Canada
|
---|
|
Motto:
A mari usque ad mare
(
Latin
)
"From Sea to Sea"
|
Anthem:
"
O Canada
"
|
|
Capital
| Ottawa
45°24′N
75°40′W
/
45.400°N 75.667°W
/
45.400; -75.667
|
---|
Largest city
| Toronto
|
---|
Official languages
| |
---|
Ethnic groups
| |
---|
Religion
| |
---|
Demonym(s)
| Canadian
|
---|
Government
| Federal
parliamentary
constitutional monarchy
[4]
|
---|
|
| Charles III
|
---|
| Mary Simon
|
---|
| Justin Trudeau
|
---|
|
Legislature
| Parliament
|
---|
| Senate
|
---|
| House of Commons
|
---|
|
|
| July 1, 1867
|
---|
| December 11, 1931
|
---|
| April 17, 1982
|
---|
|
|
? Total area
| 9,984,670 km
2
(3,855,100 sq mi) (
2nd
)
|
---|
? Water (%)
| 11.76 (as of 2015)
[5]
|
---|
? Total land area
| 9,093,507 km
2
(3,511,023 sq mi)
|
---|
|
? Q1 2021 estimate
| 38,131,104
[6]
(
37th
)
|
---|
? 2016 census
| 35,151,728
[7]
|
---|
? Density
| 3.92/km
2
(10.2/sq mi) (
185th
)
|
---|
GDP
(
PPP
)
| 2021 estimate
|
---|
? Total
| $1.979 trillion
[8]
(
15th
)
|
---|
? Per capita
| $51,713
[8]
(
20th
)
|
---|
GDP
(nominal)
| 2021 estimate
|
---|
? Total
| $1.883
trillion
[8]
(
9th
)
|
---|
? Per capita
| $49,222
[8]
(
18th
)
|
---|
Gini
(2018)
| 30.3
[9]
medium
|
---|
HDI
(2019)
| 0.929
[10]
very high
·
16th
|
---|
Currency
| Canadian dollar
($) (
CAD
)
|
---|
Time zone
| UTC
?3.5 to ?8
|
---|
| UTC
?2.5 to ?7
|
---|
Date format
| yyyy
-
mm
-
dd
(
AD
)
[11]
|
---|
Driving side
| right
|
---|
Calling code
| +1
|
---|
ISO 3166 code
| CA
|
---|
Internet TLD
| .ca
|
---|
Canada
is a
country
in
North America
. Its land reaches from the
Atlantic Ocean
in the east to the
Pacific Ocean
in the west. The
Arctic Ocean
is to the north of Canada. Canada's land area is 9.98 million square kilometres (3.85 million square miles). It is the world's
second largest country by total area
, but only the fourth largest country by
land area
. It has the world's longest
coastline
(a border with water). Canada has
ten provinces and three territories
. Most parts of the country are cold or severely cold in the
winter
. Areas in the south of Canada are warm in the
summer
. Much of the land is covered in
forest
or
tundra
. Most of the people in Canada live in
urban areas
, near the southern border with the US. This border is the longest between any two countries in the world. The
national capital
is
Ottawa
, and the largest
city
is
Toronto
. Other large cities include
Montreal
,
Vancouver
,
Calgary
,
Edmonton
,
Quebec City
,
Winnipeg
and
Hamilton
.
The name "Canada" comes from the Huron-Iroquois word "Kanata," meaning "village" or "settlement." In 1535, two Aboriginal youths told an explorer from France, named
Jacques Cartier
, about the route to Kanata. They were actually referring to the village named Stadacona, which is near present-day city of Quebec.
Aboriginal people
lived in the places (that are now Canada) for a long time. In 1537, the
French
started a colony. The
British Empire
soon followed. The two empires fought several wars. In the late 18th century, only
British North America
remained 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 the
Statute of Westminster 1931
, and became
completely independent
when the Canada Act 1982 removed the last remaining ties of legal dependence with the
Parliament of the United Kingdom
.
Canada is a
federal
parliamentary democracy
and a
constitutional monarchy
, with
King Charles III
as its head of state. The country is officially
bilingual
at the federal level. That means that
citizens
have the right to communicate with the
government
in two languages: English or French.
Immigration to Canada
has made it one of the world's most ethnically diverse and
multicultural
nations. Its economy is
the eleventh largest in the world
, and relies mainly on
natural resources
and well-developed international
trade networks
. Canada's relationship with its neighbor and biggest trading partner, the U.S., has a big impact on its economy and
culture
.
