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Google Top Searches: Zeitgeist 2012 Names Canada's Top Trends And Searches

What You Googled In 2012
The Huffington Post Canada
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AFP/Getty/Flickr: prayitno

What are Canada's top Google searches for 2012? Justin Bieber, Stephen Harper and bacon, for starters.

Google's annual Zeitgeist revealed 2012's most popular search terms and trends in different categories, from celebrities to sports teams to destinations. It listed the top 10 entries in every field, providing an interesting glimpse into the year's biggest moments.

Whitney Houston topped this year's 'trending' searches for celebrities after her tragic death in February. Boy band One Direction were the most searched musicians over Justin Bieber, although the Biebs did finish first in the list for most searched Canadian musicians. Prime Minister Stephen Harper earned the top spot on the most searched Canadian politicians list, edging out Liberal leadership candidate Justin Trudeau.

The company compiled the lists by examining over one trillion Google searches made in 2012, exempting repeated searches and spam, and including information from different sources such as Google Trends and internal data tools, it said. Google defined 'trending searches' as "search queries with the highest amount of traffic over a sustained period in 2012 as compared to 2011." The 'most searched' terms were those with the largest volume of searches.

To see more of Canada's top Google searches in more categories like Canadian food, retailers and cities in Google Maps, flip through the gallery.

Google Zeitgeist 2012
Trending Searches(01 of18)
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1. Pinterest2. Hurricane Sandy3. Olympics4. Diablo 35. Gangnam Style6. Hunger Games7. SOPA8. Star Académie9. KONY10. Zerg Rush (credit:AFP PHOTO/Karen BLEIER)
Trending Celebrities(02 of18)
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1. Whitney Houston2. Jeremy Lin3. Michael Clarke Duncan4. Morgan Freeman5. Felix Baumgartner6. Kate Middleton7. Neil Armstrong8. Carly Rae Jepsen9. Lance Armstrong10. Katie Holmes (credit:Pizzello/Invision/AP)
Most Searched Canadian Politicians(03 of18)
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1. Stephen Harper2. Justin Trudeau3. Vic Toews4. Thomas Mulcair5. Peter MacKay6. Bob Rae7. Jason Kenney8. Marc Garneau9. John Baird10. Elizabeth May (credit:AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Fred Chartrand)
Most Searched Musicians(04 of18)
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1. One Direction2. Justin Bieber3. Drake4. Whitney Houston5. Rihanna6. Adele7. Taylor Swift8. Nicki Minaj9. Katy Perry10. Madonna (credit:Kevin Kane/Getty Images for Jingle Ball 2012)
Most Searched Canadian Musicians(05 of18)
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1. Justin Bieber2. Drake3. Carly Rae Jepsen4. Hedley5. deadmau56. Nickelback7. Avril Lavigne8. Neil Young9. Bryan Adams10. Leonard Cohen (credit:Theo Wargo/Getty Images for Jingle Ball 2012)
Most Searched Retail(06 of18)
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1. eBay2. craigslist3. Canadian Tire4. Walmart5. Future Shop6. Home Depot7. LesPAC8. Costco9. Ikea10. Sears (credit:AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
Most Searched Athletes(07 of18)
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1. Tiger Woods2. Steve Nash3. Michael Phelps4. LeBron James5. Usain Bolt6. Sidney Crosby7. Christiano Ronaldo8. Kobe Bryant9. Roger Federer10. Marta (credit:AP Photo/Bret Hartman)
Most Searched Canadian Sports Teams(08 of18)
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1. Toronto Blue Jays2. Toronto Maple Leafs3. Vancouver Canucks4. Montreal Canadiens5. Winnipeg Jets6. Edmonton Oilers7. Calgary Flames8. Ottawa Senators9. Toronto Raptors10. Montreal Impact (credit:Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images)
Most Searched Canadian Olympians(09 of18)
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1. Milos Raonic2. Alexandre Despatie3. Christine Sinclair4. Clara Hughes5. Ryder Hesjedal6. Simon Whitfield7. Adam Van Koeverden8. Paula Findlay9. Mary Spencer10. Jessica Zelinka (credit:LIONEL BONAVENTURE/AFP/Getty Images)
Trending 'How To... ?'(10 of18)
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1. How To Rock2. How To Love3. How To Shuffle4. How To Kiss5. How To YouTube6. How To Twerk7. How To Wakeboard8. How To Snorkel9. How To Live10. How To Embroider (credit:Shutterstock)
Trending 'What Is...?'(11 of18)
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1. What Is Love2. What Is SOPA3. What Is Gluten4. What Is Yolo5. What Is Instagram6. What Is Scientology7. What Is Tumblr8. What Is Pinterest9. What Is Dubstep10. What Is Autism (credit:Shutterstock)
Most Searched Cities In Google Maps(12 of18)
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1. Toronto2. Montreal3. Calgary4. Vancouver5. Ottawa6. Edmonton7. Winnipeg8. Niagara Falls9. Quebec City10. Mississauga (credit:Flickr:prayitno)
Most Searched Canadian Food(13 of18)
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1. Bacon2. Poutine3. Maple Syrup4. Yorkshire Pudding5. Bannock6. Smoked Meat7. Kraft Dinner8. Butter Tarts9. Sucre a la creme10. Sugar pie (credit:Flickr:liscat)
Most Searched Beer(14 of18)
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1. Molson2. Guinness3. Budweiser4. Coors5. Labatt6. Moosehead7. Sleeman8. Kokanee9. Keith's10. Rickard's (credit:Flickr:leoglenn_g)
Most Searched Craft Beer(15 of18)
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1. Granville Island2. Amsterdam3. Big Rock4. Muskoka5. Creemore6. Wellington7. Okanagan Spring8. James Ready9. Mill St.10. Dead Frog (credit:WikiMedia: Roland Tanglao)
Most Searched Career/Job(16 of18)
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1. Teacher2. Nurse3. Designer4. Accountant5. Mechanic6. Electrician7. Therapist8. Lawyer9. Chef10. Retail/Sales Associate (credit:Alamy)
Trending Career/Job(17 of18)
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1. Civil Engineer2. Pharmacist3. Truck Driver4. Veterinarian5. Paralegal6. Retail/Sales Associate7. Electrical Engineer8. Dancer9. Software Developer10.Financial Analyst (credit:Alamy)
Most Searched Destinations In Google Maps(18 of18)
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1. Hotel2. Restaurant3. Camping4. Walmart5. Parking6. Starbucks7. Costco8. Home Depot9. Golf10. Grocery (credit:Flickr:maduko)

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