Canada is a vast and diverse country - made up of ten provinces and three territories - and is the second largest country in the world by land area.

About 20% of Canadians have French as their native language, with this influence felt most obviously in and around the cities of Montreal and Quebec City.

Its economy is closely linked with that of the neighbouring USA but with a high GDP and good education record it thrives in its own right – exporting oil, cars and manufactured goods. It benefits from a stable political system with favourable conditions for businesses and investors.

The west coast seaport city of Vancouver is richly diverse and the up and coming arty neighbourhood of Port Moody – due to benefits from the SkyTrain – and trendy Brentwood Park are smart investments that could rival the exclusive and sought-after areas of western Vancouver.

The cosmopolitan capital of Ottawa is a beautiful standard bearer for this stunning country – with the park-lined Rideau Canal attracting eager boaters for the majority of the year until it transforms into the world’s largest naturally frozen ice skating rink in the winter. The luxurious mansions of Old Ottawa South and Rockcliffe Park are among the country’s most sought-after property hotspots.

Those districts are perhaps only topped by the exquisite surrounds of the Bridal Path, York Mills-Windfields and Sunnybrook – Canada’s three most magnificent neighbourhoods that all sit in Toronto, Ontario.

Much of the country is uninhabited, with 31% made up of forests and about 20% of the world’s freshwater being found in Canada.