A party across six time zones - on the 150th anniversary of its founding on July 1, Canada will hold celebrations across its 13 provinces and territories.
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10 must-see Canadian destinations
Canada celebrates its 150th anniversary on July 1. Discover highlights from the 10 Canadian provinces, from the eastern to the western coast.
Image: Imago/All Canada Photos
Gros Morne National Park, Newfoundland
With its stunning landscape of fjords and mountains, the Gros Morne National Park is a trekker's and paddler's paradise. The eerie Tablelands, a formation of rock displaying earth's crust, offers a clear demonstration of the continental drift process, which is why the park was designated UNESCO World Heritage Site. The small fishing town of Rocky Harbour is a good base to reach the park.
Image: Imago/All Canada Photos
Cape Breton, Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia's Cape Breton Island boasts one of the world's most scenic drives, the Cabot Trail, which winds along mountains around the coast with unforgettable views on the ocean. It's also a great spot for hiking and kayaking. The Fortress of Louisbourg, where French soldiers fought the English in the 18th century, is the largest historical reconstruction of such a site in North America.
Image: Imago/Bluegreen Pictures
Anne of Green Gables House, Prince Edward Island
Most of the coastline of Prince Edward Island is still in a pristine state, making it an ideal destination for its sandy beaches and red cliffs. For fans of Lucy Maud Montgomery's 1908 novel "Anne of Green Gables," the island is also synonymous with the site that inspired the classic story of the red-haired orphan, making the Green Gables Heritage Place in Cavendish (photo) a must-see attraction.
Image: picture alliance/All Canada Photos
Bay of Fundy, New Brunswick
The tides of the Bay of Fundy are the world's highest. The Hopewell Rocks are a good site to explore the impressive phenomenon, as one can walk around the unique stone formations at low tide and see them gradually turn into islands under high tide. The region is also famous for its whale-watching boat excursions.
Image: imago/All Canada Photos
Quebec City, Quebec
Founded in the early 17th century, the capital city of the province of Quebec is one of the oldest cities in North America. With its ramparts and unusually well-preserved architecture, Quebec City's historic town center is a UNESCO World Heritage Site where one can still feel the French heritage of its colonial times - and French is still the first-spoken language throughout the province.
Image: Imago/All Canada Photos
Niagara Falls, Ontario
As one of the world's most famous attractions, the 57-meter-high (187-foot-high) falls overlapping the border between Canada and the US keep drawing millions of visitors every year. The self-proclaimed "honeymoon capital of the world" is meanwhile more exciting to visit with small children. The bucket-list destination is just over an hour-drive away from Toronto, Canada's largest city.
Image: Imago/Schöning
Polar Bears of Churchill, Manitoba
No paved road leads up to northern Manitoba, so a train or plane is needed to reach the tiny town of Churchill, nicknamed "polar bear capital of the world." About 1,000 of Canada's iconic and endangered bears migrate there every year. Tours in special safe vehicles allow visitors to spot them in October and November. In the summer, countless beluga whales also gather in the Hudson Bay's estuary.
Image: picture alliance/blickwinkel/F. Poelking
Prairies landscapes, Saskatchewan
The Prairies actually cover three provinces: Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta. The grasslands' mesmerizing poetry can best be appreciated on a road trip. The iconic grain elevators that dominated each village for the last century are vanishing sights. Abandoned pioneer settlements have become ghost towns. And then, after kilometers of flatness, the glorious Rocky Mountains appear on the horizon.
Image: picture alliance/All Canada Photos
Banff National Park, Alberta
No matter how many photos you've seen of the Rocky Mountains, nothing beats experiencing their breathtaking grandeur on location. The town of Banff is a good base to explore the vast Banff National Park. Hiking up into the mountains or canoeing on the electric blue waters of Lake Louise (photo), you can expect encounters with wildlife, whether elk, big horn sheep - or perhaps even grizzly bears.
Image: Imago/All Canada Photos
Vancouver, British Columbia
Several rankings have named Vancouver "the best place to live in the world." The coastal city has it all: Beyond its incredible glass skyline, it not only boasts a buzzing cultural scene, it's also set amidst a natural paradise allowing to go ski or lay on the city's beaches within the same day. The year-round ski resort Whistler is world famous, and it's just a two-hour drive away.
Image: Don Emmert/AFP/Getty Images
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Canada celebrates its 150th birthday on Saturday, marking the day in 1867 that the provinces of Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia merged to form a self-governing state. Later joined by Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Newfoundland and Labrador, Saskatchewan and Prince Edward Island and the territories of Nunavut, Yukon and the Northwest Territories, Canada is now more than 37 million people strong and boasts an economy of 1.57 trillion dollars and growing.
On Saturday the country is throwing a party worthy of its stature, including celebrations across all of the country's six time zones, from Newfoundland in the east to the Yukon Territory in the north-west. The "ultimate party," according to the Canadian government, will be on Parliament Hill and nearby venues in the country's capital, Ottawa. Celebrations in the morning will feature Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Governor General David Johnston, Prince Charles and his wife Camilla as well as performances by singer-songwriter Buffy Sainte-Marie and U2 band members Bono and The Edge, topped off with an air show. The evening show will then feature a performance by singer Gordon Lightfoot and a 20-minute "pyromusical" fireworks show.
The National Arts Centre in Ottawa will also celebrate its re-opening on Saturday and Sunday, after undergoing a 84-million-dollar renovation.
The national celebrations are the culmination of months of events marking Canada's sesquicentenary, including citizenship reaffirmation ceremonies and celebrations highlighting the country's aboriginals and multiculturalism.
Toronto, Canada's biggest city, has sponsored a year-long programme of celebrations, commemorations and exhibitions that the city dubbed its "cultural love letter to the country."
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce are also holding a contest for Canadians to submit what makes them proud of their country. The winners will be awarded with a chance to enjoy one of Canada's "unique adventures," like the Canadian Rockies, Quebec City or a glimpse of the Northern Lights.
Another contest challenged the country's youth to explore Canada's culture and identity and share their vision of the future through art, photography and creative writing. The winners ranged in age from 9 to 18.