To celebrate 150 years of Canada's independence, we've laid out 12 reasons we totally love this vast and gorgeous country.

In a nation which spans six time zones there’s plenty of scope for epic adventure. One of the best ways to see the slow change from the shining lakes of Ontario through to the endless prairie flatlands and the soaring Rockies is by train. Take the 2,775-mile Canadian service from Toronto to Vancouver and fall in love with a wild, wonderful country.

Hangover-banishing, rib-sticking fried mess it may be, but poutine, Canada’s dirty secret/national dish is also the life-giving cure for any late-night ills you may be feeling the morning afterwards. A so-wrong-it’s-right blend of chips, gravy and squeaky cheese curds, poutine is the after-hours essential you never knew you needed till you tasted it.

There are 634 different First Nations (indigenous communities); each with their own culture, language, history and conflict with the European settlers who created what would become Canada. Explore First Nations culture from the Pow Wow hip hop sounds of Tribe Called Red to the delicious Aboriginal-influenced-cuisine of Vancouver’s Salmon ‘n’ Bannock and the funky accommodation of Hôtel-Musée Premières Nations in Québec.

One of the many cheering things about Canadians, along with their legendary good manners, is their willingness to embrace the cold. There’s a wise saying that there’s no such thing as bad weather, just the wrong clothes. From dancing in an ice palace at Québec Carnival with Bonhomme the snowman, to skating on the Rideau Canal in Ottawa at Winterlude, or playing drinking games at the Yukon Sourdough Rendezvous, there are fun frozen good times to be had in Canada.

In Newfoundland each spring when iceberg season begins Captain Ed Kean sets sail in his 180-foot barge to lasso the pristine ice that was formed before the Industrial Revolution, far away in Greenland. The massive ‘bergs take three to four years to float down from the Petermann Glacier and at their core have ice that’s 10–20,000-years old. Newfoundland’s Quidi Vidi Brewery uses this ice to make its Iceberg beer, and Rock Spirits make the crystal-clear Iceberg Vodka.

Canada may be celebrating the sesquicentennial (that’s 150 to you and me) anniversary of its Confederation in 2017, but just because it’s relatively new doesn’t mean it’s not steeped in history. In 1608, French Explorer Samuel de Champlain began building what would become Québec City, which is now the only fortified city north of Mexico whose ancient walls still exist. Explore Old Québec and uncover its turbulent history of the battles to gain control of this new country.

Deep in the heart of British Columbia’s pristine protected Great Bear Rainforest you’ll find the world’s only white-coloured black bears, the Ursus americanus kermodei or Spirit Bear as it’s called by the Tsimshian Coastal First Nations. Travel deep into the heart of the temperate rainforest to stay at a floating lodge only accessible by plane to head out on wildlife viewing adventures with knowledgeable First Nations guides.

Canada’s been quietly bagging international wine-making awards for a while, but the big story for Canadian wine right now is its bubbles: the country’s three main growing regions are producing some superb sparklers. According to the latest stats, 75 producers in British Columbia are making sparkling wines, in Ontario there are around 40 and in Nova Scotia 10. That’s a lot of fizz to try, but due to the small scale of production you'll have to visit Canada to be able to try them.

Few things are more romantic that the natural marvel of the midnight sun which shines for 24-hours a day around the Arctic Circle around the summer solstice. Head up to the Yukon on an epic road trip on the North Klondike Highway along the route of Gold Rush stampeders. Just don’t forget your eye mask!

Canada’s first national park was established in 1885 in Banff and now there are 45 more from coast to coast, taking in boreal forest, temperate rainforest, prairie grasslands and soaring mountains. Add to that the 171 National Historic Sites, four National Marine Conservation Areas and eight Historic Canals managed by Parks Canada and you’ll never run out of protected natural and historic marvels to explore.

Canada has the biggest coastline of any country in the world with three vast interconnected oceans: the North Pacific, North Atlantic and the Arctic. The country is surrounded by an extraordinary wealth of marine diversity with more than 30 species of whales in its waters, from Baird beaked and rare Blue whales to hordes of gleaming white belugas, playful tail-flipping humpbacks and majestic orcas.

Canada prides itself on its immigrant culture, with multiculturalism adopted by the government as an official policy in the 1970s. The country has welcomed people from all over the world to live in its towns and cities, and you can taste it in Canada’s terrific fusion food. From Japanese-Corsican or Peruvian-Malaysian, or even the latest Korean-Mexican, it’s all made with local Canadian ingredients by innovative immigrant chefs. It’s the delicious taste of a more inclusive society.