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Canada is the world's second-largest
country by total area, occupying most
of northern North America. Extending
from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific
Ocean and northward into the Arctic
Ocean, Canada shares land borders
with the United States to the northwest
and south.
Inhabited first by aboriginal peoples,
Canada was founded as a union of British
colonies. Canada gained independence
from the United Kingdom in an incremental
process that began in 1867 and ended
in 1982. It remains a Commonwealth
Realm.
Canada is a federal constitutional
monarchy with parliamentary democracy.
Comprising ten provinces and three
territories, Canada is a bilingual
and multicultural country, with both
English and French as official languages
at the federal level. A technologically
advanced and industrialized nation,
Canada maintains a diversified economy
that is heavily reliant upon its abundant
natural resources.
Provinces
and Territories
Geopolitical Map of Canada
Canada is composed of ten provinces
and three territories. The provinces
are Alberta,
British
Columbia, Manitoba,
New
Brunswick, Newfoundland
and Labrador, Nova
Scotia, Ontario,
Prince
Edward Island, Quebec,
and Saskatchewan.
The three territories are the Northwest
Territories, Nunavut,
and Yukon.
The provinces have a large degree
of autonomy from the federal government,
the territories somewhat less. Each
has its own provincial or territorial
symbols.
The provinces are responsible for
most of Canada's social programs (such
as health care, education, and welfare)
and together collect more revenue
than the federal government, an almost
unique structure among federations
in the world. Using its spending powers,
the federal government can initiate
national policies in provincial areas,
such as the Canada Health Act; the
provinces can opt out of these, but
rarely do so in practice. Equalization
payments are made by the federal government
to ensure that reasonably uniform
standards of services and taxation
are kept between the richer and poorer
provinces.
All provinces have unicameral, elected
legislatures headed by a Premier selected
in the same way as the Prime Minister
of Canada. Each province also has
a Lieutenant-Governor representing
the Queen, analogous to the Governor
General of Canada, appointed on the
recommendation of the Prime Minister
of Canada, though with increasing
levels of consultation with provincial
governments in recent years.
Government
Parliament Hill, Ottawa.
Canada is a constitutional monarchy
with Elizabeth II, Queen of Canada
as head of state and a parliamentary
democracy with a federal system of
parliamentary government and strong
democratic traditions.
Canada's constitution governs the
legal framework of the country and
consists of written text and unwritten
traditions and conventions. The Constitution
includes the Canadian Charter of Rights
and Freedoms, which guarantees basic
rights and freedoms for Canadians
that, generally, cannot be overridden
by legislation of any level of government
in Canada. It contains, however, a
"notwithstanding clause"
which allows the federal parliament
and the provincial legislatures the
power to override some other sections
of the Charter temporarily, for a
period of five years.
The position of Prime Minister, Canada's
head of government, belongs to the
leader of the political party that
can obtain the confidence of a plurality
in the House of Commons. The Prime
Minister and their Cabinet are formally
appointed by the Governor General
(who is the Monarch's representative
in Canada). However, the Prime Minister
chooses the Cabinet, and by convention,
the Governor General respects the
Prime Minister's choices. The Cabinet
is traditionally drawn from members
of the Prime Minister's party in both
legislative houses, and mostly from
the House of Commons. Executive power
is exercised by the Prime Minister
and Cabinet, all of whom are sworn
into the Queen's Privy Council for
Canada, and become Ministers of the
Crown. The Prime Minister exercises
vast political power, especially in
the appointment of other officials
within the government and civil service.
The federal parliament is made up
of the Queen and two houses: an elected
House of Commons and an appointed
Senate. Each member in the House of
Commons is elected by simple plurality
in a "riding" or electoral
district. General elections are called
by the Governor General when the Prime
Minister so advises. While there is
no minimum term for a Parliament,
a new election must be called within
five years of the last general election.
Members of the Senate, whose seats
are apportioned on a regional basis,
are chosen by the Prime Minister and
formally appointed by the Governor
General, and serve until age 75.
Canada's four major political parties
are the Conservative Party of Canada,
Liberal Party of Canada, New Democratic
Party (NDP), and the Bloc Quebecois.
While the Green Party of Canada does
not yet have representation in Parliament,
the list of historical parties with
elected representation is substantial.
Foreign
Relations and Military
The Peacekeeping Monument in Ottawa.
Canada has a close relationship
with the United States, sharing
the world's longest undefended
border, co-operating on some
military campaigns and exercises,
and being each other's largest
trading partners. Canada also
shares history and long relationships
with the United Kingdom and
France, the two former imperial
powers most influential in its
founding. These relations extend
to other former-members of the
British and French empires,
through Canada's membership
in the Commonwealth of Nations
and La Francophonie.
Canada joined the Organization
of American States (OAS) in
1990 and hosted the OAS General
Assembly in Windsor in June
2000, and the third Summit of
the Americas in Quebec City
in April 2001. Canada seeks
to expand its ties to Pacific
Rim economies through membership
in the Asia-Pacific Economic
Cooperation forum (APEC).
