Introduction
Elvis, the Grand Canyon, Vegas, the Big Apple, Niagara Falls: the instant images of the US of A stand wide and tall as if they were on a drive-in movie screen. But there's more to America than legendary icons: from mid-West, small-town life, to historic native roots and a melting pot of pioneers and immigrants, its inhabitants are as colourful and varied as its landscapes. No wonder they sometimes say they don't need to go abroad, when they've got it all in their own backyard (especially when their backyard happens to be the same size as other people's countries).
Canada, meanwhile, almost matches the United States in scale, but despite only having a fraction the population has a lot more to offer than wide empty prairies and frozen tundra: absorb the vibrant French-Canadian culture of Quebec or the old-world charm of Montreal; visit one of the country's 68 designated "natural areas" and keep a look out for polar bears, wolves and caribou.
