Territory Aluminum Density Insulin Constitutional Act ...€¦ · Official symbols: Maple leaf Beaver Canadian horse The word "Canada" comes from a word "Kanata" in indigenous languages

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Vocabulary:

Territory

Density

Constitutional Act

Pluralism

Sovereign

Municipal

Beaver

Zinc

Aluminum

Insulin

Discrimination

Dignity

Elbow

Utensil

Funeral


Question:

What do you know ab out Canada and its culture?


General Information of Canada:

Flag:

Anthem: O Canada

God Save the Queen

Capital: Ottawa

Largest City: Toronto

Official Languages: English

French

People: Canadian

Government: Federal parliament democracy and constitutional monarchy

Area: 9,984,670 km2

Population: ≈ 34 million

Currency: Canadian Dollar (CAD)


Background Overview:

the second largest country in the world (twice the area of the USA) with 6 time zones

occupying most of northern America

bordering the USA, the Pacific Ocean in the west and the Atlantic Ocean in the east

Cultural heritage: British and French

Three major cities: Montreal ([ˌmɔntrɪ'ɔ:l]) – the largest French city outside France

Toronto – major financial and commercial center with office towers

Vancouver – center of Western Canada with the most beautiful

sceneries and highest incomes)

Consisting of 10 provinces (the largest being Quebec, a French-speaking province) and 3

territories

7% of the country's land covered with more than 2 million lakes

Having around 14% of the world's fresh water supply


Population:

approximately 34 million (by the year 2010)

the growth of immigration ＞ natural growth of Canadian people

the 9th lowest population density in the world

four in five Canadians live close to the Canada-USA border

Ethnic origins: English (21%)

French (15.8%)

Scottish (15.2%)

German (10.2%)

Italian (5%)

Chinese (3.9%)

Ukrainian (3.6%)

…


Language:

Two official languages: English and French (they have equal status)

English: mother tongue of 59.7% of the Canadian population

French: mother tongue of 23.2% of the Canadian population

Over 85% of the French-speaking Canadians live in Quebec

Other common languages spoken: Chinese, Spanish, Italian, German

(Red regions are English-speaking regions; blue regions are French-speaking; green regions speak other languages.)


Religion:

The Constitutional Act supports religious pluralism.

77.1% of the population are Christians (all the aqua blue parts in the chart below).

16.5% are atheists/non-religious.

6.3% believe in other religions (e.g. Islam, Judaism, etc.)


Federal government

Provincial government

Municipal government


Territorial government


Government System:

federal parliamentary democracy and constitutional monarchy

one of the Commonwealth countries

the Head of State (sovereign): Queen Elizabeth II (of Britain)

(the Queen's royal duties in Canada is presented by her Governor General)

3-level government system:

policy decision on issues affecting the whole country

deal with education, healthcare,

welfare, etc.

deal with local matters in the

city


Interesting Facts of Canada:

Official symbols: Maple leaf

Beaver

Canadian horse

The word "Canada" comes from a word "Kanata" in indigenous languages of North

American of, meaning "village".

The country was established on July 1st, 1867.

It is one of the top five producers of natural gases, copper, zinc, aluminum and gold.

National sport: Hockey

These are created/invented by Canadian people:

- Superman (by Joe Shuster)

- Chocolate bar (by Arthur Ganong and George Ensor)

- (by James Naismith in 1891 in Montreal, Quebec) Basketball

- Insulin (by Fredrick Banting, awarded the Nobel Prize)

Canadian horse Beaver

Hockey


Cultural Characteristics:

influenced by the European culture and traditions (especially British and French)

a country composed of immigrants with cultural diversity

Multiculturalism: the Constitution Act prohibits discrimination against individual citizens

on the basis of race, color, religion and sex

Canadian people:

show respect for all cultures coming to Canada

accept immigrants from all over the world

respect the dignity of every individual citizen regardless of social status

accept different languages

respect the country's land, government and national heroes

(celebrities)

reject the need to carry guns for self-protection


Social Norms:

1. Communication:

Shake hand firmly with good eye contact when meeting or departing new friends or in

formal occasions.

Remove sunglasses or hat when speaking with someone.

Leave one or two feet of space between yourself and other people, and limit your body

movement and touching to the minimal amount (other than handshakes)

Don't speak with your hands in your pockets (especially in Quebec).

Don't give the "thumbs down" gesture as it is considered offensive.)

Don't point at someone with your index finger.

Note that the "okay" sign means " " rather than "ok" in Quebec. zero

(pics)


2. Manners & Etiquette:

Be ready to greet and receive greetings from people you don't know with "Hi!" or "How

are you?" when you are on the street.

When you are invited to a Canadian friend's home, don't move around in the house. Stay

in the "guest room" he/she has designated for you.

Recycling and not littering are highly valued.

Stand in a queue/line when waiting for something. First come first serve.

Be on time for a party, but it is acceptable to be 15 minutes late.

It is OK to refuse food politely.

Pay a 15% tip at restaurant.

Eating utensils (forks, spoons, knives, etc.) should be placed on the plate after you finish

eating.


Don't speak in a foreign language in front of someone who does not understand the

language.

Don't smoke in other people's home or cars unless they allow you to do so.

Bargaining is not a common practice, but you can do so when buying a house, a car or

dealing with a private seller.

Don't present white lilies to friends or acquaintances—these flowers are associated with

funerals!

Don't ever put your elbow on the table when you are eating.

Don't eat while walking in public.

Don't use a toothpick, brush your hair, or clip your fingernails in public.


Food:

much the same as that in the USA

some common Canadian foods:

Pountine (fries with gravy and cheese curds);

Chicken wings (with sauces);

Pierogies (dumplings with cheese, meat and potato as stuff);

Maple syrup;

Raspberries;

Beaver tails (not a real beaver's tail of course; it's a kind of fried pastry)

Pierogies Beaver tails

Pountine


Discussion:

Both the Canadian and the American cultures are enriched by immigrants, but they two still

slightly differ from each other. Can you give some examples of the similarities and differences

between the Canadian Culture and the American Culture?

Documents

Territory Aluminum Density Insulin Constitutional Act ...€¦ · Official symbols: Maple leaf Beaver Canadian horse The word "Canada" comes from a word "Kanata" in indigenous languages