Over the past sixty years,
Canada has been an advocate
for multilateralism, making
efforts to resolve global issues
in collaboration with other
nations. This was clearly demonstrated
during the Suez Crisis of 1956
when Lester B. Pearson eased
tensions by proposing peacekeeping
efforts and the inception of
the United Nations Peacekeeping
Force. In that spirit, Canada
developed and has tried to maintain
a leading role in UN peacekeeping
efforts. Canada has served in
50 peacekeeping missions, including
every UN peacekeeping effort
through 1989. Canada's UN peacekeeping
contributions have diminished
over the first years of the
21st century. Although Canadian
foreign policy is often similar
to that of the United States,
Canada has always maintained
an independent foreign policy
in such areas as maintaining
full diplomatic and trade relations
with Cuba.
A founding member of the North
Atlantic Treaty Organisation
(NATO), Canada currently employs
about 64,000 regular and 26,000
reserve military personnel.
The unified Canadian Forces
(CF) comprise the army, navy,
and air force. Major CF equipment
deployed includes 1,400 armoured
fighting vehicles, 34 combat
vessels, and 861 aircraft.
In addition to major participation
in the Second Boer War, the
First World War, the Second
World War, and the Korean War,
Canada has maintained forces
in international missions under
the United Nations and NATO
since 1950, including peacekeeping
missions, various missions in
the former Yugoslavia, and support
to coalition forces in the First
Gulf War. Since 2001, Canada
has had troops deployed in Afghanistan
as part of the U.S. stabilization
force and the UN-authorized,
NATO-commanded International
Security Assistance Force. Canada's
Disaster Assistance Response
Team (DART) has participated
in three major relief efforts
in the past two years. The two-hundred
member team has been deployed
in relief operations after the
December 2004 tsunami in South
Asia, the Hurricane Katrina
in September 2005 and the Kashmir
earthquake in October 2005.
Geography and Climate
A satellite composite image of Canada.
Boreal forests prevail throughout
the country, ice is prominent in the
Arctic and through the Coast Mountains
and Saint Elias Mountains, and the
relatively flat Prairies facilitate
agriculture. The Great Lakes feed
the St. Lawrence River (in the southeast)
where lowlands host much of Canada's
population.
Canada occupies most of the
northern portion of North
America. It shares land borders
with the contiguous United
States to the south and with
the US state of Alaska to
the northwest, stretching
from the Atlantic Ocean in
the east to the Pacific Ocean
in the west; to the north
lies the Arctic Ocean. Since
1925, Canada has claimed the
portion of the Arctic between
60°W and 141°W
longitude. The northernmost
settlement in Canada (and
in the world) is Canadian
Forces Station (CFS) Alert
on the northern tip of Ellesmere
Island just 817 kilometres
(450 nautical miles) from
the North Pole. Canada is
the world's second-largest
country in total area, after
Russia.
The population density of 3.5 people
per square kilometre (9.1/mi˛) is
among the lowest in the world. The
most densely populated part of the
country is the Quebec City-Windsor
Corridor along the Great Lakes and
Saint Lawrence River in the southeast.
To the north of this region is the
broad Canadian Shield, an area of
rock scoured clean by the last ice
age, thinly soiled, rich in minerals,
and dotted with lakes and rivers.
Canada by far has more lakes than
any other country in the world and
has a large amount of the world's
freshwater.
The
Horseshoe Falls in Ontario is the largest
component of Niagara Falls, one of the
world's most voluminous waterfalls,
a major source of hydroelectric power,
and a tourist destination.
In eastern Canada, the Saint
Lawrence River widens into the
Gulf of Saint Lawrence, the
world's largest estuary; the
island of Newfoundland lies
at its mouth. South of the Gulf,
the Canadian Maritimes protrude
eastward from the Gaspe Peninsula
of Quebec. New Brunswick and
Nova Scotia are divided by the
Bay of Fundy, which experiences
the world's largest tidal variations.
Ontario and Hudson Bay dominate
central Canada. West of Ontario,
the broad, flat Canadian Prairies
spread toward the Rocky Mountains,
which separate them from British
Columbia.
Northern Canadian vegetation
tapers from coniferous forests
to tundra and finally to Arctic
barrens in the far north. The
northern Canadian mainland is
ringed with a vast archipelago
containing some of the world's
largest islands.
Average winter and summer high
temperatures across Canada vary
depending on the location. Winters
can be harsh in many regions
of the country, particularly
in the Prairie provinces, where
daily average temperatures are
near -15°C (5°F), but
can drop below -40°C (-40°F)
with severe wind chills. Coastal
British Columbia is an exception
and enjoys a temperate climate
with a mild and rainy winter.
