Canada

Canada
Flag Coat of arms
Motto:A mari usque ad mare(Latin) "From Sea to Sea"
Anthem:"O Canada" Royal anthem:"God Save the King"
Capital	Ottawa 45°24′N75°40′W
Largest city	Toronto
Official languages	English French
Ethnic groups (2016)	List of ethnicities 72.9%European 17.7%Asian 4.9%Indigenous 3.1%African 1.3%Latin American 0.2%Oceanian
Religion (2011)	List of religions 67.2%Christianity 23.9%No religion 3.2%Islam 1.5%Hinduism 1.4%Sikhism 1.1%Buddhism 1.0%Judaism 0.6%Other
Demonym(s)	Canadian
Government	Federalparliamentary constitutional monarchy
•Monarch	Charles III
•Governor General	Mary Simon
•Prime Minister	Justin Trudeau
Legislature	Parliament
•Upper house	Senate
•Lower house	House of Commons
Independence from theUnited Kingdom
•Confederation	July 1, 1867
•Statute of Westminster	December 11, 1931
•Patriation	April 17, 1982
Area
• Total area	9,984,670 km2(3,855,100 sq mi) (2nd)
• Water (%)	11.76 (as of 2015)
• Total land area	9,093,507 km2(3,511,023 sq mi)
Population
• Q1 2021 estimate	38,131,104(37th)
• 2016 census	35,151,728
• Density	3.92/km2(10.2/sq mi) (185th)
GDP(PPP)	2021 estimate
• Total	$1.979 trillion(15th)
• Per capita	$51,713(20th)
GDP(nominal)	2021 estimate
• Total	$1.883trillion(9th)
• Per capita	$49,222(18th)
Gini(2018)	30.3 medium
HDI(2019)	0.929 very high·16th
Currency	Canadian dollar($) (CAD)
Time zone	UTC−3.5 to −8
• Summer (DST)	UTC−2.5 to −7
Date format	yyyy-mm-dd(AD)
Driving side	right
Calling code	+1
ISO 3166 code	CA
Internet TLD	.ca

Canadais acountryinNorth America.Its land reaches from theAtlantic Oceanin the east to thePacific Oceanin the west. TheArctic Oceanis to the north of Canada. Canada's land area is 9.98 million square kilometres (3.85 million square miles). It is the world'ssecond largest country by total area,but only the fourth largest country byland area.It has the world's longestcoastline(a border with water). Canada hasten provinces and three territories.Most parts of the country are cold or severely cold in thewinter.Areas in the south of Canada are warm in thesummer.Much of the land is covered inforestortundra.Most of the people in Canada live inurban areas,near the southern border with the US. This border is the longest between any two countries in the world. Thenational capitalisOttawa,and the largestcityisToronto.Other large cities includeMontreal,Vancouver,Calgary,Edmonton,Quebec City,WinnipegandHamilton.

The name "Canada" comes from the Huron-Iroquois word "Kanata," meaning "village" or "settlement." In 1535, two Aboriginal youths told an explorer from France, namedJacques Cartier,about the route to Kanata. They were actually referring to the village named Stadacona, which is near present-day city of Québec.

Aboriginal peoplelived in the places (that are now Canada) for a long time. In 1537, theFrenchstarted a colony. TheBritish Empiresoon followed. The two empires fought several wars. In the late 18th century, onlyBritish North Americaremained with what is more or less Canada today. The country was formed from several colonies with the British North America Act on July 1, 1867. Over time, more provinces and territories became part of Canada. In 1931, Canada achieved nearly total independence with theStatute of Westminster 1931,and becamecompletely independentwhen the Canada Act 1982 removed the last remaining ties of legal dependence with theParliament of the United Kingdom.

Canada is afederalparliamentary democracyand aconstitutional monarchy,withKing Charles IIIas its head of state. The country is officiallybilingualat the federal level. That means thatcitizenshave the right to communicate with thegovernmentin two languages: English or French.Immigration to Canadahas made it one of the world's most ethnically diverse andmulticulturalnations. Its economy isthe eleventh largest in the world,and relies mainly onnatural resourcesand well-developed internationaltrade networks.Canada's relationship with its neighbor and biggest trading partner, the U.S., has a big impact on its economy andculture.

