Canada

Geography and inhabitants

Canada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean. It is the world’s second largest country (after Russia) by total area, and shares land borders with the United States to the south and northwest.

The land occupied by Canada was inhabited for millennia by various groups of aboriginal people. Beginning in the late 15th century, British and French expeditions explored, and later settled, along the Atlantic coast. France ceded nearly all of its colonies in North America in 1763 after the Seven Years’ War. In 1867, with the union of three British North American colonies through Confederation, Canada was formed as a federal dominion of four provinces. This began an accretion of additional provinces and territories and a process of increasing autonomy from the United Kingdom, highlighted by the Statute of Westminster in 1931, and culminating in the Canada Act in 1982 which severed the vestiges of legal dependence on the British parliament.

A federation comprising ten provinces and three territories, Canada is a parliamentary democracy and a constitutional monarchy, with Queen Elizabeth II as its head of state. It is a bilingual and multicultural country, with both English and French as official languages both at the federal level and in the province of New Brunswick. Technologically advanced and industrialized, Canada maintains a diversified economy that is heavily reliant upon its abundant natural resources and upon trade—particularly with the United States, with which Canada has had a long and complex relationship. It is a member of the G8, NATO, the Commonwealth of Nations, the Francophonie, and the United Nations.

Canada occupies a major northern portion of North America, sharing land borders with the contiguous United States to the south. By total area (including its waters), Canada is the second largest country in the world (9,984,670 km2 or 3,854,085 sq mi )—after Russia—and largest on the continent. Canada has the longest coastline in the world: 243,000 kilometres (151,000 miles).

The population density, 3.5 inhabitants per square kilometre (9.1/sq mi), is among the lowest in the world. The most densely populated part of the country is along the Great Lakes and Saint Lawrence River in the southeast.
Note: Germany’s density: 230 p/sq. km (259/sq mi ),  USA:  31 p/sq. km (80/ sq. mi)

Provinces and territories

Canada is a federation composed of ten provinces and three territories; in turn, these may be grouped into regions. Provinces have more autonomy than territories. Each has its own provincial or territorial symbol.
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. 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.

The territories West to East (with capital):

• Yukon Territory (Whitehorse)
• Northwest Territories (Yellowknife)
• Nunavut (Iqaluit)

The provinces West to East  (with capital):

• British Columbia (Victoria)
• Alberta (Edmonton)
• Saskatchewan (Regina)
• Manitoba (Winnipeg)
• Ontario (Toronto)
• Québec (Québec City)
• New Brunswick (Fredericton)
• Prince Edward Island (Charlottetown)
• Nova Scotia (Halifax)
• Newfoundland and Labrador (Saint John’s)

Major Cities

• Toronto – 5.61 million population – Harbour city of Lake Ontario
• Montreal – 3.27 million population – Atlantic -Saint Lawrence River Harbour City
• Vancouver – 2.13 million population – Pacific Harbour City (Gate to the Pacific)
• Calgary – 968,000 population– Largest City in Alberta, Olympic Winter Games Host City 1988
• Ottawa – 874,000 population – Canada’s Capitol
• Ottawa – 874,000 population – Canada’s Capitol
• Québec  City – 746,000 population – Atlantic Harbour City
• Hamilton – 654,000 population  – Port city at Lake Ontario
• Winnipeg – 632,000 population – Geographical center of Canada

Lakes and Rivers

Canada has more than 2,000,000 lakes, such as Great Bear Lake, Great Slave Lake, Lake Winnipeg and Lake Athabasca as well as parts of the Great Lakes. The mighty Saint Lawrence river, 3000 km long, is Canada’s vital freight link from the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean. Forty million tons of goods travel the St. Lawrence annually. In the Northwest, the Mackenzie River (1,900 km long), the Yukon River and the Columbia River, are other major waterways that are partially shared with the USA.

History

The first evidence of European settlement is accounted to Leif Eriksson around 1000. In 1497 John Cabot (Giovanni Caboto), an Italian delegated by the British Empire, went down in history as the first named European to claim part of Canada (Cape Breton Island) as English territory. Shortly after, in 1534/1535, the French (led by Jacques Cartier) explored the St. Lawrence River surroundings to claim today’s Quebec as a French colony (Novelle France). The French also established the first permanent settlement (Port Royal) in today’s Newfoundland in 1605. After several wars between France and England, however, all North American colonies belonged to the English Crown in 1763. Between 1812 and 1814, wars between the USA (independent since 1776) and Great Britain erupted to claim the remaining colonies. These wars remain important events in the national pride of both countries.

In 1841, Upper and Lower Canada united to form one province with one language – English. The Hudson’s Bay Company and the North West Company controlled this new province. The British North America Act of 1867 gave the colonies (Provinces of Canada, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia) some independence from the British Empire. Even though Canadian politics was claiming independence, Canadians supported the British Empire voluntarily in several wars. In 1919, Canada appears as an independent state in the Treaty of Versailles.