On the east and west coast average
high temperatures are generally in
the low 20°C (68 to 74°F),
while between the coasts the average
summer high temperature range between
25°C to 30°C (78 to 86°F)
with occasional extreme heat in some
interior locations exceeding 40°C
(104°F).
Economy
Canada is one of the world's
wealthiest nations with a high
per capita income, a member
of the Organisation for Economic
Co-operation and Development
(OECD) and Group of Eight (G8).
Canada is a free market economy
with slightly more government
intervention than the United
States, but much less than most
European nations. Canada has
traditionally had a lower per
capita gross domestic product
(GDP) than its southern neighbour
(whereas wealth has been more
equally divided), but higher
than the large western European
economies. For the past decade,
the Canadian economy has been
growing rapidly with low unemployment
and large government surpluses
on the federal level. Today
Canada closely resembles the
U.S. in its market-oriented
economic system, pattern of
production, and high living
standards.
In the past century, the growth
of the manufacturing, mining,
and service sectors has transformed
the nation from a largely rural
economy into one primarily industrial
and urban. As with other first
world nations, the Canadian
economy is dominated by the
service industry, which employs
about three quarters of Canadians.
However, Canada is unusual among
developed countries in the importance
of the primary sector, with
the logging and oil industries
being two of Canada's most important.
Canada is one of the few developed
nations that is a net exporter
of energy. Canada has vast deposits
of natural gas on the east coast
and large oil and gas resources
centred in Alberta, and also
present in neighbouring British
Columbia and Saskatchewan. The
vast Athabasca Tar Sands give
Canada the world's second largest
reserves of oil behind Saudi
Arabia. In Quebec, British Columbia,
Newfoundland & Labrador,
Ontario and Manitoba, hydroelectric
power is a cheap and relatively
environmentally friendly source
of abundant energy.
Canada is one of the world's
most important suppliers of
agricultural products, with
the Canadian Prairies one of
the most important suppliers
of wheat and other grains. Canada
is the world's largest producer
of zinc and uranium and a world
leader in many other natural
resources such as gold, nickel,
aluminum, and lead. Many towns
in the northern part of the
country where agriculture is
difficult, exist because of
a nearby mine or source of timber.
Canada also has a sizeable manufacturing
sector, centred in southern
Ontario and Quebec, with the
automobile industry especially
important.
Culture
The
Royal Canadian Mounted Police, seen
here at Expo 67, are the federal and
national police force of Canada and
an international icon.
Canadian culture has historically
been heavily influenced by
British, French, and Aboriginal
cultures and traditions, and
over time has been greatly
influenced by American culture.
Many forms of American media
and entertainment are popular,
if not dominant in Canada;
conversely, many Canadian
cultural products and entertainers
are successful in the US and
worldwide. Many cultural products
are now marketed toward a
unified "North American"
market, or a global market
generally.
The creation and preservation of
distinctly Canadian culture has been
partly influenced by federal government
programs, laws and institutions such
as the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
(CBC), the National Film Board of
Canada (NFB), and the Canadian Radio-television
and Telecommunications Commission
(CRTC).
A
Kwakwaka'wakw totem pole and traditional
"big house" in Victoria, BC.
As Canada is a geographically vast
and ethnically diverse country, there
are cultural variations and distinctions
from province to province and region
to region. Canadian culture has also
been greatly influenced by more recent
immigration of people from all over
the world. Many Canadians value multiculturalism,
indeed some see Canadian culture as
being inherently multicultural. Multicultural
heritage is enshrined in Section 27
of the Canadian Charter of Rights
and Freedoms.
National symbols are influenced
by natural, historical, and
First Nations sources. Particularly,
the use of the maple leaf,
as a Canadian symbol, dates
back to the early 18th century
and is depicted on its current
and previous flags, the penny,
and on the coat of arms. Other
prominent symbols include
the beaver, Canada goose,
common loon, the Crown, and
the RCMP.
Canada's official national
sports are ice hockey (winter)
and lacrosse (summer). Hockey
is a national pastime, and
is by far the most popular
spectator sport in the country.
It is also the most popular
sport Canadians play, with
1.65 million active participants
in 2004. Canada's six largest
metropolitan areas - Toronto,
Montreal, Vancouver, Ottawa,
Calgary, and Edmonton - have
franchises in the National
Hockey League (NHL), and there
are more Canadian players
in the league than from all
other countries combined.
After hockey, other popular spectator
sports include Canadian football and
curling. The Canadian Football League
(CFL) is the nation's second most
popular professional sports league,
and plays a large role in Canada's
national identity. Golf, baseball,
skiing, soccer, volleyball, and basketball
are also widely played at youth and
amateur levels, but professional leagues
and franchises are not as widespread.
Canada will host the 2007 FIFA U-20
World Cup, and the 2010 Winter Olympics
in Vancouver and Whistler, British
Columbia.
International
Ranking
Canada was ranked number one country
by the United Nations' Human
Development Index 10 times out
of 16 between 1980 and 2004.
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