Canada is adeveloped countryand has thetenth highestnominal per capita income globally as well as thesixteenth highestranking in theHuman Development Index.It ranks among the highest in international measurements of government transparency,civil liberties,quality of life, economic freedom, and education. Canada is aCommonwealth realmmember of theCommonwealth of Nations,a member of theFrancophonie,and part of several major international and intergovernmental institutions or groupings including theUnited Nations,theNorth Atlantic Treaty Organization,theG7,theG20,theNorth American Free Trade Agreementand the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum.

Geography

By total land and water area, Canada is thesecond-largest countryin the world. It is only smaller than Russia. By land area alone, Canadaranks fourth.It has the longest border with water (coastline) of any country in the world. It is next to thePacific,Arctic,andAtlanticOceans. It is the only country in the world to be next to three oceans at once. It has sixtime zones.

Canada is made up often provinces and three territories.The provinces are between the 45th and 60th parallels of latitude, and the territories are to the north of the 60th parallel of latitude. Most large cities in Canada are in the southern part of the country, including Vancouver, Toronto, and Montreal. Very few people live in the northern part of Canada.

Canada extends from the west coast to the Atlantic provinces. In the north, there are three territories: Yukon in the west, the Northwest Territories, and Nunavut. They make up 16% of the Earth'sfresh water.TheSaint Lawrence Seawayjoins the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean, allowing vessels in the ocean to travel as far inland asThunder Bayin Ontario, Canada.

Canada shares land and sea borders with the USA (the lower 48 states andAlaska),Greenland,and France (St. Pierre and Miquelon, a small group of islands off the southern coast off the island ofNewfoundland).

The geography of Canada is very different in each region. Canada's geography features highalpine areasin the west, flatgrasslandsand prairies in the middle, and ancientshieldrocks in the east. Canada has some of the very last untouchedboreal forestin the world.

TheCanadian Shieldis a vast area of ancient Pre-Cambrian rocks lying in an arc aroundHudson Bay,covering more than one third of Canada's land area. This is a unique land of lakes, bogs, swamps, trees, and rocks. It is a terrain that is very dangerous and difficult to traverse cross country because of the lakes, bogs, swamps, trees, and rocks. Canada has 60% of the world'slakes.

History

See the main article:History of Canada

Aboriginal people

Indigenous peoplelived in what is now Canada for thousands of years before the first Europeans arrived. The indigenous groups that live in Canada are theFirst Nations,theInuit,and theMétis.The Métis are people that come from bothFirst Nationsand European families.Together, these three groups are called "Indigenous," "Aboriginal," or "First Peoples." They used to be called "Indians" by the Europeans, but this is now considered rude.

Many people think the first people to live in Canada came fromSiberiaat least 14,000 years ago, using theBering land bridge.The land bridge connected Asia and North America.

When European people firstsettledin Canada, the number of Indigenous people living in Canada was between 200,000 and two million.

European colonization

TheVikingswere the first Europeans to land in Canada, in what is nowNewfoundland.The exploration was led by the Viking explorerLeif Erikson.They did not stay for a long time. In the early 16th century, Europeans started exploring Canada's eastern coast. The first of these explorers wasJohn CabotfromEngland,in 1497, and laterJacques CartierfromFrance,in 1534.Alexander Mackenzielater reached the Pacific coast over land, where captainsJames CookandGeorge Vancouverwent by sea. The Europeans also traded beaver furs to theFirst Nations.

Some parts of Canada were settled by France. Other parts of the country were settled byGreat Britain.In 1605,Port-Royalwas built in Acadia (today called Nova Scotia) by the French, led bySamuel de Champlain.In 1608, he settled in Quebec. The British took control of the French areas after a battle of theFrench and Indian Waron thePlains of Abraham,nearQuebec City,in 1759.