Since 1927, an ambassador has represented Canada in the USA. On September 10th, 1939, Canada declared war on the German Reich. Canadian soldiers fought in France in 1940, Hongkong in 1941, 1942 near Dieppe and North Africa,  1943 in Italy and 1944 in Normandy during the  invasion at Juno Beach. In1945 Canadian soldiers liberated the Netherlands. Formally, Canada was declared fully independent in 1982, when another series of constitutional conferences resulted in the patriation of Canada’s constitution from the United Kingdom, concurrent with the creation of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
Wirtschaft

Economy

Canada is one of the world’s wealthiest nations, with a high per capita income, and is a member of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the G8. It is one of the world’s top ten trading nations. Canada has a mixed market, ranking lower than the U.S. but higher than most western European nations on the Heritage Foundation’s index of economic freedom. Eighty-six per cent  of Canadian exports go to the USA, and 61 % of imports come from the USA. The total Gross Domestic Product is $1,511 trillion (9th world-wide).
Western and Eastern Economic Centers are 5,000 km apart. The population density is determined at 3.2 people/km². Canadian economy and 85 % of the work force concentrates within a 350 km wide belt along the US border.

Important Economy Sectors

Agriculture

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, canola, and other grains.

Energy Sector

Canada is one of the few developed nations that are net exporters of energy. Atlantic Canada has vast offshore deposits of natural gas and large oil and gas resources are centred in Alberta. The vast Athabasca Oil Sands give Canada the world’s second-largest oil reserves, behind Saudi Arabia. In Quebec, British Columbia, Newfoundland and Labrador, New Brunswick, Ontario, Manitoba, and Yukon, hydroelectricity is a cheap and clean source of renewable energy.

Natural Resources/Manufacturing

Canada is the world’s largest producer of zinc and uranium and a world leader in many other natural resources such as gold, nickel, aluminium, 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 sizable manufacturing sector centred in southern Ontario and Quebec, with automobiles and aeronautics representing particularly important industries.

Export and Trade

Canada is an export nation. Canada ranks 5th in world exports, following the EU, USA, Japan and China. Economic integration with the United States has increased significantly since World War II. The Automotive Products Trade Agreement in 1965 opened the borders to trade in the auto manufacturing industry. In the 1970s, concerns over energy self-sufficiency and foreign ownership in the manufacturing sectors prompted Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau’s Liberal government to set up the National Energy Program (NEP) and Foreign Investment Review Agency (FIRA). The Canada-United States Free Trade Agreement (FTA) of 1988 eliminated tariffs between the two countries, while North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) expanded the free trade zone to include Mexico in the 1990s. In the mid-1990s, governments began posting annual budgetary surpluses and began steadily paying down the national debt. Since 2001, Canada has avoided economic recession and has maintained the best overall economic performance in the G8.

Recent Economic Developments

Although the budget surplus situation recently changed, with a deficit recorded for 2008 and expected for 2009, Canada remains one of the strongest countries during the recent global recession conditions. It was the last country to enter the recession and will most likely be the first out. Overall, Canada’s economic picture is better than other Western countries.

World Bank President Robert Zoellick said, “Canada’s experience offers lessons to others, especially its strong financial and regulatory environment that is helping it manage the shocks of the downturn, particularly in the banking sector.”

The Bank of Canada forecasts a fast turnaround for Canada and Prime Minister Stephen Harper noted that Canada has not had to subsidize its banks, has a low and stable inflation rate and a diverse economy that is helping it weather the storm.

Bank of Canada Governor Mark Carney says that already positive economic signs are starting to appear, such as rebound in consumer confidence and positive moves in the housing market.

The International Monetary Fund has called Canada’s macro-economic policies exactly the appropriate policies for today’s situation.

Culture

Canadian culture has historically been influenced by British, French, and Aboriginal cultures and traditions. It has also been influenced heavily by American culture because of its proximity and migration between the two countries. The great majority of English speaking immigrants to Canada between 1755–1815 were Americans from the Lower Thirteen Colonies who were drawn to Canada by promises of land or exiled because of their loyalty to Britain during the American War for Independence. American media and entertainment are popular, if not dominant, in English Canada; conversely, many Canadian cultural products and entertainers are successful in the U.S. and worldwide. Many cultural products are marketed toward a unified “North American” or global market.

The creation and preservation of distinctly Canadian culture are supported 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).

Canada is a geographically vast and ethnically diverse country. Canadian culture has also been greatly influenced by immigration from all over the world. Many Canadians value multiculturalism and see Canadian culture as being inherently multicultural. Multicultural heritage is the basis of Section 27 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canada (summarized version)