Partner Country of the Month: Canada

Canada is a dream come true for lovers of the great outdoors. Despite being the second largest country in the world, its population is only about half the size of that of Germany, leaving plenty of space for absolutely stunning nature. Canada has more lakes than all other countries combined, as well as the world’s longest coastline, dotted with thousands of islands. Add welcoming and friendly people, maple syrup, and the world’s largest per-capita concentration of donut shops to the mix – it’s time to explore Canada!

In the series "Partner Country of the Month", we shine a spotlight on the countries, regions and partner universities of TU Dresden where our students can spend a semester abroad.

Bridge leading to a wooded island on a lake

General facts and figures about Canada

Capital: Ottawa
Population: 40.1 million (2023)
Official language: English, French
National holiday: Canada Day on July 1 – formation of the Canadian Confederation
Currency: Canadian Dollar (CAD), 1 € = 1,50 $

You can find further facts, figures and information on Wikipedia, on Canada’s official website including travel information, or e.g. on Wikivoyage.

Small language course

With English and French as official languages, Canada is a bilingual country. Product labels and federal institutions need to be available in both languages. French is spoken mainly in the province of Québec in eastern Canada, where the great majority of Canada’s 21% French native speakers live. English, the native language of 58% of Canadians, is dominant in most other parts of Canada. 21% of the population are native speakers of other languages, reflecting Canada’s multicultural society.

Anglophone Canadians and US Americans sound basically the same – with one difference: Canadians like to add “eh?” to their sentences. This small particle can express many things. Sometimes it’s just there to appeal to Canadian identity. Usually though, “eh?” asks for confirmation, similar to “right?”. “Eh?” is probably derived from French “hein?”, which is pronounced and used in much the same way.

For your application at one of our partner universities, you need at least B2-level proficiency in English. If needed, you can join the preparation course for a period abroad at TUDIAS to brush up your English. If you are interested in studying at Polytechnique Montréal in Québec (see cooperations), you also need B1-level French. TUDIAS also offers French courses.

Did you know that ....?

the world’s most extensive underground city lies beneath our partner city Montréal? Over 32 kilometres of pedestrian tunnels and shopping arcades connect metro stations, shopping malls, universities, hotels, an ice hockey stadium and many other buildings, including residential buildings and most office blocks. Montréal souterrain is a refuge from the city’s snowy winters, with temperatures that can reach -37°C.
Canada has the world’s most educated population? This conclusion was reached by various studies conducted by the OECD, focussing primarily on the level of tertiary (university or college) education. According to 2022 data, 63% of Canadians between 25 and 64 years of age have completed tertiary education. In Germany, it’s only 33%.

in Canada, red chairs mark the prettiest nature spots? The first chairs were placed to promote lesser-known but stunning views. They were a great success and today, over 400 pairs of red chairs can be found in national parks all over the country. Some are easy to find, others require more of an adventurous spirit, but almost all are only accessible by hiking (or paddling). After a strenuous hike, there's nothing better than relaxing in a red chair and enjoying the view.
it's possible to see the northern lights almost anywhere in Canada? The aurora’s moving curtains of light are most active in the sparsely populated north, where they are visible for most of the year. But chances are good in southern Canada as well. It’s best to avoid the light pollution of cities and choose clear winter nights.
Canada is the world's biggest village? When the French seafarers around Jacques Cartier met the native Iroquois people in 1535 in present-day Québec, they were invited to their kanata (village). Cartier later referred to the surrounding area as Canada, and European maps adopted it for the whole region. When several colonies united in 1867, alternative names such as Borealia (northern land), Ursalia (bear land) and Superior were proposed as well, but “Canada” had already taken root.
60-80% of the world’s polar bears live in Canada? The majority live in the northern territory of Nunavut (“Our Land” in the Inuit language). Nunavut, making up a fifth of Canada’s land area, comprises most of the Arctic Archipelago. However, white bears can even be found in the rainforest of Canada’s southern Pacific coast. The so-called spirit bear inspired many local myths and legends.

Cooperations with Universities in Canada

You can find all cooperations of TU Dresden in our database. Under Questionnaires, the experiences of previous exchange students can help you with impressions of our partner universities. Asking professors in your own faculty who might have direct contacts to your partner university of choice is also a good idea. Here you can find the contact persons and application deadlines for your faculty.

Our partner universities in Canada

Cooperation via TUDworldwide
- University of Alberta in Edmonton – interdisciplinary cooperation
- Polytechnique Montréal – engineering focus, available for STEM majors
Cooperation via Erasmus+
- University of British Columbia Vancouver campus – Chemistry and Food Chemistry

Don't miss...

landscape with pines and the Rocky Mountains

Banff National Park shows Canada straight out of a picture book, with turquoise glacier lakes, tall conifers, wild river canyons and the Rocky Mountains as the backdrop. At the northern end of the national park lies Columbia Icefield, one of the world’s largest ice masses outside the polar regions, encompassing eight glaciers. Banff is worth a visit throughout the year, with special winter highlights like frozen waterfalls and a magnificent starry sky, often graced by northern lights.

the water masses of the Horseshoe Fall shown from the side

The Niagara Falls are some of the world’s most impressive and powerful waterfalls. Situated exactly on the border between Canada and the US, they lie not too far (by Canadian standards) from our partner city of Montréal. For a magnificent view of the falls unimpeded by the crowds, visit Niagara Parks Power Station. The former hydroelectric plant turned museum also shows many interesting exhibits about the history and workings of hydropower.

