Canada and The United States Compared

Mr. Beat compares and contrasts his home country of the United States with its northernly neighbor, Canada. Oh Canada.

Produced by Matt Beat. All images/video by Matt Beat, found in the public domain, or used under fair use guidelines. Thanks to Tim Betts for help with animations in the video. Music by Ready for Freddy and South Street Strut.

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#canada #unitedstates #geography

Canada and The United States of America

The two biggest countries in North America

Both have a lot in common...

Woah, are we really gonna do this? Ok, let’s do this…

Both have very close cultural and economic ties.

So actually, both are two of the biggest countries in the world. Canada is slightly bigger than the United States.

Both share the world’s longest border between two countries. The border stretches 5,525 miles….or...I mean, 8,891 kilometers. Yeah while Canada has officially adopted the metric system as a whole, the United States is only one of three countries in the entire world that hasn’t. That said, plenty of Canadians don’t always use the metric system to measure stuff, and plenty of Americans do often use the metric system.

Anyway, let’s stick with more similarities first, ok?

Both are two of the wealthiest, most developed countries in the world. Immigrants have flocked to both countries for economic opportunity for centuries, which is why major cities in both are some of the mostly ethnically diverse in the world.

Both have mixed economies and have a progressive tax system on income. However, Canadians definitely pay higher taxes overall.

Oh lots of trading be going on between the two. The United States is Canada’s largest trading partner, and Canada is consistently a top three trading partner for the United States. Both are in NATO and have historically fought as allies in wars.

Both have lots of natural resources. Both have a wide variety of climates and rainfall patterns.

Both are democratic. Specifically, the United States is a democratic republic, and Canada is a parliamentary democracy and constitutional monarchy.

Both are growing at about the same rate. (C- .7%, US- .8%)

Residents of both generally like their space. Indeed, everything is more spread out in both countries.

[iammrbeat]

Which is better? Canada or The United States?
Which two countries should I compare next?

[onionman]

The US and Canada are like the two guys who became friends in class because they’ve been sitting beside each other for along time

[fraslex]

I remember being in a hotel in America and asked a worker for the washroom. She sent me to the laundry room.

[jacobhogan]

Americans: Let's Learn About Canada.
Canadians: Let's see how much he got wrong about Canada.

[bcnicholas]

Living on the border all my life I’ve gained a huge love and respect for my Canadian brothers and sisters 🇨🇦🇺🇸

[JRwash]

“Geography has made us neighbours. History has made us friends. Economics has made us partners. And necessity has made us allies. Those whom nature hath so joined together, let no man put asunder. What unites us is far greater than what divides us.” JFK to Canadian parliament 05/17/1961

[finskiandguns]

Bald eagles almost went extinct due to hunting and deforestation in the US so Canada sent them a ridiculous amount. Most eagles in the US are actually Canadian.

[ethanverbeem]

Americans see Canada as like the little brother who follows them around. Canadians see America as the embarrassing friend in public who you stay close to incase they do something really stupid.


Both are more or less right is different situations.

[anaisgeoffrion]

English Canadians and Americans might be similar, but if you visit Québec and really take the time to talk to the francophones, you'll probably notice many cultural differences. According to anthropologists, Quebecers are in between English Canadians and French from France.

[lobaandrade]

This guy’s voice always sounds like he’s on the edge of telling a joke, I dig it

[HAA]

I like how he shows Ottawa the most. Ottawa is always overshadowed by Toronto and Montreal nearby.

[hollywoodhh]

As a Canadian who also went to college in the United States most of this is true. Except I dont think Canadians hate Americans they hate American corporate bought politician's, American military industrial complex and to a lesser to degree American News media. But the average american is a good person to me and I have nothing but love for the vast majority of American people. I also find Americans just as nice as Canadians

[BadgerCheese]

Me and my husband recently came back from a trip to Canada. It was our first time up there. We really enjoyed it, sans a scary experience our first night lol But coming from Minnesota, to Manitoba, here are the main differences we saw...

🍁 Much of the highway shoulders are gravel.

🍁 Most signs are bilingual, English and French

🍁 There was a stronger Native population. Minneapolis has a considerable Native population as well but it seemed more prevalent in Winnipeg

🍁 Winnipeg felt like a mix of Minneapolis, Omaha and Oklahoma City. The residential areas looked like Minneapolis but less lush. The same type of housing stock typical in northern US. But it had a stronger prairie vibe like Omaha. And the Native influence made it seem like Oklahoma City. It was still very Canadian though.

🍁 A lot more local businesses and less chains.

🍁 Canadians seemed to love their flag even more or as much as Americans.

🍁 Even though we were relatively south for Canada, there was a lot of references to the Arctic which I thought was really cool.

🍁 Geographically, it resembled North Dakota a lot. Lots of flat fields. I know Manitoba is known for its lakes but they are further north. I did see Lake Winnipeg which is pretty cool.

🍁 McDonald's is more expensive but looks cleaner and nicer

🍁 A lot of attractions were very affordable

🍁 Canadian parents seem to treat their kids less like babies. Canadian kids seemed less bratty, more well behaved

🍁 The accent is definitely there lol. It sounds similar to Minnesota but it stands out in words like "soorry" and "aboot."

🍁 Few black and Hispanic people but lots of Asians, especially Chinese and Indian. A lot of benches and signs were in Chinese.

🍁 Lotta Ukrainian diasporans

🍁 One way signs were just blank arrows


Overall it was a fun place to visit. Def wanna see the other provinces.

[hexbug]

As a Canadian we also sometimes use time to measure stuff (i.e; “the store is five minutes north”)

[dreamz]

"plenty of americans do use the metric system" - *drug dealers begin to sweat*

[johnnguyen]

Some fun facts is that Detroit is actually north of Canada specifically Windsor, Ontario and the Detroit River separates the two cities so typically around the US Independence Day or Canada Day there is a large fireworks display on the river celebrating the two holidays of the two countries.

[aosundragonkiller]

My girlfriend is Canadian and I love visiting her and plan to eventually move over there. I have noticed that the smaller population does affect how many people you can find in the country you can relate to in terms of hobbies, interests, or other groups. Otherwise, Canada is just as great as the USA!

[JulianT]

As a Canadian, I find myself using all three terms: washroom, bathroom and restroom. I use washroom and bathroom synonymously but generally I say bathroom when I'm at home and washroom when i'm at school or out and about. I use restroom not as often but whenever I am in a somewhat fancy situation I will say restroom.

[jeremiebornais]

Living in southern Ontario is crazy because you end up having a mix of Canadian and American things coexisting. Many of us grew up watching American TV and radio so things like using Fahrenheit and Celsius interchangeably happen.

[zachstutzman]

Nothing but love for our northern friends! Our brotherhood is our strength 🇨🇦🤝🇺🇲