Canada

Here we go Canada!

Is a country in North America consisting of 10 provinces and 3 territories. Lets start with interesting facts about Canada:
1.Canada is also home to the longest street in the world. Yonge Street in Ontario starts at Lake Ontario, and runs north through Ontario to the Minnesota border, a distance of almost 2000 kilometres.

2. A bear cub named Winnipeg was exported from Canada to the London Zoo in 1915. A little boy named Christopher Robin Milne loved to visit Winnipeg (or Winnie for short) and his love for the bear cub inspired the stories written by his father, A.A. Milne, about Winnie-the-Pooh. It’s thanks to a little bear from Canada called Winnipeg that A.A. Milne invented Winnie-the-Pooh for his son Christopher.
3. The Blackberry Smartphone was developed in Ontario, at Research In Motion’s Waterloo offices.

4. Canada holds the record for the most gold medals ever won at the Winter Olympics, since taking 14 Golds at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics.

5. Montreal is home to many beautiful churches and is often called The City of Saints or City of a hundred bell towers.

6. Canada has over 30000 lakes.

7. Ontario is believed to be home to the world’s smallest jail, which measures only 24.3 sq metres.

8. Canada is the second largest country in the world by total area (Russia is the largest).

9. The 2 main languages spoken in Canada are English and French.

10.The Hotel de Glace in Quebec is built every year
using 400 tons of ice and 12 000 tons of snow.

Every summer it melts away and every winter it is rebuilt. 

Facts and Statistics
Location: Northern North America, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean on the east, North Pacific Ocean on the west, and the Arctic Ocean on the north, north of the conterminous US
Capital: Ottawa
Climate: varies from temperate in south to subarctic and arctic in north
Population: 33,212,696 (July 2008 est.) 
Ethnic Make-up: British Isles origin 28%, French origin 23%, other European 15%, Amerindian 2%, other, mostly Asian, African, Arab 6%, mixed background 26%Religions: Roman Catholic 42.6%, Protestant 23.3% (including United Church 9.5%, Anglican 6.8%, Baptist 2.4%, Lutheran 2%), other Christian 4.4%, Muslim 1.9%, other and unspecified 11.8%, none 16% (2001 census) 
Government: constitutional monarchy that is also a parliamentary democracy and a federation 

Customs and Etiquette in Canada

Meeting and Greeting

• The most common greeting is the handshake.
• It should be firm and accompanied by direct eye contact and a sincere smile.
• Wait until invited before using someone's first name although Canadians tend to move to a first-name basis rapidly.
• French Canadian friends may greet each other by lightly kissing on the cheeks (once on the left cheek and once on the right).
• If using French in Quebec always use the formal pronoun "vous" (you) when speaking to someone and do not switch to the informal "tu" unless invited to do so.

Gift Giving

• In general, Canadians give gifts for birthdays and Christmas.
• If invited to someone's home for dinner, take a box of good chocolates, flowers or a bottle of wine.
• In Quebec, sending flowers in advance of the dinner party is proper protocol.
• In Quebec, if you give wine, make sure it is of the highest quality you can afford.
• Do not give white lilies as they are used at funerals.
• Do not give cash or money as a present.
• Gifts are usually opened when received.

Dining Etiquette

• Table manners are relatively relaxed and informal in Canada.
• Quebec does see a little more formality.
• Table manners are generally Continental, i.e. the fork is held in the left hand and the knife in the right while eating.
• Wait to be shown to your seat.
• Do not begin eating until the hostess starts.
• Do not rest your elbows on the table.
• Feel free to refuse individual foods or drink without offering an explanation.
• Leaving a small amount at the end of the meal is generally acceptable.
• In formal situations, the host gives the first toast. An honoured guest should return the toast later in the meal. Women may give toasts.

Top 10 Canadian Foods!?

Ten foods from Canada that can’t be missed.

PoutineA list of the top 10 Canadian foods wouldn’t be complete without acknowledging the most popular, and possibly the least nutritious, Canadian dish out there – poutine, a Quebec staple that’s a melange of greasy thick-cut fries, squeaky cheese curds and warm peppery gravy. 

