Mark John Hiemstra

Did you know?

• Fun Fact 1:

  The name "Canada" likely comes from the Huron-Iroquois word "kanata," meaning "village" or "settlement." In 1535, two Aboriginal youths told French explorer Jacques Cartier about the route to kanata; they were actually referring to the village of Stadacona, the site of the present-day City of Québec. For lack of another name, Cartier used the word "Canada" to describe not only the village, but the entire area controlled by its chief, Donnacona.

• Fun Fact 2:

  Canada has the third largest oil reserves of any country in the world after Saudi Arabia and Venezuela.

• Fun Fact 3:

  Maple syrup was first used by the Indigenous People of North America as a sweetener. Once Canada was colonized, the practice was adopted by settlers. Nowadays, Quebec manufactures more than 77% of the world’s maple syrup while Canada accounts for 90% of the world’s maple production.

• Fun Fact 4:

  The world’s longest non-military border is between Canada and the United States. It stretches for 8,891 kilometers (5,525 miles), and the border between Alaska and Canada is 2,475 kilometers (1,538 miles) alone.