Canada is a
developed country
and has the
tenth highest
nominal per capita income globally as well as the
sixteenth highest
ranking in the
Human Development Index
. It ranks among the highest in international measurements of government transparency,
civil liberties
, quality of life, economic freedom, and education. Canada is a
Commonwealth realm
member of the
Commonwealth of Nations
, a member of the
Francophonie
, and part of several major international and intergovernmental institutions or groupings including the
United Nations
, the
North Atlantic Treaty Organization
, the
G7
, the
G20
, the
North American Free Trade Agreement
and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum.
By total land and water area, Canada is the
second-largest country
in the world. It is only smaller than Russia. By land area alone, Canada
ranks fourth
.
[12]
It has the longest border with water (
coastline
) of any country in the world. It is next to the
Pacific
,
Arctic
, and
Atlantic
Oceans. It is the only country in the world to be next to three oceans at once. It has six
time zones
.
[13]
[14]
Canada is made up of
ten 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's
fresh water
. The
Saint Lawrence Seaway
joins the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean, allowing vessels in the ocean to travel as far inland as
Thunder Bay
in Ontario, Canada.
Canada shares land and sea borders with the USA (the lower 48 states and
Alaska
),
Greenland
, and France (St. Pierre and Miquelon, a small group of islands off the southern coast off the island of
Newfoundland
).
The geography of Canada is very different in each region. Canada's geography features high
alpine areas
in the west, flat
grasslands
and prairies in the middle, and ancient
shield
rocks in the east. Canada has some of the very last untouched
boreal forest
in the world.
The
Canadian Shield
is a vast area of ancient Pre-Cambrian rocks lying in an arc around
Hudson 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's
lakes
.
Indigenous people
lived in what is now Canada for thousands of years before the first Europeans arrived. The indigenous groups that live in Canada are the
First Nations
, the
Inuit
, and the
Metis
.
[15]
The Metis are people that come from both
First Nations
and European families.
[15]
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 from
Siberia
at least 14,000 years ago, using the
Bering land bridge
. The land bridge connected Asia and North America.
[16]
[17]
When European people first
settled
in Canada, the number of Indigenous people living in Canada was between 200,000 and two million.
[18]
[19]
The
Vikings
were the first Europeans to land in Canada, in what is now
Newfoundland
. The exploration was led by the Viking explorer
Leif 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 was
John Cabot
from
England
, in 1497, and later
Jacques Cartier
from
France
, in 1534.
Alexander Mackenzie
later reached the Pacific coast over land, where captains
James Cook
and
George Vancouver
went by sea. The Europeans also traded beaver furs to the
First Nations
.
Some parts of Canada were settled by France. Other parts of the country were settled by
Great Britain
. In 1605,
Port-Royal
was built in Acadia (today called Nova Scotia) by the French, led by
Samuel de Champlain
. In 1608, he settled in Quebec. The British took control of the French areas after a battle of the
French and Indian War
on the
Plains of Abraham
, near
Quebec City
, in 1759.
Thousands of people came north to Canada and settled in
Nova Scotia
,
New Brunswick
,
Quebec
, and
Ontario
. They were called
United Empire Loyalists
.
On July 1, 1867, Canada was united under a
federal government
. At first, Canada was only made up of the provinces
Ontario
,
Quebec
,
New Brunswick
, and
Nova Scotia
. Sir
John A. Macdonald
was the first prime minister.
Manitoba
, the
Yukon
territory, and the
Northwest Territories
became part of Canada in 1870.
British Columbia
joined in 1871, and
Prince Edward Island
in 1873.
There were two
Red River Rebellions
, in 1869-70 and 1885, both led by
Louis Riel
. He fought for more
rights
for the
Metis people
, a mix between French and First Nations. A
railroad
across the country, the
Canadian Pacific Railway
, finished in 1885, making it easier for Canadians to move to the west. Many Europeans came to the
prairies
, so
Alberta
and
Saskatchewan
became provinces in 1905.
Canadian soldiers fought in
World War I
for the
British Empire
. More Canadians died in this war than any other war. Canada became better known as a country after its success in capturing
Vimy Ridge
from 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 fully
independent
. The government of Canada made all the decisions about Canada.
Canadians also fought in
World War II
. The
Dieppe Raid,
in 1942, went very badly. Most soldiers were killed, wounded, or imprisoned. Canadians helped capture soldiers at
Normandy
in 1944. They also liberated the
Netherlands
from Germany.
