UNESCO World Heritage Sites of Canada Quiz

Answer: Rideau Canal

Construction on the Rideau Canal began in 1812 as preventive military planning. After the War of 1812, the possibility of American occupation and control of the St. Lawrence Seaway between Montreal and Kingston prompted the government to build the canal, which would provide an alternate means of travel between the two cities, through Ottawa (then called Bytown).

The Rideau Canal was named Canada's fourteenth UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2007.

Answer: Alberta

Dinosaur Provincial Park was named Canada's third UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979, largely due to the large number of dinosaur fossils found in the region. There have been 40 different dinosaur species discovered, and hundreds of specimens. The Royal Tyrrell Museum of Paleontology was established near Drumheller, Alberta in 1985, and its 'Dinosaur Hall' exhibit has over 40 dinosaurs (their skeletons, anyway).

Answer: Québec City, Québec

The ramparts of Québec City were originally constructed between 1620 and 1665, although parts of it have been repaired or replaced over the centuries. Within the walls, Vieux-Québec is a vibrant community that is reminiscent of European cities, with some narrow streets, cheek-to-jowl houses, and quaint shops.

A gorgeous feature within the old city is The Holy Trinity Cathedral, while the Chateau Frontenac is also a well-known landmark.

Answer: Nova Scotia

The Carboniferous Geological Period carries the date range of 358.9 to 298.9 million years ago, and the Pennsylvanian Period made up the later portion of that time.

The Joggins region has long been known for coal mining, since the first commercial mine established in 1731, and the cliff face first saw scientific interest in the 1820s. Observations from the Joggins Fossil Cliffs even figured into Darwin's writings in "On the Origin of Species".

The site was Canada's fifteenth UNESCO World Heritage Site, inducted in 2008.

Answer: Basques

The Red Bay Basque Whaling Station (Newfoundland and Labrador) was inducted as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2013. The site includes 313 hectares of land (770 acres) including the town of Red Bay on Labrador's south coast, the Red Bay National Historic Site, Red Bay Harbour, and the islands offshore. Basically, anywhere in the area that could conceivably contain relics or remnants of the region's Basque whaling industry is included.

Answer: True

The name 'Head-Smashed-In' comes from a Blackfoot legend of a young warrior who wanted to watch the buffalo come over the cliff from below, and was buried beneath the carcasses. When they uncovered him, his head was smashed in.

The cliff of Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump is 11 metres (36 feet) high and 300 metres (nearly 1000 feet) wide, so you can imagine how many buffalo could be driven over the edge at one time.

With the introduction of horses by Europeans, the use of buffalo jumps subsided. This site was eventually abandoned, and eventually became a National Historic Site of Canada in 1968. It was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1981, and a terrific interpretive centre opened there in 1987.

Answer: Vikings

The excavated Norse settlement at the tip of Newfoundland's Great Northern Peninsula is the first and only confirmed site of the Vikings' 11th-century arrival in the New World, making L'Anse aux Meadows the first ever European settlement in North America.

It was discovered in 1960 and excavated over the next 17 years before becoming a protected site by Parks Canada. In 1978, L'Anse aux Meadows became Canada's first UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Answer: False

The Nahanni National Park Reserve, located in the NORTHWEST TERRITORIES, was Canada's second named UNESCO World Heritage Site, inducted in 1978. The park's geological variety earned it the selection by UNESCO, along with its rich ecology of flora and fauna.

The spectacular Virginia Falls was named for Virginia Hunter, the daughter of Canadian geological surveyor Fenley Hunter, who explored the region in 1928. They are roughly twice the height of Niagara Falls.

Answer: Lunenburg

The residents of Lunenburg, NS, have managed to preserve some of the buildings along their distinctive waterfront for over 200 years. The town and harbour were significant for the British Empire through its vibrant fishing and shipbuilding industries. 'Old Town Lunenburg' became Canada's eleventh UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1995.

The original schooner Bluenose was built in 1921 in Lunenburg, and was a celebrated Canadian icon until she was shipwrecked in 1946. The replica Bluenose II was built in 1963, and then rebuilt and relaunched in 2013.

Answer: Alberta and Montana

Alberta's Waterton Lakes National Park and Montana's Glacier National Park combined in 1932 to become the Waterton Glacier International Peace Park, the first such endeavour. The region encompasses five eco-regions (alpine tundra, subalpine forest, montane forest, aspen parkland and fescue grassland, according to the UNESCO website), and is unique in having a three headwaters for watersheds (continental divides) to the Pacific, the Atlantic, and the Arctic Oceans.