According to the United Nations Human Development Index, Canada has been ranked for the seventh year in a row as the country with the best quality of life in the world .

The 2nd largest country in the world, Canada has a lot to offer:

* spectacular mountain ranges in the West, a real paradise for hikers and skiers year round

* beautiful beaches on the Pacific coast, the Atlantic coast and the numerous lakes

* the world famous Niagara Falls, near Toronto

* vibrant -and SAFE- large cities like Vancouver, Toronto, Ottawa, -Canada's national capital- Montréal, Québec and charming historic small cities such as Charlottetown, home of Ann of Green Gables !

* a very interesting cultural diversity where the Native People of Canada, - the First Nations- the descendants of French pioneers, -the Quebeckers- and the descendant of English, Irish, Eastern European, Caribbean an Asian immigrants have retained their traditions and share them with the whole country to make a unique, incredible mosaic : Canada !

* besides its many tourist sites Canada hosts a great variety of festivals : jazz, blues, chamber music, theater : -the Shakespeare festival in Stratford near Toronto is second only to its British counterpart and movie goers - the Toronto and the Montréal film festivals attract more and more people every year

* renowned symphonic orchestras such as the National Art Centre Orchestra of Ottawa,the Montreal and the Toronto Symphony orchestras and the CBC orchestra in Vancouver with world famous conductors such as Pinchas Zukerman, Charles Dutoit and Mario Bernardi, theater and ballet companies -the Winnipeg Royal Ballet

* a great variety of museums which host the most popular international exhibitions (Picasso, Renoir, Monet to name a few)

* wonderful summer and winter sports activities : skate on the rideau canal in Ottawa, the longest ice rink in the world, go white water rafting in the Laurentians, canoing in Ontario, deep sea fishing in Prince Edward Island -Canada's ocean playground ! , skiing in the Rockies a mere two hours from downtown Vancouver ! Every city has huge parks with facilities for joggers, in-line skaters, bike riders and tennis courts. Canadians are crazy with outdoor sports.

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Climate
The climate varies according to the regions you will visit : mild winters and gentle summers on the Pacific coasts, cold, sunny winters with short hot summers in the mountains, central and eastern regions, cold winters and mild summers on the Atlantic coast ... and polar cold in the North !

Population
Seventy per cent of Canadians live in the southern part of the country in its major cities : Victoria, Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary, Regina, Saskatoon, Winnipeg, Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, Québec, Fredericton, Halifax, Charlottetown and St John. The first inhabitants of Canada, referred to as The First Nations and the Inuits, represented 3 % of the population in the 1996 national census. The other inhabitants are mostly from European descent but also from Asian, African and Caribbean descent. Canada is a multi ethnic and multicultural country.

Languages
Canada is a bilingual country with two official languages : English is spoken by the majority of the population in Canada but French is spoken by the majority of the population in the province of Quebec

Geography
The country is the 2nd largest in the world and covers the space between the Atlantic Ocean, the Pacific Ocean, the Arctic ocean and the US border. The country has 10 provinces and 3 territories. The provinces spread from East to West and the territories are in the Northern part of Canada. Time zones We have five time zones which are one hour apart : Pacific, Mountain, Central, Eastern, Atlantic and Newfoundland, which is 30 mn apart from the Atlantic time zone.

Currency and Banking
Our national currency is the Canadian dollar. You can pay in cash, use your direct payment card or a credit cards. Cheques are not usually accepted in stores. Bank machines are available all over the country and can be found in shopping centres, banks, bus stations and airports.

Health
If you are not planning to buy a medical insurance with your plane ticket you have to check with the Canadian embassy what the rules are in each province since health is a provincial matter in Canada.

Canadian way of life
The average Canadian family is small : two children. A large majority of women work outside their homes. People usually leave home in the morning, have lunch at or near their workplace and finish work by 5 p. m. Canadians usually do not work during the weekend but public transportation, entertainment and shopping are available during the weekend.
Homes, apartments or houses, are comfortable and well heated. The downtown area of Canadian cities is where you find popular restaurants, theaters, office buildings whereas the Canadian people usually live in the suburbs. A typical suburb will have a sportsplex, shopping centers, banks, movie theaters, schools and churches.
Canadians are very proud of their football teams, hockey teams and baseball teams.
Food from all over the world is available in Canadian cities. Canadians usually have three meals a day; breakfast, lunch and dinner but you will find fast food restaurants open all day. Fast food is increasingly popular in Canada.

Values
Canada is a future oriented society and Canadian people's values are more individualistic than collectivist. However, the Aboriginal people and some recent immigrants are more past oriented and their values are more collectivist than individualistic. There is a lot of respect for ethnic and religious diversity and for sexual orientation.

Visa requirements
A letter of acceptance from the school you have chosen will be essential in the obtention of your student visa. Once you have your Letter of Acceptance, you will need to apply for your visa at your local Canadian consular office. Students coming to Canada on language courses require a student visa if they are planning to study for three months or more. Students from certain countries do not require a visa to enter Canada.
For more information on visas, please contact: visainfo@canadawide-english.com.