In 1949,
Newfoundland and Labrador
became the 10th province of Canada. In 1956, Canadian
Lester Pearson
, who later became prime minister, helped end the
Suez Crisis
. Because of this, he won the
Nobel Peace Prize
. In 1965, Pearson helped change the design of Canada's flag. This design is known as the
Maple Leaf
today. Before that, the
Red Ensign
was Canada's flag. In 1982, Canada changed its
constitution
. The change introduced a new
Canadian 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 a
referendum
(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 of
Quebec
, there are French-speaking communities and people all across Canada. For example, 40% of the people in the province of
New Brunswick
and 20% of those in
Manitoba
have a strong French background, as some people do in
Ontario
, mainly along its border with Quebec.
In 1999,
Nunavut
was created as Canada's third territory, out of the eastern
Northwest Territories
, in an agreement with the
Inuit
people.
Canada has a government called a
constitutional monarchy
.
[20]
It has a
monarch
(meaning a king or queen is the head of that country), and is a
democracy
(meaning the people of that country rule it). The head of state is
King Charles III
, who is officially the King of Canada. He appoints a
Governor General
to 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, currently
Mary 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 the
Prime Minister
. The current prime minister is
Justin Trudeau
,
[21]
who replaced
Stephen Harper
in October 2015. Each province and territory has a
premier
to 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 to
veto
a 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: the
Conservative Party
, the
New Democratic Party
, the
Liberal Party
, the
Bloc Quebecois
, and the
Green 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.
Below is a list of provinces and territories. They are listed by population.
Provinces
|
Name
|
Capital
|
Largest city
|
Entered
Confederation
|
Population
(2014)
|
Area
(km
2
)
|
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
|
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.
[23]
In some cities, the temperature gets very cold in the winter, especially inland.
[24]
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).
[25]
Canadians are known to play winter sports, such as
ice hockey
and
skiing
and
snowboarding
, as well as enjoy many summer sports and games.
Canada has lots of
natural resources
. Its large amounts of
fish
have been used for
centuries
for food and money.
Hydroelectric
power (electricity by water) is abundant because of Canada's many rivers.
[26]
Forests in the west are used for wood. Besides these renewable resources, Canada has metal ores and oil
deposits
. Canada is the leading exporter of
zinc
,
uranium
,
gold
,
nickel
,
aluminum
,
steel
and
lead
.
[27]
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.
[28]
This is because of climate and trade with the US. This means that over 60% of Canadians live south of
Seattle, Washington
.
[29]
Many
immigrants
, who come from almost every part of the world, live in Canada.
[30]
One example is the former
Governor General
of Canada,
Michaelle Jean
, who came to Canada as a young child with her family from
Haiti
in 1968. Today, up to 1/5th of the population is an immigrant of Canada.
The
Canadian government
provides
universal health care
. The
provinces
are responsible for
health insurance
. Five provinces prohibit all
extra-billing
, while
Alberta
,
British Columbia
and
Newfoundland
allow it in a small number of circumstances, and
Prince Edward Island
and
New Brunswick
do not restrict it at all.
[31]
In 2020, the
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
reported that there were not enough
hospital
beds in
Ontario
. 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.
[32]
- ↑
"Royal Anthem"
. Government of Canada. August 11, 2017.
Archived
from the original on December 6, 2020
. Retrieved
December 18,
2020
.
- ↑
"2016 Census of Population?Ethnic Origin, Catalog no. 98-400-X2016187"
. Statistics Canada. October 25, 2017.
Archived
from the original on October 26, 2017.
- ↑
"2011 National Household Survey"
. Statistics Canada. May 8, 2013.
Archived
from the original on May 15, 2013.
- ↑
Dowding, Keith; Dumont, Patrick (2014).
The Selection of Ministers around the World
. Taylor & Francis. p. 395.
ISBN
978-1-317-63444-7
.
- ↑
"Surface water and surface water change"
.
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
(OECD).
Archived
from the original on March 24, 2021
. Retrieved
October 11,
2020
.
- ↑
Government of Canada, Statistics Canada (June 17, 2021).
"The Daily ? Canada's population estimates, first quarter 2021"
.
www150.statcan.gc.ca
.
Archived
from the original on August 19, 2021
. Retrieved
August 5,
2021
.
- ↑
"Population size and growth in Canada: Key results from the 2016 Census"
. Statistics Canada. February 8, 2017.
Archived
from the original on February 10, 2017
. Retrieved
February 8,
2017
.
- ↑
8.0
8.1
8.2
8.3
"World Economic Outlook Database"
.
International Monetary Fund
. April 2021.
Archived
from the original on April 12, 2021
. Retrieved
April 6,
2020
.
- ↑
"Income inequality"
.
OECD
.
Archived
from the original on February 6, 2020
. Retrieved
July 16,
2021
.
- ↑
"Human Development Report 2020"
(PDF)
.
United Nations Development Programme
. 2020.
Archived
(PDF)
from the original on December 15, 2020
. Retrieved
December 15,
2020
.