Tim Horton’s iced capYou know summer has arrived when you see Canadians across the country clutching their frosty, creamy Tim Horton’s iced caps, a blend of Tim’s signature coffee, cream (or milk), and ice.

Beav TailserA whole wheat pastry is flattened to resemble a beaver tail (how patriotic!) and is cooked by “floating” on top of hot oil. Then they remove it, slather it with butter, and add your favourite toppings (the classic is sweet cinnamon sugar).

TourtiereTourtiere, which is a Christmas dinner staple on the tables’ of Quebeckers, is a meat pie often made with ground pork, veal or beef.

Labatt BlueIt may seem strange to have a beer on a top 10 Canadian foods’ list, but when suds are their own food group in a country, you can’t deny acknowledging Canada’s favourite local brew.

 Maple syrupSure, maple syrup may be in pantries across the globe, but this yummy concoction was first discovered and used by Native Americans in north-eastern North America, so Canadians will gladly take credit for making maple syrup a sweet staple.

May West

The Canadian version of the Twinkie, a May West consists of a round cake with a creamy center enrobed in chocolate. Can’t get much better than that!

 Dill pickle chips

Americans eat ranch.  In England, they snack on roasted chicken flavoured chips -- and Canadians love their tangy home-grown dill pickle chips.

Nanaimo barsNamed after the city in BC, Nanaimo bars have layers upon layers of sugary goodness – first, a thick crumb crust, then a layer of vanilla frosting or custard, and then it’s topped with melted chocolate.

 Smoked meatSmoked meat originated in Jewish delis in Montreal, and it became so popular that the city became known for its coveted smoked meat sandwiches (served warm, on rye bread, with a bit of mustard and a dill pickle on the side).

Ireland !!

Ireland??

Is an island in the Atlantic off the north-western coast of mainland Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth. To its east is the island of Great Britain, from which it is separated by the Irish Sea and North Channel.

Politically, Ireland is divided between the Republic of Ireland, which covers five-sixths of the island, and Northern Ireland, a part of the United Kingdom, which covers the remaining area and is located in the north-east of the island. The population of Ireland is about 6.4 million. Just under 4.6 million live in the Republic of Ireland and just over 1.8 million live in Northern Ireland.




Places of Interest

Giant's Causeway, County Antrim

 

 

 

 

Skellig Michael, County Kerry

 

 

 Brú na Bóinne, County Meath

 

 

Demography

 

People have lived in Ireland for over 9,000 years, although only a limited amount is known about the palaeolithic, neolithic and Bronze Age inhabitants of the island. Early historical and genealogical records note the existence of dozens of different peoples that may or may not be mythological, for example the Cruithne, Attacotti, Conmaicne, Eóganachta, Érainn, and Soghain, to name but a few. Over the past 1000 years or so, Vikings, Normans, Scots and English have all added to the Gaelic population and have had significant influences on Irish culture.

 

Economy

Despite the two jurisdictions using two distinct currencies (the euro and pound sterling), a growing amount of commercial activity is carried out on an all-island basis. This has been facilitated by the two jurisdictions' shared membership of the European Union, and there have been calls from members of the business community and policymakers for the creation of an "all-island economy" to take advantage of economies of scale and boost competitiveness.

 

Awesome pictures!

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is me last week (;

 

 

 



 

 

 





Northern Ireland !!!

Northern Ireland

Is a part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It is variously described as a country, province or region of the UK, amongst other terms. Northern Ireland shares a border to the south and west with the Republic of Ireland. As of 2011, its population was 1,810,863, constituting about 30% of the island's total population and about 3% of the United Kingdom's population. Since the signing of the Good Friday Agreement in 1998, Northern Ireland is largely self-governing.

