I collect scraps of useless information. I used to Xerox it but now it is much easier and takes less space on a hard drive. Also easier to find IF I label and sort right. Here are some bits of Canadiana for your enjoyment. Totally random.
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| Not every Canadian uses every slang term but we all use some of them |
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| Our population tends to be concentrated in the cities of Ontario and Quebec |
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| Roads tend to be few and far between in most of Canada |
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| Farming in western Canada occurs mainly in the Dark Grey to Brown soil zones, the shape of which corresponds to the road density in the photo above. |
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| Declining Saskatchewan wheat prices in constant dollars drive farm expansion and mechanization which in turn drives the price down further in a never ending cycle. |
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| I am ashamed to admit I have only been to a few of our National Parks. Decades ago, a friend and I talked about applying to be Wardens in one of the High Arctic Parks. Our wives said we could visit them in Montreal. |
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| Sable Island is a 44 km long sandbar about 160 km east of Nova Scotia. This is a list of known wrecks since 1585. There are feral horses living on the island that were deliberately brought there a couple hundred years ago to raise for meat. They are now protected. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sable_Island_horse |
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| Most Canadians live south of the 49th parallel while Europeans are spread out over a wide range of latitude |
WOW this is fascinating stuff! I should forward this information to all my Canadian grandchildren, they don't know enough about the country they were born in.
ReplyDeleteI have heard all those slang expressions except darts and chirps. Maybe they are more for Saskatchewaners?
"Chirping" is a term especially used among hockey players. It's the new equivalent of "trash talking." I know all those slang terms except "darts." Maybe I'd already given up smoking by the time that term came around and that's why I never heard it?
ReplyDeleteChirping and darts were two of the six I had never heard. Thanks for clarifying, Debra. Saskatchewan has its own slang terms. Maybe I can find t a list.
ReplyDeleteI think "darts" might have been from a earlier generation. I sighed wistfully when I looked at that soil map. How I miss the rich black soil on our farm in Manitoba! The "soil" here is what we used to call "gravel".
ReplyDeleteDiane, Our farm was on Weyburn sandy loam. Coming to Ukraine just made me envious of their black soil which seemed to be everywhere.
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