- ↑
The
Government of Canada
and
Standards Council of Canada
prescribe
ISO 8601
as the country's official all-numeric date format:
Public Works and Government Services Canada Translation Bureau
(1997).
"5.14: Dates"
.
The Canadian style: A guide to writing and editing
(Revised ed.). Dundurn Press. p.
97
.
ISBN
978-1-55002-276-6
.
The
dd
/
mm
/
yy
and
mm
/
dd
/
yy
formats also remain in common use; see
Date and time notation in Canada
.
- ↑
"World Factbook: Canada"
. CIA. May 16, 2006. Archived from
the original
on April 30, 2019
. Retrieved
February 17,
2008
.
- ↑
Standard Time Zones
(Map) (6923 ed.). 1:20000000. Atlas of Canada, 6th Edition. Natural Resources Canada. 2007. Archived from the original on 2015-10-01
. Retrieved
2020-09-15
.
{{
cite map
}}
: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (
link
)
- ↑
"Canada's Time Zones"
.
www.timeanddate.com
. Archived from
the original
on 2019-04-18
. Retrieved
2019-01-20
.
- ↑
15.0
15.1
Graber, Christoph Beat; Kuprecht, Karolina; Lai, Jessica C. (2012).
International Trade in Indigenous Cultural Heritage: Legal and Policy Issues
. Edward Elgar Publishing. p. 366.
ISBN
978-0-85793-831-2
.
Archived
from the original on April 12, 2016.
- ↑
Dillehay, Thomas D. (2008).
The Settlement of the Americas: A New Prehistory
. Basic Books. p. 61.
ISBN
978-0-7867-2543-4
.
Archived
from the original on April 13, 2016.
- ↑
Fagan, Brian M.; Durrani, Nadia (2016).
World Prehistory: A Brief Introduction
. Routledge. p. 124.
ISBN
978-1-317-34244-1
.
Archived
from the original on 2023-01-20
. Retrieved
2022-02-22
.
- ↑
Wilson, Donna M; Northcott, Herbert C (2008).
Dying and Death in Canada
. University of Toronto Press. pp. 25?27.
ISBN
978-1-55111-873-4
.
Archived
from the original on April 12, 2016.
- ↑
Thornton, Russell (2000). "Population history of Native North Americans". In Haines, Michael R; Steckel, Richard Hall (eds.).
A population history of North America
.
Cambridge University Press
. pp. 13, 380.
ISBN
978-0-521-49666-7
.
- ↑
Amanda, Briney.
"About.com: geography and overview of Canada"
. Archived from
the original
on 22 November 2011
. Retrieved
November 12,
2010
.
- ↑
Official Government of Canada website.
"PRIME MINISTER OF CANADA"
. Archived from
the original
on 8 February 2006
. Retrieved
November 17,
2010
.
- ↑
Marsden, Lorna. "Population Issues in the Immigration Debate." Canadian Ethnic Studies= Etudes Ethniques au Canada 7.1 (1975): 22.
- ↑
"2006 Census: Where we live? vignette - alternate format"
.
www12.statcan.gc.ca
.
Archived
from the original on 2018-10-20
. Retrieved
2019-01-20
.
- ↑
http://www40.statcan.ca/l01/cst01/phys08b-eng.htm
- ↑
http://www.cfls-elfc.forces.gc.ca/canada/weather-temps-eng.asp
- ↑
"Natural Resources Canada"
. Archived from
the original
on 23 January 2009
. Retrieved
November 17,
2010
.
- ↑
Brendan Marshall, Director, Economic Affairs (2014).
"Facts & Figures 2014"
(PDF)
. The Mining Association of Canada. Archived from
the original
(PDF)
on 14 October 2015
. Retrieved
December 3,
2015
.
{{
cite web
}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (
link
)
- ↑
Jacobs, Frank.
"Most Canadians live south of Seattle and other mental map surprises"
. Retrieved
2023-10-14
.
- ↑
Jacobs, Frank.
"Most Canadians live south of Seattle and other mental map surprises"
. Retrieved
2023-10-14
.
- ↑
Canadawosirutameno60syou(60 chapters about Canada)
. Tokyo: Akaisi. 2003. p. 314.
- ↑
Sullivan, Terrence James, Patricia M. Baranek (2002).
First do no harm: making sense of Canadian health reform
. Toronto, Ontario: Malcolm Lester and Associates. p. 44.
ISBN
978-0-7748-1016-6
.
{{
cite book
}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (
link
)
- ↑
"Archived copy"
.
Archived
from the original on 2020-01-22
. Retrieved
2020-01-22
.
{{
cite web
}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (
link
)
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