The former Soviet Union is the largest country in the world, Canada is 2 nd , the US is 3 rd , China is 4 th and Brazil is 5th.

Canada covers 3,849,674 square miles (9,970,610 square km) of which 291,576 square miles (755,180 square km) are inland water (7.6%), while the US covers 3,717,811 square miles (9,629,091 square km) of which 181,519 square miles (470,131 square km) are inland water (4.9%).

Quebec is the largest Province and Ontario is second while Alaska is the largest state and Texas is second (note: the North West Territories and Nunavat are not Provinces).

Texas is 13,314 sq/miles LARGER than Alberta.

The population of Canada is about the same as the population of California (about 31.5M).  The population of the US is about 280M (almost nine times that of Canada).

The largest metropolitan populations in the US are New York with ~20M and Los Angeles at ~15M.  In Canada, Toronto has ~4.3M and Montreal has ~3.3M.

Canada shares a 5,527 mile (8,895 km) border with the US spanning 12 states and is the largest unprotected border in the world.

The lowest temperature ever recorded in Canada was -81º F (-63º C) in Snag, Yukon, while the highest was 115º F (46º C) at Gleichen in southern Alberta.

In the US it is the President vs. the Prime Minister in Canada.

The Republicans (GOP for Grand Old Party - the elephant) are most akin to Canada's Progressive Conservative party (PCs or Tories).

The Democrats (whose symbol is the donkey) are akin to the Liberals (Grits).

The Canadian equivalent to the CIA (Central Intelligence Agency) in the US is CSIS (Canadian Security Intelligence Service).

Canada Pension Plan can be collected as early as age 60 whereas US Social Security can be collected as early as age 62.

Canada is part of the British Commonwealth while the US is not.

There are 11 statutory holidays in both Canada and the US.  In the US, Thanksgiving is on the last Thursday in November vs. the second Monday in October in Canada, Memorial day is the 4 th Monday of May while Victoria Day is the 3 rd Monday of May, Independence Day is July 4 while Canada Day is July 1.  There is no such thing as Easter Monday or Boxing Day in the US.

Unlike Canada, US healthcare coverage (Medicare) does not start until age 65; for those under 65, it is available for the indigent through Medicaid.  Many people receive health insurance as a benefit from their employer but if you are self-employed or a part-time worker, you have to "go bare" or obtain coverage on your own.

Both Saskatchewan and Arizona do not change their clocks for day light savings time.

US banks typically do not offer currency exchange services, unlike Canadian banks.

Canadian banks charge a fee for each cheque, while most US banks offer free checking.

Canadians can pay most of their bills through an ATM while that is very rare in the US.

Americans refer to grade 7 & 8 as middle school while the equivalent in Canada is grades 7, 8 & 9 which is known as junior high.

American high school is grades 9, 10, 11 & 12 and are referred to in collegiate fashion using freshman, sophomore, junior and senior.

In NFL football, the field is 100 yards long and they have 4 downs while the CFL field is 110 yards and 3 downs.

Believe it or not . . . Winnie the Pooh and the telephone were both created in Canada.