Canada
History
Canada is a Confederation
of 10 provinces, and three
territories. In 1867, 4 provinces: Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia, and
New Brunswick, joined together into a federation, with each province retaining
some powers, while the rest were given to a central government, located in Ottawa.
Over time, additional provinces negotiated their entrance into the confederation,
the last being Newfoundland in 1949. Unlike the provinces whose powers are constitutionally-based,
the territories areas of jurisdiction are determined by the federal government.
Nunavut, became the newest Canadian territory on April 1, 1999.
Canada
Govt
Canada
is a democracy, and a Constitutional Monarchy.
Our Head of State, is the Queen of
Canada, Queen Elizabeth II,
Our Head of Government is the Prime Minister, the Right Honourable
Jean Chretien.
While the Queen is not in Canada,
her function as Head of State lies with
the Governor General, the Right Honourable
Adrienne Clarkson.
The Prime Minister and the rest of the Executive (known as the Cabinet)
are selected from the political Party which elects the most members to the House
of Commons. This form of government is known as responsible government,
where the Cabinet (and Prime Minister) are responsible to the legislature (the
House of Commons), who are in turn, is responsible to the public.
Canadian law is based on the Constitution, which was drafted by the Fathers
of Confederation in 1867, and was amended in 1982, to include the Charter of
Rights and Freedoms..
Canada's
Landmass
Canada is the world's second-largest country (9 970 610
km2), surpassed only by the Russian Federation.
Capital
Ottawa, in the province of Ontario.
Provinces and Territories
(Map)
Canada has 10 provinces and 3 territories, each
with its own capital city (in brackets): Alberta
(Edmonton); British Columbia (Victoria); Prince
Edward Island (Charlottetown); Manitoba
(Winnipeg); New Brunswick (Fredericton); Nova
Scotia (Halifax); Nunavut
(Iqaluit); Ontario (Toronto); Quebec
(Quebec City); Saskatchewan (Regina); Newfoundland
(St. John's); Northwest Territories (Yellowknife);
and Yukon Territory (Whitehorse).
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 35ºC and higher, while lows of -25ºC are not uncommon
in winter. More moderate temperatures are the norm in spring and fall.
Parks and Historic Sites
Canada maintains 38 national parks, which cover
about 2% of the country's landmass. Banff, located on the eastern slopes of
Alberta's Rocky Mountains, is the oldest (est. 1885); Tuktut Nogait, in the
Northwest Territories, was established in 1996. There are 836 national historic
sites, designated in honour of people, places and events that figure in the
country's history. Canada also has over 1000 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 6050 m, Mount
Logan in the Yukon is Canada's tallest peak.
Lakes
There are some two million lakes in Canada, covering about 7.6% 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 (31 326 km2)
in the Northwest Territories.
Rivers
The St. Lawrence (3058 km 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 4241 km 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 the Atlantic, the Eastern, the Central, the Rocky Mountain
and, farthest west, the Pacific, which is eight hours behind GMT.
Political System
Canada is a constitutional monarchy and a federal state
with a democratic parliament. 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.
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
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 lyric is 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
As of the summer of 2000, Canada's population was over
30 million.
Main Cities
As
of July 1, 1996, the leading Canadian cities are Toronto (4.44 million), Montreal
(3.36 million), Vancouver (1.89 million), Ottawa-Hull, the National Capital
Region (1.03 million).
Distribution of Population
A large majority of Canadians, 77 percent, live in cities and towns.
Family Size
At
the time of the 1996 national census, 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 GDP per capita along with other factors
(e.g., life expectancy, education) that contribute to "quality
of life."
Health Care and Social Security
Basic health care, with the exception of dental services,
is free at the point of delivery. And prescription drugs are in most cases 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% 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% are North American Indian, 26% Métis,
and 5% Inuit.
Religion
According
to the 1991 census, more than four-fifths of Canadians are Christian, with Catholics
accounting for about 47% of the population and Protestants about 36%. Other
religions include Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Sikhism and Buddhism. Some 12.5%,
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% of Canadians; and French,
the first language of 23% of the population. A full 18% 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% of the population reported "Canadian" as their single ethnic
origin, with 17% reporting British Isles-only ancestry and 9% French-only ancestry.
About 10% reported a combination of British Isles, French, or Canadian origin,
with another 16% reporting an ancestry of either British Isles, French or Canadian
in combination with some other origin. Some 28% 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% had
graduated from secondary school, some 9% had bachelor's degrees, and about 6%
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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