Map of Canada | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
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Background: A land of vast distances and rich natural resources Canada became a self-governing dominion in 1867 while retaining ties to the British crown. Economically and technologically the nation has developed in parallel with the US its neighbor to the south across an unfortified border. Its paramount political problem continues to be the relationship of the province of Quebec with its French-speaking residents and unique culture to the remainder of the country.


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Location: Northern North America bordering the North Atlantic Ocean on the east North Pacific Ocean on the west and the Arctic Ocean on the north north of the conterminous US

Geographic coordinates: 60 00 N 95 00 W

Map reference: North America

Area
Total: 9,976,140 km²
Land: 9,220,970 km²
Water: 755,170 km²
Comparative: somewhat larger than the US

Land boundaries
Total: 8,893 km
Border countries: (1) US 8,893 km; (includes 2,477 km

Coastline: 202,080 km

Maritime claims
Contiguous zone: 24 NM
Territorial sea: 12 NM
Continental shelf: 200 NM or to the edge of the continental margin
Exclusive economic zone: 200 NM

Climate: varies from temperate in south to subarctic and arctic in north

Terrain: mostly plains with mountains in west and lowlands in southeast

Elevation
Extremes lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
Extremes highest point: Mount Logan 5,959 m

Natural resources: iron ore nickel zinc copper gold lead molybdenum potash silver fish timber wildlife coal petroleum natural gas hydropower

Land use
Arable land: 4.94%
Permanent crops: 0.02%
Other: 95.04% (1998 est.)

Irrigated land: 7,200 km² (1998 est.)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards: continuous permafrost in north is a serious obstacle to development; cyclonic storms form east of the Rocky Mountains a result of the mixing of air masses from the Arctic Pacific and North American interior and produce most of the country's rain and snow east of the mountains

Geography
Note: second-largest country in world (after Russia); strategic location between Russia and US via north polar route; approximately 85% of the population is concentrated within 300 km of the US/Canada border


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Population: 31,902,268 (July 2002 est.)
Growth rate: 0.96% (2002 est.)
Below poverty line: NA%

Nationality
Noun: Canadian
Adjective: Canadian

Ethnic groups: British Isles origin 28% French origin 23% other European 15% Amerindian 2% other mostly Asian African Arab 6% mixed background 26%

Languages: English 59.3% (official) French 23.2% (official) other 17.5%

Religions
Note: based on the 1991 census

Demographic profile

Age structure
0-14 years: 18.7% (male 3,059,023; female 2,910,203)
15-64 years: 68.4% (male 10,975,701; female 10,857,869)
65 years and over: 12.9% (male 1,743,654; female 2,355,818) (2002 est.)

Dependency ratios

Median age

Population growth rate: 0.96% (2002 est.)

Birth rate: 11.09 births/1000 population (2002 est.)

Death rate: 7.54 deaths/1000 population (2002 est.)

Net migration rate: 6.07 migrant(s)/1000 population (2002 est.)

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: air pollution and resulting acid rain severely affecting lakes and damaging forests; metal smelting coal-burning utilities and vehicle emissions impacting on agricultural and forest productivity; ocean waters becoming contaminated due to agricultural industrial mining and forestry activities
International agreements party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulphur 85, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands
International agreements signed but not ratified: Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation

Air pollutants

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.05 male/female
Under 15 years: 1.05 male/female
15-64 years: 1.01 male/female
65 years and over: 0.74 male/female
Total population: 0.98 male/female (2002 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate: 4.95 deaths/1000 live births (2002 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 79.69 years
Female: 83.25 years (2002 est.)
Male: 76.3 years

Total fertility rate: 1.6 children born/woman (2002 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access

Hiv/Aids
Adult prevalence rate: 0.3% (1999 est.)
People living with hivaids: 49,000 (1999 est.)
Deaths: 400 (1999 est.)

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 97% (1986 est.)
Male: NA%
Female: NA%

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


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Country name
Conventional long form: none
Conventional short form: Canada

Government type: confederation with parliamentary democracy

Capital: Ottawa

Administrative divisions: 10 provinces and 3 territories*; Alberta British Columbia Manitoba New Brunswick Newfoundland and Labrador Northwest Territories* Nova Scotia Nunavut* Ontario Prince Edward Island Quebec Saskatchewan Yukon Territory*

Dependent areas

Independence: 1 July 1867 (from UK)

National holiday: Canada Day 1 July (1867)

Constitution: 17 April 1982 (Constitution Act); originally the machinery of the government was set up in the British North America Act of 1867; charter of rights and unwritten customs

Legal system: based on English common law except in Quebec where civil law system based on French law prevails; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations

International law organization participation

Citizenship

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Adrienne CLARKSON (since 7 October 1999)
Elections: none; the monarchy is hereditary; governor general appointed by the monarch on the advice of the prime minister for a five-year term; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition in the House of Commons is automatically designated prime minister by the governor general
Head of government: Prime Minister Jean CHRETIEN (since 4 November 1993); Deputy Prime Minister John MANLEY (since NA January 2002)
Cabinet: Federal Ministry chosen by the prime minister from among the members of his own party sitting in Parliament

