Canada: The Rough Guide

by Tim Jepson, Phil Lee, Tania Smith

INTRODUCTION Canada is almost unimaginably vast. It stretches from the Atlantic to the Pacific and from the latitude of Rome to beyond the Magnetic North Pole. Its archetypal landscapes are the Rocky Mountain lakes and peaks, the endless forests and the prairie wheatfields, but Canada holds landscapes that defy rainforest and desert lie close together in the southwest corner of the country, while in the east a short drive can take you from fjords to lush orchards. What’s more, great tracts of Canada are completely unspoiled – ninety percent of the country’s 28.5 million population lives within 100 miles of the US border. Like its neighbour, Canada is a spectrum of cultures, a hotchpotch of immigrant groups who supplanted the continent’s many native peoples. There’s a crucial difference, though. Whereas citizens of the United States are encouraged to perceive themselves as Americans above all else, Canada’s concertedly multicultural approach has done more to acknowledge the origins of its people, creating an ethnic mosaic as opposed to America’s "melting-pot". Alongside the French and British majorities live a host of communities who maintain the traditions of their homelands – Chinese, Ukrainians, Portuguese, Indians, Dutch, Polish, Greek and Spanish, to name just the most numerous. For the visitor, the mix that results from the country’s exemplary tolerance is an exhilarating experience, offering such widely differing environments as Vancouver’s huge Chinatown and the austere religious enclaves of Manitoba. Canadians themselves, however, are often troubled by the lack of a clear self-image, t! ending to emphasize the ways in which they are different from the US as a means of self-description. The question "What is a Canadian?" has acquired a new immediacy with the interminable and acrimonious debate over Quebec and its possible secession, but ultimately there can be no simple characterization of a people whose country is not so much a single nation as a committee on a continental scale. Pierre Berton, one of Canada’s finest writers, wisely ducked the issue; Canadians, he quipped, are "people who know how to make love in a canoe". The typical Canadian might be an elusive concept, but you’ll find there’s a distinctive feel to the country. Some towns might seem a touch too well-regulated and unspontaneous, but against this there’s the overwhelming sense of Canadian pride in their history and pleasure in the beauty of their land. Canada embraces its own clichés with an energy that’s irresistible, promoting everything from the Calgary Stampede to maple syrup festivals and lumberjacking contests with an extraordinary zeal and openness. As John Buchan, writer and Governor-General of Canada, said, "You have to know a man awfully well in Canada to know his surname".

Genres: Travel, Canada, Nonfiction, Reference

Paperback

First published January 1, 1994

About the author

Tim Jepson is a British, London-based writer, traveler, and broadcaster. He began his traveling life at the age of 12, exploring the mountains of Britain and Ireland. After graduating from Oxford University, he lived and worked in Italy, writing for a variety of British newspapers and leading high-level expeditions in the country’s remotest corners.

Reviews

[Sam · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a comprehensive guide to what turns out to be more than just a large country but one with a varied and immensely interesting history and culture from the splendor of its countryside to the carnage on its ice rinks. I read this mainly for its information on Calgary and surroundings but ended up going through the rest as well. The only problem is that I now want to visit everywhere!

[Jean Marie Fecteau · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bon livre et couvre l'essentiel des attractions touristiques. Good book and it covers the essential if you want to plan your visit and stay focussed.