Indo-Canadians facts for kids

Indo-Canadians are Canadians whose family can trace back to India. The names "East Indian" and "South Asian" are used for people who originate from India, to tell them apart from the First Nations peoples of Canada who are often called Indian, and from the people of the Caribbean, who are sometimes called West Indian. Most Indo-Canadians call themselves "Indian", instead of "East Indian". This is because Christopher Columbus thought the Americas were India, and that Native Americans were Indian.

Most Indo-Canadians come from India, but some come from the Caribbean, South America, Africa, and the Middle East. They usually live in cities like Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, Calgary, and Vancouver. They are one of the fastest growing races in Canada, because of immigration.

Images for kids

• 

  Indians at CPR station in Vancouver, c. 1914

• 

  A group of Punjabi Indo-Canadians attending a Punjabi wedding reception

• 

  The BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir Toronto in Etobicoke, Ontario, built by Canada's Gujarati Hindu community.

• 

  Hindu Heritage Centre in Mississauga, Ontario.

• 

  Gur Sikh Temple (Abbotsford)

• 

  Gurudwara Nanaksar Sahib, Edmonton, Alberta

• 

  Vancouver Sikh Temple, c. 1911