 

Cities and towns by population[102]
Settlement	Population	Metro population
Belfast	276,705	579,726
Derry	83,652	90,663
Lisburn[103]	71,403
Newtownabbey[103]	62,022
Bangor[103]	58,368
Craigavon	57,651
Castlereagh[103]	54,636
Ballymena	28,704
Newtownards	27,795
Newry	27,300

 

 

Culture

 

 

Is an Ulster Protestant celebration held on 12 July each year. It originated during the 18th century in Ulster, a province of Ireland that was heavily colonized by Protestant settlers from Britain. It celebrates the Glorious Revolution (1688) and victory of Dutch Protestant king William of Orange over Catholic King of England James II at the Battle of the Boyne (1690).



 

Queen’s University Belfast, founded in 1845 by Queen Victoria, with a student body of 24,000, is located in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Queen’s has become one of the most respected universities in the UK, and its research tradition has gained it an international reputation. Queen's University is currently ranked in the top 1% of Universities throughout the world. Their faculties of art, science, law, commerce, applied science and technology, agriculture and theology, allow for academic flexibility. Along with academics, Queen’s offers over 150 clubs and societies based in the Students’ Unions catering for almost every type of interest. 

Governance

Since 1998, Northern Ireland has devolved government within the United Kingdom. The UK Government and UK Parliament are responsible for reserved and excepted matters. Reserved matters are a list of policy area (such as civil aviation, units of measurement, and human genetics), which Parliament may devolve to Northern Ireland Assembly at some time in future. Excepted matters (such as international relations, taxation and elections) are never expected to be considered for devolution. On all other matters, the Northern Ireland Executive together with the 108-member Northern Ireland Assembly may legislate and govern for Northern Ireland. Devolution in Northern Ireland is dependent upon participation by members of the Northern Ireland executive in the North/South Ministerial Council, which co-ordinates areas of co-operation (such as agriculture, education and health) between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. Additionally, "in recognition of the Irish Government’s special interest in Northern Ireland", the Government of Ireland and Government of the United Kingdom cooperate closely on non-devolved matters through the British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference.

Education
Unlike most areas of the United Kingdom, in the last year of primary school many children sit entrance examinations for grammar schools.
Integrated schools, which attempt to ensure a balance in enrolment between pupils of Protestant, Roman Catholic and other faiths (or none) are becoming increasingly popular, although Northern Ireland still has a primarily de facto religiously segregated education system. In the primary school sector, forty schools (8.9% of the total number) are integrated schools and thirty two (7.2% of the total number) are Irish language-medium schools.
The two main universities in Northern Ireland are The Queen's University of Belfast, and the University of Ulster.

 

 

Facts about Wales

Technically, Wales is a principality. This means that it is ruled by a prince. Traditionally the Prince of Wales is the eldest son of the English monarch.

Wales is about the size of Massachusetts

Motto:	Cymru am byth (Wales for ever)
Flag:	Red dragon on a green and white field.
National Day:	1 March
Area:	20,779 sq km
Population:	2,918,700 (2002)
Capital City:	Cardiff (Caerdydd)
Major Cities:	Cardiff, Swansea (Abertawe) and Newport (Casnewydd)
Official Language:	English and Welsh
Nationality :	Welsh and British Find out more
Anthem (Song):	Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau (Land Of My Fathers)
Main religions:	Anglicanism, Methodism
Currency:	Pound Sterling (£)
Highest point:	Snowdon 1085 metres (3559 ft)
Longest river:	Towy (Tywi) 103 km (64 miles)
Largest Lake:	Bala (4.4 sq km)
Official Animal	Dragon

Clog Dancing in Wales!?

Clogs Wales' other unbroken tradition, apart from harp playing, is its step or clog dancing.


The dance was originally performed by farmers and slate quarry workers and often came in the form of a competition where dancers would show off their stamina and athleticism.


The difference between Welsh clogging and other step dance traditions is that the performance will not only include complicated stepping, but also 'tricks'.


For example, snuffing out a candle flame with the dancer's feet, 'toby stepping' - similar to Cossack dancing - and high leaps into the air.

Lets go to WALES!

 Is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England.

 
For the purposes of local government, Wales has been divided into 22 council areas since 1996. These "principal areas¨ are responsible for the provision of all local government services, including education, social work, environment and roads services.