Canada is far too often overlooked as the land just north of the United States. This, of course, is understandable: It cannot be easy to share a border with the single most powerful nation in the world; too much of what Canada achieves, and has to offer, is overlooked by the rest of the world because of the influence of its southern neighbor. But when Canada is considered on its own terms, it becomes apparent that this vast and beautiful nation has much more to offer than it usually gets credit for.

Most people are surprised to learn that "Canada is the world's second-largest country in total area, after Russia" (www.en.wikipedia.org). It stretches from the northern border of the continental United States all the way up to the "Canadian Forces Station (CFS) Alert on the northern tip of Ellesmere Island...just 834 kilometres (450 nautical miles) from the North Pole" (www.en.wikipedia.org). Within this expanse of land lie a variety of cultures and peoples that is as diverse as that of any nation in the world. From the French-speaking residents of Montreal and Quebec to the inhabitabts of the rugged Yukon territory, Canada's population runs the gamut from urban to rural and encompasses everything in between.

Culturally, Canada "has historically been heavily influenced by English, French, Irish, and Scottish cultures and traditions. In more modern times, Canadian culture is now greatly influenced by American culture, due to the proximity and the migration of people, ideas, and capital" (www.en.wikipedia.org). This does not mean, however, that Canada does not have a distinct national culture of its own. In fact, several highly regarded figures on the world arts stage have come from Canada, including the filmmaker Atom Egoyan and the writer Margaret Atwood.

It is, however, for sports that Canada is perhaps most famous, and nowhere is this more apparent than with hockey, the national pasttime and the nearly universal passion. "Canada's six largest metropolitan areas have franchises in the National Hockey League (NHL), and there are more Canadian players in the league than from all other countries combined. The three major junior leagues that together comprise the Canadian Hockey League have a combined total of 49 teams in Canadian towns or cities, from all 10 provinces. There are also strong women's leagues across the country" (www.en.wikipedia.org). Other popular sports include lacrosse and the curiously beguiling sweeping game called curling.

Canada is such a vast and diverse country that defining it is an effort in futility, and this is exactly why attending college there is so rewarding. From the ethnic melting-pot of international cities like Toronto to the rugged frontier of the North Western territories, Canada is a nation that defies easy description or understanding. The best way to fully grasp the immensity of it, and to reap the greatest rewards, is simply to live there. The benefits are as potentially vast as the land itself.