Country Studies

Queen Victoria herself was asked to choose a capital for the province of Canada, which at that time consisted of the two colonies of Quebec and Ontario, and there’s a story that she simply stuck a hatpin into a map, between Toronto and Montreal.

Another story has her choosing Ottawa because she had liked landscape paintings of the area

Coat of arms

The word Canada is believed to come from the word Kanata which means “village” or “settlement”.

The coat of arms as you can see is quite similar to the British one. However, some Canadian symbols have been added. For instance, the famous maple leaf which you can also see in the flag.

You can also see a motto which says A Mari usque ad Mare which means From sea to sea.

Canadian symbols

Maple leaf

One of the most recognizable Canadian symbols is a maple leaf (or a maple tree). Why? Well before the coming of the first European settlers, Canada's aboriginal peoples had discovered the food properties of maple sap, which they gathered every spring. According to many historians, the maple leaf began to serve as a Canadian symbol as early as 1700.