We cannot expect non-Canadians to know everything about Canada, but there may be some misconceptions.

Recently, asked an editor“What do people from outside the country always get hilariously wrong about Canada?”

Canadians were quick to share some of the weirdest comments they received from family, friends, co-workers and strangers. From the comments, you’d think we’d all be drinking Tim Hortons while riding our personal polar bears to our igloos. Many seem unable to grasp the size of the country, thinking it is possible to simply come to Vancouver for lunch… from Toronto.

Here are some of the things people get wrong about Canada.

Geography

Toronto is certainly a popular place, but many seem shocked that it’s not actually our capital.

“The capital of Canada is not Toronto?” joked Tufftaco88.

With a total area of ​​9,984,670 km2Canada is the second largest country in the world – a fact that many people don’t realize.

When it comes to what people get wrong about Canada, Mattimvs said“It’s the size – ‘I’m coming to Canada for a week and I want to see Vancouver and Toronto.'”

Iron Cavalry added“The size of the country. Colleagues from France once sent my company to a meeting at a local time. I had to remind them that 4 p.m. in Toronto is not 4 p.m. in Calgary.”

Editor by the firecanada shared, “One of my favorite statistics is that if you are in St. John’s, Newfoundland, you are geographically closer to Dublin, Ireland than to Portage La Prairie, Manitoba. »

MarmosetRevolution recounted an experience where they had to break the news to a tourist.

“I remember being at the Ontario Science Center and this American woman with her children asked me how to get to Montreal,” they wrote. “I said, ‘Go up this street (Don Mills) for about 15 minutes to Highway 401. Take Highway 401 East and take about five hours to Montreal.'” She looked at me, said. shook his head and said, “Kids, we’re not going to Montreal Obviously I thought it was a 15 minute jaunt between cities.

While not impossible, lunch plans can be a little complicated when you plan to meet in another province.

“Some friends from England came to Toronto one day and asked if we could meet them for lunch,” recalls 0h118999881999119725. “We had to decline because we’re in Vancouver and we didn’t think it was reasonable to take a four to five hour flight each way for lunch.”

The weather

There’s no denying that some parts of Canada are cold, but it seems that most foreigners believe that winter here never ends.

“Extreme weather conditions. I’m Canadian and lived in England for 13 years. When I told my friends I was going home, they asked me if I really wanted to be cold all year round” , said Suspect_Big2454. “I had to explain to them that most of Canada gets hotter than England every summer. I had to explain to them that highs of 40 and lows of -40 were not uncommon.”

ivanvector said, “I grew up in southern Ontario before you could search on the Internet. It wasn’t that uncommon to see U.S.-registered cars driving down the highway with skis on the roof in the middle of summer.

laurenainsleea Reddit user from Ontario wrote: “Currently in Scotland. Someone asked me if I couldn’t wait to get home and enjoy the snow. I let them know it was warmer warmer at home than here.”

DeX_Mod » added: “Conversely, I have a new boss; he comes from Egypt. He constantly complains that it’s too hot in Saskatchewan.

Wildlife

You might think that Canada is overrun by bears, based on some misconceptions.

“The guy I was dating was stationed in Virginia for a while,” recalls SuperSpictyBanana.

“He was in uniform in an elevator and a couple rode with him. They asked him if he had ever ridden a polar bear before. They weren’t joking.”

Rshann_421 added“(People think we have) bears everywhere. My wife and I were returning to the parking lot after a long hike somewhere in Banff National Park. We encountered some foreign tourists with cameras asking us where the bears were.”

The way we speak

Canadians are often teased for the way they speak, but one Reddit user was left confused after an interaction with a non-Canadian.

“I met adults who asked me if I could speak Canadian,” said mamihlapinatapai_me.

“They think we all speak French,” added CantB2Big.

“I’m an Anglo in Quebec, and people always tell me ‘Wow, your English is so good,'” wrote zeeduc.

Editor beanjo22 commented: “It’s ‘on board a boat’ and not ‘about!’ » At least tease us accurately.

“We don’t say abooot. And eh’s are only used strategically, not at the end of every sentence,” said hockeyavishockey.

The way we live

While visitors can be forgiven for not really getting a sense of our country’s geography, far too many people genuinely believe that Canadians live in igloos.

As minoukat501 said, “When I was a kid living in the Yukon, it was amazing how many people in the United States thought we lived in igloos in the Yukon.

DaSpicyGinge added: “Someone in Florida once asked me if we had microwaves and later if we actually live in igloos.”

“An American woman asked me if we had McDonald’s, if we lived in igloos and if we had Netflix. I found it hilarious. She asked me how I knew English too,” said top_steppa.

Total-Championship80 recounted a similar experience. “(It was) 1983, and I was working in Colorado for a few weeks,” they wrote. “The laundry attendant told me I lived in an igloo and then asked me what it was like. (I replied), ‘I don’t know what it is. It rarely snows where I live. “I could see his brain getting stuck.”

It seems many were curious about the internet situation for Canadians living in igloos.

“Years ago I was on a forum and started talking to a person who lived in Michigan. She thought Canadians lived in igloos and asked me how I got access to Internet,” wrote jlynec.

Hunting for the Moon108 » added: “I have an online friend from Texas. When we first met nine years ago, she asked us if we had microwaves. She didn’t know where we would plug them into our igloos. Needless to say, she learned a lot of new things. things about Canadians.