Thousands of people came north to Canada and settled inNova Scotia,New Brunswick,Quebec,andOntario.They were calledUnited Empire Loyalists.

Confederation and expansion

On July 1, 1867, Canada was united under afederal government.At first, Canada was only made up of the provincesOntario,Quebec,New Brunswick,andNova Scotia.SirJohn A. Macdonaldwas the first prime minister.Manitoba,theYukonterritory, and theNorthwest Territoriesbecame part of Canada in 1870.British Columbiajoined in 1871, andPrince Edward Islandin 1873.

There were twoRed River Rebellions,in 1869-70 and 1885, both led byLouis Riel.He fought for morerightsfor theMétis people,a mix between French and First Nations. Arailroadacross the country, theCanadian Pacific Railway,finished in 1885, making it easier for Canadians to move to the west. Many Europeans came to theprairies,soAlbertaandSaskatchewanbecame provinces in 1905.

Early 20th century

Canadian soldiers fought inWorld War Ifor theBritish Empire.More Canadians died in this war than any other war. Canada became better known as a country after its success in capturingVimy Ridgefrom the Germans in France in 1917. Women were given the right to vote by the end of the war, partly because of the help they gave making weapons while the men fought in Europe. In 1931, Canada became fullyindependent.The government of Canada made all the decisions about Canada.

A Canadian crew during thebattle of Normandyin June 1944.

Canadians also fought inWorld War II.TheDieppe Raid,in 1942, went very badly. Most soldiers were killed, wounded, or imprisoned. Canadians helped capture soldiers atNormandyin 1944. They also liberated theNetherlandsfrom Germany.

Modern times

In 1949,Newfoundland and Labradorbecame the 10th province of Canada. In 1956, CanadianLester Pearson,who later became prime minister, helped end theSuez Crisis.Because of this, he won theNobel Peace Prize.In 1965, Pearson helped change the design of Canada's flag. This design is known as theMaple Leaftoday. Before that, theRed Ensignwas Canada's flag. In 1982, Canada changed itsconstitution.The change introduced a newCanadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.The main part of the Constitution is the 1867 Constitution Act.

Some French Canadians today wish to form their own country, separate from the rest of Canada. The province of Quebec held areferendum(vote) in 1980, but only about 40% wanted to separate. Another referendum was held in 1995, with almost 50% voting in favour of leaving Canada. Since then, fewer people in Quebec have wanted to leave Canada, but it is still important to Quebec politics.

Today, about 25% of Canadians speak French as their first language. Many people in Canada speak both French and English. Although most French Canadians live in the province ofQuebec,there are French-speaking communities and people all across Canada. For example, 40% of the people in the province ofNew Brunswickand 20% of those inManitobahave a strong French background, as some people do inOntario,mainly along its border with Quebec.

In 1999,Nunavutwas created as Canada's third territory, out of the easternNorthwest Territories,in an agreement with theInuitpeople.

Government

Parliament Hill.

Canada has a government called aconstitutional monarchy.It has amonarch(meaning a king or queen is the head of that country), and is ademocracy(meaning the people of that country rule it). The head of state isKing Charles III,who is officially the King of Canada. He appoints aGovernor Generalto represent him in the country, however, the choice of Governor General is made by the prime minister.

The King’s powers are mostly exercised by the Governor General, currentlyMary Simon.The Governor General, like the Canadian sovereign (King/Queen of Canada), is not political and remains above politics, and because of that they do not usually use their powers without the advice of the Prime Minister or other ministers.

The head of government is thePrime Minister.The current prime minister isJustin Trudeau,who replacedStephen Harperin October 2015. Each province and territory has apremierto lead its government. The day-to-day operations of the government are run by the cabinet. The cabinet is usually formed from the largest party in Parliament.

