Canada is the world's
second-largest country, surpassed only by the Russian Federation. Capital, Ottawa, in the
province of Ontario. Provinces and Territories
Canada has ten provinces and three territories, each with its own capital city (in
brackets): Alberta (Edmonton); British Columbia (Victoria); Manitoba (Winnipeg); New
Brunswick (Fredericton); Newfoundland (St. John's); Nova Scotia (Halifax); Ontario
(Toronto); Prince Edward Island (Charlottetown); Quebec (Quebec City); Saskatchewan
(Regina); Northwest Territories (Yellowknife); Nunavut (Iqaluit); and Yukon Territory
(Whitehorse).
Political
System
Canada is a constitutional monarchy and a federal state with a democratic system of
government. The Parliament of Canada, in Ottawa, consists of the House of Commons, whose
members are elected, and the Senate, whose members are appointed. On average, Members of
Parliament are elected every four years.
Geography
Diversity is the keynote of Canada's geography, which includes fertile plains suitable for
agriculture, vast mountain ranges, lakes and rivers. Wilderness forests give way to Arctic
tundra in the Far North.
Climate
There are many climatic variations in this huge country, ranging from the permanently
frozen icecaps north of the 70th parallel to the luxuriant vegetation of British
Columbia's west coast. Canada's most populous regions, which lie in the country's south
along the U.S. border, enjoy four distinct seasons. Here, daytime summer temperatures can
rise to 35°C and higher, while lows of minus 25°C are not uncommon in winter. More
moderate temperatures are the norm in spring and fall.
Parks
and Historic Sites
Canada maintains 39 national parks, which cover about 2 percent of the country's landmass.
Banff, located on the eastern slopes of Alberta's Rocky Mountains, is the oldest, having
been established in 1885; Tuktut Nogait, in the Northwest Territories, was established in
1996. There are about 850 national historic sites, designated in honour of people, places
and events that figure in the country's history. Canada also has over 1 000 provincial
parks and nearly 50 territorial parks.
Mountain
Ranges
Canada's terrain incorporates a number of mountain ranges: the Torngats, Appalachians and
Laurentians in the east; the Rocky, Coastal and Mackenzie ranges in the west; and Mount
St. Elias and the Pelly Mountains in the north. At 5 959 metres, Mount Logan in the Yukon
is Canada's tallest peak.
Lakes
There are some two million lakes in Canada, covering about 7.6 percent of the Canadian
landmass. The main lakes, in order of the surface area located in Canada (many large lakes
are traversed by the Canada-U.S. border), are Huron, Great Bear, Superior, Great Slave,
Winnipeg, Erie and Ontario. The largest lake situated entirely in Canada is Great Bear
Lake (31 328 km2) in the Northwest Territories.
Rivers
The St. Lawrence (3 058 kilometres long) is Canada's most important river, providing
a seaway for ships from the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean. The longest Canadian river
is the Mackenzie, which flows 4 241 kilometres through the Northwest Territories.
Other large watercourses include the Yukon and the Columbia (parts of which flow through
U.S. territory), the Nelson, the Churchill, and the Fraser — along with major
tributaries such as the Saskatchewan, the Peace, the Ottawa, the Athabasca and the
Liard.
Time
Zones
Canada has six time zones. The easternmost, in
Newfoundland, is three hours and 30 minutes behind Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). The other
time zones are Atlantic, Eastern, Central, Rocky Mountain and, farthest west, Pacific,
which is eight hours behind GMT.
Charter
of Rights and Freedoms
Canada's Constitution contains a Charter of Rights and Freedoms, which sets out certain
fundamental freedoms and rights that neither Parliament nor any provincial legislature
acting alone can change. These include equality rights, mobility rights and legal rights,
together with freedoms such as speech, association and peaceful assembly.
National
Emblem
The maple leaf has been associated with Canada for some time: in 1868, it figured in coats
of arms granted to Ontario and Quebec, and in both World Wars, it appeared on regimental
badges. Since the 1965 introduction of the Canadian flag, the maple leaf has become the
country's most important national symbol.
The
Canadian Flag
Several people participated in designing the Canadian flag. Jacques St. Cyr contributed
the stylized maple leaf, George Bist the proportions, and Dr. Gunter Wyszechi the
colouration. The final determination of all aspects of the new flag was made by a
15-member parliamentary committee, which is formally credited with the design. After
lengthy debate, the new flag was adopted by Parliament. It officially became the national
flag on February 15, 1965, now recognized as Canada's Flag Day.