Legislative branch
Elections: House of Commons - last held 27 November 2000 (next to be held by 2005)
Election results: House of Commons - percent of vote by party - Liberal Party 41%, Canadian Alliance 26%, Bloc Quebecois 11%, New Democratic Party 9%, Progressive Conservative Party 12%; seats by party - Liberal Party 172, Canadian Alliance 66, Bloc Quebecois 38, New Democratic Party 13, Progressive Conservative Party 12; note - percent of vote by party as of January 2002 - Liberal Party 51%, Canadian Alliance 10%, Bloc Quebecois 10%, New Democratic Party 9%, Progressive Conservative Party 18%; seats by party - Liberal Party 172, Canadian Alliance 66, Bloc Quebecois 38, New Democratic Party 13, Progressive Conservative Party 12

Judicial branch: Supreme Court of Canada (judges are appointed by the prime minister through the governor general); Federal Court of Canada; Federal Court of Appeal; Provincial Courts (these are named variously Court of Appeal Court of Queens Bench Superior Court Supreme Court and Court of Justice)

Political parties and leaders: Bloc Quebecois [Gilles DUCEPPE]; Canadian Alliance [Stephen HARPER]; Liberal Party [Jean CHRETIEN]; New Democratic Party [Jack LAYTON]; Progressive Conservative Party [Joe CLARK]

International organization participation: ACCT AfDB APEC ARF (dialogue partner) AsDB ASEAN (dialogue partner) Australia Group BIS C CCC CDB CE (observer) EAPC EBRD ECE ECLAC ESA (cooperating state) FAO G- 7 G- 8 G-10 IADB IAEA IBRD ICAO ICC ICFTU ICRM IDA IEA IFAD IFC IFRCS IHO ILO IMF IMO Interpol IOC IOM ISO ITU MINURCA MIPONUH MONUC NAM (guest) NATO NEA NSG OAS OECD OPCW OSCE PCA UN UNAMSIL UNCTAD UNDOF UNESCO UNFICYP UNHCR UNMEE UNMIBH UNMIK UNMOP UNMOVIC UNTSO UNU UPU WCL WFTU WHO WIPO WMO WToO WTrO ZC

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Michael F. KERGIN
In the us chancery: 501 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20,001
In the us fax: [1] (202) 682-7,726
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 682-1740
In the us consulates general: Atlanta, Boston, Buffalo, Chicago, Dallas, Detroit, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, New York, and Seattle
In the us consulates: Miami, Princeton, San Francisco, and San Jose
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Paul CELLUCCI
From the us embassy: 490 Sussex Drive, Ottawa, Ontario K1N 1G8
From the us mailing address: P. O. Box 866, Station B, Ottawa, Ontario K1P 5T1
From the us telephone: [1] (613) 238-5,335, 4,470
From the us fax: [1] (613) 688-3,082
From the us consulates general: Calgary, Halifax, Montreal, Quebec, Toronto, and Vancouver

Flag description: three vertical bands of red (hoist side) white (double width square) and red with a red maple leaf centered in the white band

National symbols

National anthem

National heritage


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Economy overview: As an affluent high-tech industrial society Canada today closely resembles the US in its market-oriented economic system pattern of production and high living standards. Since World War II the impressive growth of the manufacturing mining and service sectors has transformed the nation from a largely rural economy into one primarily industrial and urban. The 1989 US-Canada Free Trade Agreement (FTA) and the 1994 North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) (which includes Mexico) touched off a dramatic increase in trade and economic integration with the US. As a result of the close cross-border relationship the economic sluggishness in the United States in 2001-02 had a negative impact on the Canadian economy. Real growth averaged nearly 3% during 1993-2000 but declined in 2001 with moderate recovery in 2002. Unemployment is up with contraction in the manufacturing and natural resource sectors. Nevertheless given its great natural resources skilled labor force and modern capital plant Canada enjoys solid economic prospects. Two shadows loom the first being the continuing constitutional impasse between English- and French-speaking areas which has been raising the spectre of a split in the federation. Another long-term concern is the flow south to the US of professionals lured by higher pay lower taxes and the immense high-tech infrastructure. A key strength in the economy is the substantial trade surplus.

Real gdp purchasing power parity

Real gdp growth rate: 3.4% (2002 est.)

Real gdp per capita: purchasing power parity - $29,400 (2002 est.)

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 2%
Industry: 27%
Services: 71% (2001 est.)

Agriculture products: wheat barley oilseed tobacco fruits vegetables; dairy products; forest products; fish

Industries: transportation equipment chemicals processed and unprocessed minerals food products; wood and paper products; fish products petroleum and natural gas

Industrial production growth rate: 2.2% (2002 est.)

Labor force: 16.4 million (2001 est.)
By occupation: services 74% manufacturing 15% construction 5% agriculture 3% other 3% (2000) (2000)