Vancouver Island. Overgrown with vivid green mosses and ferns, the ancient trees in the temperate rainforest of Pacific Rim National Park are always worth a visit. You can hike a part of the West Coast Trail, winding its way through the rainforest and along sandy beaches and coastal cliffs. Vancouver Island is also an excellent spot for whale watching. In March and April, thousands of Pacific gray whales move north along the west coast, and orcas can be seen from April to October near the east coast.

beautifully plated dish from an Indigenous restaurant

Salmon’n’Bannock. Vancouver’s only Indigenous restaurant prepares its specialties from local ingredients such as wild salmon, bison and wild rice, traditionally used in First Nations cooking for generations. Almost all dishes are accompanied by bannock, a traditional flat bread. Is there any appetizer that sounds more Canadian (and more mouth-watering) than smoked salmon glazed with a drizzle of maple syrup?

Let's get cooking...

Without a doubt, the most quintessentially Canadian ingredient is maple syrup. It’s so important that Canada has a strategic reserve that can hold up to 44 million liters of syrup, with the purpose of balancing out harvest fluctuations. Of course, such amounts of maple syrup are worth a lot of money, so in 2011/12, the syrup reserve was the target of the largest heist in Canadian history.

Maple syrup is often enjoyed on pancakes and waffles, but it can also go with scrambled eggs, ice cream, and bacon, among other things. The maple sap is harvested in early spring and boiled down in sugar shacks, which also serve a special treat: Maple taffy (tire sur la neige). Boiling thick syrup is poured onto snow, rolled onto a stick when sufficiently hardened, and eaten while it’s still warm and sticky.

In general, Canadian and US cuisine resemble each other. As a multicultural society, Canada also has a very international food scene. Canadians break some records by eating more donuts and more mac and cheese per capita than any other nation. And have you ever suspected that a Canadian invented Hawaiian pizza?

Also worth mentioning is Canada’s national drink, the Caesar. This cocktail resembles a Bloody Mary, but with a base of Clamato, a mix of tomato and clam juice. That may sound strange, but it gives the drink an extra savoury boost. Tabasco, bacon, pickles and other add-ons can enhance the flavor profile even more.

Recipe: Poutine

Canada’s national dish is said to have originated like this: In 1950s Québec, a restaurant customer asks the chef to put cheese curds and gravy into his bag of take-out French fries. The chef complies, exclaiming “Ça va faire une maudite poutine (It will make a damn mess)!“. A tasty mess though, as poutine is now popular throughout the country and served in many variations and all manner of restaurants, from street food to haute cuisine. The basic ingredients are always French fries, squeaky cheese curds and beef gravy.

Ingredients:

12 medium-sized waxy potatoes (or a bag of French fries)
500 g cheese – mozzarella (grated or shredded) or cheddar
2 shallots
2 garlic cloves
1 l beef broth
4 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
60 g butter
60 g flour
salt & pepper
oil for deep-frying
you also need a small wooden skewer or a deep fry thermometer

Preparation:

Peel the potatoes, wash them and cut them into sticks.
Take the cheese out of the fridge to let it warm up. If necessary, cut or shred the cheese.
Peel and dice shallots and garlic cloves, then fry them briefly in a pot with a bit of oil. Add the beef broth and Worcestershire sauce and bring to a boil.
Melt the butter in a small pan, add the flour and stir to form a roux. Then stir the roux evenly into the beef gravy. Season the gravy with salt and pepper and let it simmer over low heat for 10 minutes.
Fill a pot about halfway with deep-frying oil and turn up the heat. The temperature should reach 170°C - if you hold your wooden skewer into the oil, small bubbles will form at the desired temperature. Once the oil is hot enough, switch to medium heat. Carefully place the fries in the hot oil using tongs or a strainer. Remove them when they have achieved a golden-brown color and put them on a rack lined with kitchen paper to dry off. Season with salt.
Just before serving, add the cheese to the fries and generously pour beef gravy on top. Timing keeps the fries crispy. Enjoy your meal!

(Many thanks to essen-und-trinken.de!)

Contact and further contact persons

Have you had great experiences in Canada? Do you have tips for places and things that should not be missed? We would be happy to share your experiences either here, on Facebook or, if you want, in an online information event for other TUD students. Get in touch with us:

Advice on studying abroad

Ms Federica Serra

Infocenter/ Study abroad; TUDworldwide: America

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Contact Information

International Office

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Visiting address:

Fritz Foerster Bau, Office 161 Mommsenstraße 6

01069 Dresden

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postal

Postal address:

TUD Dresden University of Technology International Office

01062 Dresden

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Office hours:

Tuesday:: 09:30 - 11:30; 12:30 - 14:30
Thursday:: 09:30 - 11:30

Please register at the SCS (FOE, floor 0).

Office hours by phone:

Keine Sprechzeit am 12. Dezember 2024: wir sind beim EUTOPIA International Day. Kommen Sie uns gern besuchen! (Foyer FOE, Eingang Mommsenstraße)

Do you want to get first-hand information?

Would you like to know more about Canada? Ask our regional ambassadors - TUD alumni who are active in many countries around the world and can give you information and advice for your stay.

Getting in touch is very easy: On this interactive world map, markers indicate the cities where our regional ambassadors live. There is a short profile with contact information for each one.