In its vastness, Canada ranks as the world’s second largest country (after Russia). Yet 90% of its citizens live within 100 miles of Canada’s southern border, which abuts the United States. Canada, after all, stretches far into the Arctic, with winters everywhere that are long, dark and harsh—and they get worse the farther north you go. This is why 89% of Canada remains uninhabited, with more than half the land covered by forests. Nonetheless, Canadians have a standard of living comparable to that of the United States, and though Canada’s lifestyle at first glance seems similar to its neighbor’s, in fact, Canadian culture is less brash. The country offers a friendly but reserved mosaic of heritages that includes British stolidity, French vivacity, native Inuit customs and even Chinese traditions, especially in Vancouver, which has the largest Chinese population of any city outside Asia. Canadians patiently tolerate this lively social jumble, especially because all of its cultures share a passion for ice hockey.