Canada is HUGE

We Canadians learn in school that our country is big, and that it is not very populated.  And we hear stories about how shockingly big and empty Canada is to people from other countries.  Like, for example, to the French tourists who once asked my uncle Roger how long it would take to drive from Ottawa to Edmonton, to which he mischievously but truthfully answered, "four days".

Spending time in Korea has given me a new perspective on the large size and the small population of Canada.

Consider for example, the population density of two cities, one Korean and one Canadian, that have approximately the same population.  Busan has a population of approximately 3.6 million people, and a population density of about 4700 people per square kilometre.  Toronto, on the Canadian side, has a population of approximately 2.5 million people, and a population density of about 4000 people per square kilometre.  These cities seem like they have comparable populations and densities.  However, Toronto is the largest Canadian city, and Busan is only the second-largest city in Korea.  The largest Korean city, Seoul, has a population of approximately 10.2 million people, and a population density of about 17000 people per square kilometre.  So the largest Korean city has a population density that is about 4 times bigger than that of the largest Canadian city.

An even more dramatic contrast holds for Canada and Korea over all.  The population density of Canada is about 3.5 people per square kilometre, while the population density of Korea is about 500 people per square kilometre.  So Korea's population density is about 125 times larger than Canada's.

Evidence of Korea's high population density is everywhere.  When travelling through the country, it seems like every square inch of land is in use, in some way or other.  Throughout the country, people are always in close proximity to each other.  And even in the uninhabited areas, usually located on the mountains, there is evidence of human activity.

Abandoned terraces on Baekyang mountain.

A rock wall on Baekyang mountain.

A rusted barbed-wire fence on Baekyang mountain.

Near the top of Baekyang mountain, Busan is visible in the distance.

In contrast, there are parts of Canada where the horizon exists only because the Earth is round.  Also, there are large tracts of untouched forest in Canada (though not as large as one might expect, given the size of the country).  And though there is evidence of human activity in Canada's forested areas as well, some forests are known as wilderness canoe-camping destinations even though their trees are actively harvested.

An abandoned building in Gatineau Park.

A lake in Gatineau Park.

A field in early winter, east of Montreal.

A field in south-east Ontario or south-west Québec.

A farm in southern Ontario.