National
Anthem
O Canada was composed in 1880, with music by Calixa Lavallée and words by Judge
Adolphe-Basile Routhier. In 1908, Robert Stanley Weir wrote the translation on which the
present English lyrics are based. On July 1, 1980, a century after being sung for the
first time, O Canada was proclaimed the national anthem.
Currency
The Canadian dollar is divided into 100 cents.
Population
In 2000, Canada's population was 30.7 million.
Main
Cities
The leading Canadian cities are Toronto (4.68 million), Montreal (3.43 million), Vancouver
(2.01 million), Ottawa-Hull, the National Capital Region (1.06 million).
Distribution
of Population
A large majority of Canadians, 77 percent, live in cities and towns.
Family
Size
In 1998, the average family size was 3.1, including 1.2 children.
Living
Standard
Canada ranks sixth in the world in standard of living (measured according to gross
domestic product per capita), behind only the United States, Switzerland, Luxembourg,
Germany and Japan. Canada's rank among nations tends to rise even higher in assessments
that consider gross domestic product per capita along with other factors (e.g., life
expectancy, education) that contribute to the overall quality of life.
Health
Care and Social Security
Basic health care, with the exception of dental services, is free at the point of
delivery. Also, in most cases, prescription drugs are dispensed without charge to people
over 65 and social aid recipients. Canada also has an extensive social security network,
including an old age pension, a family allowance, unemployment insurance and welfare.
Aboriginal
Peoples
In 1996, about 3 percent of Canadians belonged to one or more of the three Aboriginal
groups recognized by the Constitution Act, 1982: North American Indian, Métis or
Inuit. Of this percentage, about 69 percent are North American Indian, 26 percent Métis
and 5 percent Inuit.
Religion
According to the 1991 census, more than four-fifths of Canadians are Christian, with
Catholics accounting for about 46 percent of the population and Protestants about 36
percent. Other religions include Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Sikhism and Buddhism. Some 12.5
percent, more than any single denomination except Roman Catholic, have no religious
affiliation at all.
Languages
Canada has two official languages: English, the mother tongue of about 59 percent of
Canadians; and French, the first language of 23 percent of the population. A full 18
percent have either more than one mother tongue or a mother tongue other than English or
French, such as Chinese, Italian, German, Polish, Spanish, Portuguese, Punjabi, Ukrainian,
Arabic, Dutch, Tagalog, Greek, Vietnamese, Cree, Inuktitut, or other languages.
The Official Languages Act makes French and English
the official languages of Canada and provides for special measures aimed at enhancing the
vitality and supporting the development of English and French linguistic minority
communities. Canada's federal institutions reflect the equality of its two official
languages by offering bilingual services.
Ethnic
Origin
In 1996, about 19 percent of the population reported "Canadian" as their single
ethnic origin, with 17 percent reporting British Isles-only ancestry and 9 percent
French-only ancestry. About 10 percent reported a combination of British Isles, French, or
Canadian origin, with another 16 percent reporting an ancestry of either British Isles,
French or Canadian in combination with some other origin. Some 28 percent reported origins
other than the British Isles, French or Canadian.
Education
The educational system varies from province to province and includes six to eight years of
elementary school, four or five years of secondary school and three or four years at the
university undergraduate level. The 1996 census revealed that, among Canadians aged 15 and
over, about 23 percent had graduated from secondary school, some 9 percent had bachelor's
degrees, and about 6 percent had advanced degrees.
Sports
Canada's most popular sports include swimming, ice hockey, cross-country and alpine
skiing, baseball, tennis, basketball and golf. Ice hockey and lacrosse are Canada's
national sports.
Main
Natural Resources
The principal natural resources are natural gas, oil, gold, coal, copper, iron ore,
nickel, potash, uranium and zinc, along with wood and water.
Leading
Industries
These include automobile manufacturing, pulp and paper, iron and steel work, machinery and
equipment manufacturing, mining, extraction of fossil fuels, forestry and agriculture.
Exports
Canada's leading exports are automobile vehicles and parts, machinery and equipment,
high-technology products, oil, natural gas, metals, and forest and farm products.
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