A poll of 2,000 adults found many are unaware of the innovations and famous faces that have emanated from America’s northern neighbor.
The pacemaker, alkaline batteries, and the more obvious maple syrup are among the top inventions from Canada, along with the walkie-talkie and again unsurprisingly, the snowmobile and the snowblower.
Favorite celebrity exports include Keanu Reeves, Bryan Adams, and Celine Dion.
48% of those 2,000 Americans wrongly believe Canadian-born Jim Carrey is from America, and a similar percentage think the same about Pamela Anderson.
And the confusion doesn’t stop at famous faces, as more than a fifth thought Toronto was the capital of Canada—when it’s in fact Ottawa.
The study was commissioned by Canadian airline, Air Transat, which in response to the findings, created an American or Canadian quiz testing people’s knowledge when it comes to famous faces.
“[W]e’ve loved seeing what the nation considers ‘the best of’ and it’s been especially interesting to see the celebs and inventions we assume are American,” said Sonia Kurek, the brand’s UK commercial director.
It also emerged its natural beauty was voted the best thing Canada had to offer by 62%, and 76% agree its scenery is ‘world leading’.
Wildlife (42%), the friendly people (23%), and the variety of outdoor activities on offer (26%) also featured high on the voted list. However, just 26% said they would plan an outdoorsy escape during a Canadian vacation.
While more than three-quarters knew that Niagara Falls was an iconic Canadian spot, just 29% could name Alberta’s Banff National Park and only 12% knew of the Cabot Trail.
The poll included the top things as the best exports of Canada, in no particular order.
TOP 30 CANADIAN THINGS:
1. Insulin
2. The pacemaker
3. Maple syrup
4. Peanut butter
5. Alkaline batteries
6. Keanu Reeves
7. Ryan Reynolds
8. Bryan Adams
9. Celine Dion
10. The walkie-talkie
11. The snowmobile
12. Jim Carrey
13. Shania Twain
14. Michael J Fox
15. Hawaiian pizza
16. William Shatner
17. Ryan Gosling
18. Hockey
19. Tim Hortons
20. Justin Bieber
21. The snowblower
22. The Java programming language
23. Leonard Cohen
24. Drake
25. Alanis Morrissette
26. Avril Lavigne
27. Basketball
28. Kiefer Sutherland
29. Poutine
30. Justin Trudeau
SURPRISE Your Friends Who Think Canada Is America’s Hat…