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Canada is huge. It is the second largest country in the world. You could fit 117 Scotlands into Canada!
The first European explorers that came to Canada had to walk everywhere. Some rode horses but most rivers were too wide, deep and swift to swim them across. They would have to stop at every river to build a raft or a bridge before they could cross.
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Many explorers travelled by canoe down the rivers that snaked across Canada. Dangerous rapids and waterfalls had to be bypassed on foot. Explorers had to stop, unload their canoe and carry everything, including their boats, till they reached a safer stretch of the river.
Explorers often had to cut a path through forests for miles before they could move boats and supplies up the river. This process was called 'portaging', and it often took several trips to ferry everything back to the river.
Scots explorers and adventurers faced incredible dangers as they crossed the Canadian wilderness. Canada's mountains, forests and plains were home to bears, wolves, lynx, cougars and coyotes. Some Native peoples were a threat to white explorers.
The wilderness adventures of Scots explorers in Canada became world famous.
Famous Scots explorers and adventurers include:
The images used above are licensed under Creative Commons on Flickr by the following photographers: Alaskan Dude, Musée McCord Museum, National Maritime Museum and radiospike photography.
The other image (John Rae) is courtesy of National Galleries of Scotland.
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