The Parliament of Canada passes the laws of the country. The governor general, acting on behalf of the monarch, has the right tovetoa law (meaning the law cannot go into effect) but this right has not been used for some time. There are five main parties in the Canadian Parliament: theConservative Party,theNew Democratic Party,theLiberal Party,theBloc Québécois,and theGreen Party.In addition to the five parties with MPs in Parliament, there are fourteen other smaller parties registered with Elections Canada and several MPs who sit as Independents.

Provinces and territories

See the main article:Provinces and territories of Canada

Below is a list of provinces and territories. They are listed by population.

Provinces
Name	Capital	Largest city	Entered Confederation	Population (2014)	Area (km2)	Official language
Ontario	Toronto	Toronto	1867	13,678,700	1,076,395	English
Quebec	Quebec City	Montreal	1867	8,214,700	1,542,056	French
British Columbia	Victoria	Vancouver	1871	4,631,300	944,735	English
Alberta	Edmonton	Calgary	1905	4,121,700	661,848	English
Manitoba	Winnipeg	Winnipeg	1870	1,282,000	647,797	English
Saskatchewan	Regina	Saskatoon	1905	1,125,400	651,036	English
Nova Scotia	Halifax	Halifax	1867	942,700	55,284	English
New Brunswick	Fredericton	Moncton	1867	753,900	72,908	English and French
Newfoundland and Labrador	St. John's	St. John's	1949	527,000	405,212	English
Prince Edward Island	Charlottetown	Charlottetown	1873	146,300	5,660	English
Territories
Northwest Territories	Yellowknife	Yellowknife	1870	41,462	1,346,106	multiple
Yukon	Whitehorse	Whitehorse	1898	33,897	482,443	English and French
Nunavut	Iqaluit	Iqaluit	1999	31,906	2,093,190	multiple

Climate and its influence

Northern mountains in Canada. Because of it's northern geography, most of Canada is very cold, making it unlivable for humans. For this reason it has a small population which live in limited areas of the south that have less severe temperatures that humans and infrastructure can survive in.

Because Canada is very far north, and most people cannot survive the conditions, most Canadians live in the southern parts, where the weather is much milder.In some cities, the temperature gets very cold in the winter, especially inland.Warm air systems, moving in from the Pacific Ocean, bring more rain than snow to the Pacific coast. The colder temperatures further inland result in snow. Parts of Canada can get quite hot in the summer, often over 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit).

Canadians are known to play winter sports, such asice hockeyandskiingandsnowboarding,as well as enjoy many summer sports and games.

Natural resources

Peyto Lake inAlberta.

Canada has lots ofnatural resources.Its large amounts offishhave been used forcenturiesfor food and money.Hydroelectricpower (electricity by water) is abundant because of Canada's many rivers.Forests in the west are used for wood. Besides these renewable resources, Canada has metal ores and oildeposits.Canada is the leading exporter ofzinc,uranium,gold,nickel,aluminum,steelandlead.

Demographics

Around 38 million people live in Canada. About 90% of the Canadian population live within 100 mi (160 km) of the border with the United States.This is because of climate and trade with the US. This means that over 60% of Canadians live south ofSeattle, Washington.

Manyimmigrants,who come from almost every part of the world, live in Canada.One example is the formerGovernor Generalof Canada,Michaëlle Jean,who came to Canada as a young child with her family fromHaitiin 1968. Today, up to 1/5th of the population is an immigrant of Canada.

Healthcare

TheCanadian governmentprovidesuniversal health care.Theprovincesare responsible forhealth insurance.Five provinces prohibit allextra-billing,whileAlberta,British ColumbiaandNewfoundlandallow it in a small number of circumstances, andPrince Edward IslandandNew Brunswickdo not restrict it at all.

In 2020, theCanadian Broadcasting Corporationreported that there were not enoughhospitalbeds inOntario.Ontario is Canada's largest province, and is home to Canada's largest city,Toronto.The number of hospital beds available in Ontario is 1.4 per every 1,000 people.

Other websites

• Official Government of Canada website
• CIA World Factbook - CanadaArchived2019-04-30 at theWayback Machine
• Yahoo - Definition of Canada