'll find maps of all kinds at this interactive learning site about the geography of Canada--in both English and French. You can Make-a-Map by defining map layer attributes from a preselected database, such as birds at risk or wetlands, or follow the link to Our Home: Atlas of Canadian Communities. Also in English and French, Notre Foyer lets you select a Canadian community and read what the kids who live there have written about it. Try your hand at the Interactive Geography Quiz, but don't think you have mastered it all just yet. Make sure you don't overlook the Canadian Geographical Names section--the ultimate Canadian trivia test--to find weird and wonderful answers to questions you never knew you wanted to know!
National Gallery of Canada - Virtual Tour - This multimedia site lets you wander through virtual galleries of Canadian painters with a knowledgeable guide by your side. If you have Real Audio, you will be able to hear the guide's narration. But even if you want to take a silent tour, the vibrant pictures will astound you.
Nova Scotia - Canada - This official site is really a jumpstation to other useful sites about Nova Scotia. Each site has a brief annotation. As you look around you'll learn that the Coat of Arms includes a rearing unicorn, thistles, and a First Nations warrior. These are the oldest arms (granted in 1625) in the commonwealth, outside of Great Britain.
Official Site of the Government of Quebec - This is the official site of the province of Qu bec. It is also a jumpstation to other departments; for example, try the Department of Tourism, where you can take a Virtual Tour of the 19 different tourist regions of the province. Find a city or tour that interests you? It's easy to have a brochure sent to you via postal mail.
Ontario - This very well-organized page lists lots of facts and information about Ontario, including the official emblems. The bird is the loon, the flower is the white trillium, and the tree is the eastern white pine. There's an official gem, too: the amethyst.
Prince Edward Island Information Centre - What do Avonlea, Kindred Spirits, and Lover's Lane all have in common? You can find them all on Prince Edward Island, the birthplace of Lucy Maud Montgomery, who wrote the universally beloved book, Anne of Green Gables , first published in 1908. Her story was inspired by the land, the sea, and the people around her. Anne of Green Gables is so popular with young (and old) readers that it has been translated into 15 different languages and put on film. You'll enjoy all the stops on the "Anne" tour at this site, especially the Green Gables Farmhouse in Cavendish, which is preserved as a national museum. Check out the L. M. Montgomery literature links, and before you leave, don't forget to look through the IslandCam, Prince Edward Island's mobile digital camera located in Charlottetown.
Province of New Brunswick - New Brunswick has some of the highest tides in the world, as it is bordered by the Bay of Fundy. The Bay of Fundy has its own Web page, and you can find it if you click on Tourism from the main page of this official government site. Looking for the official emblems? They are in the General Information section of the Tourism link. The purple violet is the official flower, and the black-capped chickadee is the provincial bird. The official tartan cloth is described this way: "These are represented in the design by the forest green of lumbering, the meadow green of agriculture, the blue of coastal and inland waters, all interwoven with gold, a symbol of the province's potential wealth. The red blocks represent the loyalty and devotion of the early Loyalist settlers, the Royal New Brunswick Regiment and all of our people. The red block also contains the grey and gold of the province's coat of arms and the regimental crest. Because the first weaving of the design was commissioned for Lord Beaverbrook, the province's eminent benefactor, the red blocks are highlighted by `beaver' brown."
The Arms of Canada - Do you need a really big, really detailed color picture of the Coats of Arms of all the Canadian provinces? Check in here. Short descriptions are included too.
The British Columbia Outdoors - Here you can venture into the beautiful and fascinating wilderness areas of British Columbia and learn about the creatures that inhabit its forests and coasts. From badgers to wolverines, bald eagles to wood ducks, from Alpine fir to yellow cedar, practically everything you might want to know about the animals, birds, fish, forests, and wildflowers of this Canadian province is all right here. You can learn how to tell the difference between a bobcat and its larger cousin, the lynx. Peer into the eyes of the great horned owl. Wade right in and take a look at some weird-looking fish that you may never have seen before. If you're more of a land rover, learn to identify the wildflowers and plants that paint this Canadian province with such spectacular color.
The Canadian Museum of Civilization - If you think museums are b-o-r-i-n-g, this one will change your mind! Be sure to register as a visitor, then hop the elevator to Level 2 to see the displays of folk art and fine crafts. Visit the Treasures Gallery to see why Canada is truly a cultural mosaic. Canada Hall is on Level 3. An interactive map lets you explore 1,900 years of Canadian history. Or take the voyage through all the regions of Canada and see a prairie curling rink, an Alberta oil rig, and lots more. Take a snack break if you need to, but don't leave the museum before venturing up to Level 5 to see the History in a Box Exhibit and find out what the colors and symbols on a mailbox can tell about the history of a country. Cool! Learning history was never so much fun.
The Royal Canadian Mint / Monnaie Royale Canadienne - In 1996, the Royal Canadian Mint introduced a two-dollar coin. The reasoning was simple: coins last longer than paper money. A metal coin can survive circulation for about 20 years. The two-dollar bill was very popular, but the government had to replace the bills every year as they wore out. It costs more to make a coin, but over the coin's lifetime, Canadians will save millions. It's a very cool-looking coin, too. There is a smaller circle in the center, made of gold-colored aluminum bronze, while the outer ring is silver-colored nickel. There's a polar bear on the back. Kids call these coins "twonies." Why? Just for fun, and to differentiate them from the one-dollar coins. The one-dollar coin has a loon on it, and those coins are called "loonies." Learn a lot about the Royal Canadian Mint and the history of currency at this site.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police Musical Ride - The Musical Ride of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police developed from a desire of early members to display their riding ability and entertain the local community. The series of figures that form the basis of the Musical Ride was developed from traditional cavalry drill movements. The Ride is performed by 32 regular member volunteers (male and female) who have had at least two years of police experience. The Ride contingent consists of 36 horses. It travels throughout Canada and sometimes into the U.S.
Titanic - The Unsinkable Ship and Halifax - After the maritime disaster that befell the Titanic on April 15, 1912, ships from Halifax, Nova Scotia, were sent to recover many of the bodies. They are buried in Halifax's city cemeteries, and you can find here a list of those who were identified. There is a J. Dawson, but it's not Jack--it's James. He was a 23-year-old "trimmer." At this site you can learn about artifacts and recovery efforts as well as see interesting photos and find a series of links to related sites.
Virtual Saskatchewan - If you think that Saskatchewan is, according to this site, "one big wheat field," then it's time for you to learn more. For example, Selwyn Lake uplands include tundra as well as boreal forest. There are ten more regions; read about them here.
Welcome to Statistics Canada - Which animals are threatened or endangered in Canada? What is the cause of most forest fires: humans or lightning? Which one of the Great Lakes is the deepest? If you're looking for any kind of official statistic from Canada, begin at this site.
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