Canada sits happily to the North of America, taking up the majority of the space as the second largest country in the world (behind the Russian Federation), and shares borders with the US in the south and northwest, as well as coastlines on the Pacific, Atlantic and Arctic Oceans. This magnificent country has everything for everyone, from areas of magnificent natural beauty to the cosmopolitan chic-bastions of the major cities, with some good old fashioned arctic tundra thrown in for good measure. A lot of people still dismiss Canada as the US’ lower-quality cousin, but these people are simply wrong – this is a proud nation of people, home to the highest literacy rates in the world and fourth longest life expectancy, a nation of resounding beauty that has a government and people that care for it – nearly two thirds of Canada’s energy comes from environmentally friendly sources. Essentially, Canada is everything that is good and great about the world today.

The first arrivals in Canada are believed to have arrived during the last ice age, when they crossed what was then land from Siberia and set up shop in the region – they were joined around 1000AD by the Vikings, who had set their sights on conquest, but soon got tired of conflict with the aboriginal tribes. The next batch of Europeans didn’t arrive in the country until the 15^th century, and it wasn’t until the 16^th century that interest in the region really picked up, with promises of bountiful fishing trips attracting many French and English to areas in and around Newfoundland. By the early 1600s the French had founded Quebec, and Canada soon became a recognised province of France – obviously the British couldn’t just leave this be, and soon enough had set up a few settlements of their own in the region. Relations were frosty, but amicable, and it took the Seven Years War in Europe before any violence broke out between the French and British, and fighting carried on for a number of years. The British eventually captured Louisburg and defeated the French in Quebec City – by the time the war was over in Europe in 1763, a defeated France ceded Canada to the British. When the American Revolution came about (1775-1783), many British loyalists fled the US and set up shop in Canada – this lead to US interests leaning towards her northern neighbour, though these interests were never realised. Another century of relative calm passed, with the French and now more numerous British locals endlessly bickering about their as-of-yet non-unified nation, until 1867, when the Dominion of Canada was created and a unified nation stood proud. The country was self-governing, but still maintained ties to the British monarchy – something that still stands to this day. The First and Second World Wars saw Canada siding with their former bosses, but between the two conflicts they still found time to formalise independence in 1931. The remainder of the 20^th century saw Canada grow in prosperity and international standing, the mid-70s saw the government giving back land to the Inuit that had it taken from them so many years ago and 1994 saw Canada as one of the three nations to sign the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).  One particular sour note did rear its head in the 1960s and 70s, when Quebecois separatists demanded independence from British Canadian rule – this movement gained some power in the national assembly and saw some violent protests through the years, but recent years have seen support for the movement waning and dropping to all time lows. Recent years have seen Canada happily doing it’s thing – helping the US with security measures in response to 9/11, but refusing to participate in what they saw as an illegal war in Iraq. The 2006 elections saw the Liberal Party replaced by the Conservative Party – the Liberal’s first loss in 12 years.

Canada is an economic power on a global scale, with some of the largest export commodities in the world – timber, zinc and uranium. The economy is solid, the country is politically stable and the standard of living is very high – the major cities are comparable to those of the US, with the added bonus of being a lot safer. Potential off plan investors in the country will not be looking at low prices, but they will be looking at an absolutely wonderful country, full of anything a person could want and some truly spectacular visions of natural beauty, along with an incredible people.

The standards of healthcare in Canada are excellent, though they are not present in much of the north. Health insurance is essential, as treatment can prove very expensive.

Mobile phone coverage stretches across the country, though it cannot be relied upon in the north of the country. Landlines are widely available and lines are of an excellent standard. Internet cafes are widespread throughout the country.