Maturita Card 36: Cities in Canada

z Which famous cities in Canada should people visit and why? If you go to Canada, you should see / visit Niagara Falls to admire Horseshoe Falls, themost powerful waterfall in North America. / Montreal, which is unique among North American cities because of its history. You can also practise your French there. / Toronto, Canadas largest city and financial centre, alively, multicultural city. / Vancouver, acity of spectacular natural beauty where thePacific Ocean meets theCoastal Mountains. It hosted the2010 Winter Olympic Games. / Calgary, home to TheCalgary Stampede, one of theworlds largest rodeos known as TheGreatest Outdoor Show on Earth. / Saint John in New Brunswick, known for theSaint John City Market, which is theoldest continuing farmer's market in Canada. z Can you name theprovincial capitals of Western Canada? Can you tell me something about them? Thecapital of Alberta is Edmonton. It is known as TheFestival City because there are many festivals there every summer. It is thenorthernmost North American city. / Thecapital of British Columbia is Victoria. Thecity is located on Vancouver Island and is called abit of Old England because of its winding, narrow streets and beautiful gardens. / Thecapital of Manitoba is Winnipeg. Its name comes from theCree (aNative Americans tribe) word for muddy waters. Thelandmark bridge, Esplanade Riel, is located there and is one of only afew bridges in theworld that have arestaurant on it. / Thecapital of Saskatchewan is Regina and it is home to theWascana Centre, a9.3square kilometre park around Wascana Lake. z What are thecapitals of theMaritime Provinces? Tell me about them. TheMaritime provinces is aregion of Eastern Canada made up of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island. Thecapital of New Brunswick is Fredericton and it is an educational centre. It has two universities, one of which, theUniversity of New Brunswick, founded in 1785, is theoldest public university in North America. / Thecapital of Nova Scotia is Halifax. Here you can walk along thewaterfront and enjoy theannual Tall Ships Festival. / Thecapital of Prince Edward Island is Charlottetown, known as theBirthplace of Confederation thesite of thefirst gathering of Canadian statesmen who officially established theCanadian Confederation on July 1, 1867, which included thefour provinces of Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick. z Can you name theremaining three provincial capitals? What are they famous for? Thecapital of Newfoundland and Labrador is St.John's. It is theoldest English-founded city in North America. Its famous landmark, Signal Hill, overlooks St. John's and it is thelocation of Cabot Tower, where thefirst transatlantic wireless transmission was received in 1901. / Thecapital of Ontario is Toronto. Its amodern city with about 2.6 million residents, making it thefifth most populous city in North America. / Thecapital of Quebec is Quebec City. This historic city's most famous landmark is theChteau Frontenac, ahotel which dominates theskyline. Theramparts surrounding Old Quebec are theonly remaining fortified city walls that still exist in theAmericas north of Mexico, and are aUNESCO World Heritage Site. z What famous landmarks are there in Ottawa, thecapital city of Canada? Ottawa is where Canadas Parliament Buildings are located, overlooking theOttawa River. Theprime ministers home, 24 Sussex Drive, is Ottawas equivalent to No. 10 Downing Street. It is not open to thepublic, but across thestreet is theRideau Hall, home to theGovernor General, theQueen's representative in Canada, which is open to thepublic. TheRideau Canal snakes downtown from theOttawa River. It is theoldest continuously operated canal system in North America and is also aUNESCO World Heritage Site. TheNational Gallery of Canada is one of Canadas premier art galleries with alot of Native and Inuit art. z Can you name thecapital cities of thethree territories? What doyou know about them? Thecapital of theNorthwest Territories is Yellowknife, located approximately 400 km south of theArctic Circle. Yellowknife was first settled in 1935, after gold was found in thearea. / Thecapital of Nunavut is Iqaluit. Iqaluit is thenewest territorial capital (selected in 1995). It has a population of only about 6,700. / Thecapital of Yukon is Whitehorse. Theclimate is milder than other comparable northern communities, but winter days are short and summer days have 20hours of daylight. Themidnight sun and northern lights are attractions in these northern cities.

December 2012

02 Vancouver

01 Niagara Falls 03 Victoria 04 Ottawa

05 Montreal 06 Regina 07 Halifax

08 Calgary

09 Quebec City

10 St. Johns