Did You Know? The Sambro Island Lighthouse (1758) is the oldest working lighthouse in the Americas. Most lobsters are greenish when caught; cooking turns them red. Canada has the world's longest coastline (125,290 miles). The world’s oldest Acadian community is located in Pubnico (from ca. 1653). Male humpback whales communicate
Did You Know...? Seventy-five percent of British Columbia is mountainous, 60% is forested. The province (364,764 square miles) is larger than California, Oregon and Washington combined. British Columbia hosts more than 30 aboriginal nations in 197 communities. Some Carmanah Walbran Park cedars are more than 1,000 years old. The province
Did You Know...? Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot grapes originated in Bordeaux. A grapevine in the Sauternes region produces only one or two glasses of wine a year. A modern incarnation of a medieval wine guild, the Jurade, controls the quality of St. Emilion wines. Modern Bordeaux vineyards cover
Did You Know? The name for Ambergris Caye is based on a substance found in whale intestines. Actor Leonardo DiCaprio and a partner own Blackadore Caye. The Belizean barrier reef is part of the longest reef system in the Northern and Western hemispheres (600-700 miles). Manatees, weighing up to 1,200
Did You Know...? Godfrey, the best-known leader of the First Crusade (1096), was born at the Castle of Bouillon. Tongeren claims to be Belgium’s oldest town, predating the Roman era when it was a provincial capital. The World War I poem, “In Flanders Fields,” inspired the use of poppies as
Did You Know? Bay of Fundy tides rise to 53 feet, for the world’s highest tides. The fictional heroine of Longfellow’s epic poem, “Evangeline,” hailed from Grand Pre. Port Royal was Canada’s first permanent European settlement (1605). The strong tides in the Bay of Fundy reverse the flow of the
Did You Know? In one tide cycle, more water flows through the bay than the amount of water in all the world’s rivers. Arthur Ganong, president of Ganong Bros. chocolate makers for 40 years, ate three pounds of chocolate daily. The American traitor, Benedict Arnold, took refuge from the American
Did You Know...? The unique Black Forest cuckoo clock originated around Triberg in the 18th century. The Romans, who were first to tap the area’s thermal springs, gave the Black Forest its name: Silva Nigra. In Baden-Baden, 211,400 gallons of 156F waters rise daily from 12 thermal springs. The Oberammergau
Did You Know? Banff is Canada’s oldest national park, dating from 1885. Wood Buffalo National Park is a UNESCO site larger than Switzerland. Elk Island National Park is completely fenced in. The population in Banff, the town, is limited to 10,000. Water flows to three oceans from the Columbia Icefield
Did You Know ... ? Arnold Schwarzenegger was born the son of a policeman in Graz in the alpine foothills. Maria von Trapp sold rights to the story that became “The Sound of Music” for $9,000. Salzburg-born Mozart’s full name was Johann Chrysostom Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. “Silent Night” was first
