Visiting Vancouver
The country's culture is influenced by European immigrants from Great Britain, France and Ireland. There have also been large waves of immigration from Asia, Africa and the Caribbean in recent years. These immigrant brought traditions from their countries of origin to Canada. Foods, languages, superstitions, holidays and sports were some of the traditions that were introduced into Canada after the arrivals of the immigrants. This is why Vancouver celebrates the Chinese new year.
Vancouver is a great place to learn English. Located on the West Coast of Canada, Vancouver has something special for everyone. With over one million native English speaking Canadians, Vancouver has its own culture with a unique Canadian twist- making it the ideal place to learn the Canadian way of life while simultaneously developing your English skills!
Vancouver, widely revered as the “Hollywood of the North” is truly one-of-a-kind, with stunning architecture, mesmerizing natural beauty and a way of life unparalleled.
- Capital city: Ottawa
- Form of Government: Parliamentary Monarchy
- Citizen Count: 36.503.097
- Emergency calls: 911
- Canada country code for calls: +1
- Circuitry voltage: 120 Volts
- Province of Vancouver: British Columbia
- Population of Vancouver: ~630.000
About Vancouver
It’s no accident that the colours that represent the local hockey team are green and blue – the colours of our forest and ocean playgrounds. Vancouver boasts more parks than any other city in the world, the largest of which – Stanley Park – takes up approximately half of the downtown peninsula.
The compact urban core makes the city seem much larger but because the flora and fauna are never far, it doesn’t take much to discover an oasis from the urban hustle. The seawall, which extends around Stanley Park, is over 22 km in length – the longest uninterrupted walkway in the world.
The Vancouver Aquarium where you can see dolphins, beluga whales, sea lions, seals and sea otters will no doubt be on your list of places to visit, along with the massive Museum of Anthropology, a centre for historic and contemporary Native art.
Vancouver is also an education hub with five renowned universities in the region – among them, SFU and UBC rank among the world’s best. While the extensive network of colleges provide international students with a wealth of options to continue their studies following our tutelage.
10 Cool Facts About Vancouver
- Vancouver was recently ranked as the third most “livable place in the world” for its high standard of living and quality of life. While it is ranked as the 10th cleanest city in the world.
- Vancouver has the 4th largest cruise ship terminal in the world.
- Home to Canada’s longest pool. Measuring 137.5 meters (451 feet), it is nearly the size of three Olympic pools. This outdoor, saltwater pool is a major tourist attraction and is open year round.
- Vancouver has the highest real estate prices in Canada. In 2011, the average price of a detached home was a staggering $1,204,587. Some say this is close to rivaling New York City and London.
- Vancouver is the largest film production center in North America after Los Angeles and New York City
- Stanley Park, an urban oasis, is 10% larger than New York City’s Central Park. It is a staggering 1001 acres.
- The Vancouver Aquarium ranks in the top 5 worldwide.
- Downtown Vancouver is 65% residential. Don’t be surprised to see a lot of high-rise condominiums.
- Vancouver has the mildest climate in Canada. Although, it receives on average, 1,589mm of rain per year.
- Greenpeace, one of the world’s oldest and most successful environmental groups was established in Vancouver.
What to see in and around Vancouver
