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 About Canada |
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Canada is the second largest country in the world after Russia, but its population is about one-fifth of Russia's. With nearly 90% of Canadians living within 120 miles of the border with the United States, most of Canada is made up of vast wilderness expanses. Over 60% of the world’s lakes and rivers are in Canada.
Canada is a federation of ten provinces and three territiories, which are: Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Northwest Territories, Nova Scotia, Nunavut, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Quebec, Saskatchewan, and Yukon.
Governed as a parliamentary democracy and constitutional monarchy, Canada is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations, with the same monarch as Great Britain and Northern Ireland. The monarch is represented in the country by the office of governor-general. The head of government is the Prime Minister.
Canada was explored by English and French explorers like John Cabot and Jacques Cartier from the late 15th century. The French established the first permanent settlement at Port Royal in 1605, but gradually lost control of eastern Canada, which was ceded to England in 1763 after the Seven Years' War. In 1867 the Dominion of Canada was formed, and expanded to the western provinces in 1905. Newfoundland formally joined the federation in 1949.
Canada today defines itself as a bilingual and multicultural nation. Its diversified economy greatly depends on rich and plentiful natural resources and trade. The relationship to its neighbor, the United States, is a defining factor for Canada. The US and Canada have the world's largest trading relationship. |
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Location |
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The northern-most country on the mainland of North America, Canada extends from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean, and northward into the Arctic Ocean, with claims extending to the North Pole. Much of the country lies in Arctic regions. Canada has land borders only with the United States. |
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Population |
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Close to 32.5 million people live in Canada. The heritage of most of the population is British, Irish, and French. There are smaller numbers of people whose background is German, Italian, Chinese, Ukrainian, and North American Indian.
Christianity is the major religious group, with adherents amongst over 70% of Canadians. Catholics make up the largest denomination. One-sixth of Canadians have no religious affiliation. |
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Language |
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Canada's official languages are English and French. English is the official and majority language in most provinces of Canada. French is the official language of Quebec, an official language of New Brunswick, and is spoken in various areas throughout the country. Several Aboriginal languages have official status in the Northwest Territories. Inuktitut is the official and majority language in Nunavut. |
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Education |
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Public education in Canada is under the auspices of the provinces and territories, not the central government. Most children start school at four or five years old, and attendance is mandatory until the age of 15 or 16, depending on the province or territory.
Children begin their education in elementary school, which starts with kindergarten and continues to grade six or eight. Secondary school, or high school, follows. In some provinces, high school is divided into junior high and senior high.
Most children in Canada attend public schools. About five percent of students go to private schools, which charge tuition.
Canada offers extensive higher education options at its colleges and universities. These institutions are diverse, and are located across the country, with at least one in each province. Like early education, the provinces and territories are responsible for higher education. There's no federal ministry of education or formal accreditation system. Instead, membership in the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada (AUCC), together with the university's provincial government charter, is generally viewed as the equivalent. Some 90 universities hold membership in the AUCC. |
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Weather |
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Winters in Cananda are harsh in many regions of the country, especially in the Prairie Provinces. In the far north, temperatures reach down to -60° F. British Columbia, with a temperate climate, is an exception. Its winters are milder, but also wetter.
Summers temperatures range on average from the 70s F(low 20s C) on the east and west coasts, to the mid 70s and 80s (mid 20s to low 30s C) in Central Canada, the Prairies (Manitoba, Alberta, and Saskatchewan) and the plateau regions of British Columbia. |
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Money and Cost of Living |
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Most Canadians enjoy a high standard of living. With the luxury of a large country and relatively few people, space constraints do not affect the size of homes as they do in many European counrties. The cost of living in Canada varies from province to province. Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal are the most costly cities, while Charlottetown, Winnipeg and Edmonton are much more inexpensive. |
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Currency |
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The currency in Canada is the Canadian Dollar (CAD). One Canadian dollar = 100 cents. Notes are in denominations of CAD100, 50, 20, 10 and 5. Coins are in denominations of CAD2 and 1, and 50, 20, 10 and 5 cents. |
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Health |
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Canada has a comprehensive national health system that is actually a group of socialized health insurance plans providing coverage to all Canadian citizens, regardless of their medical history or income. The system is publicly funded and administered by the provinces and territories, according to guidelines set by the federal government. Citizens receive preventative care and medical treatment from primary care physicians, as well as access to hospitals, dental surgery, and various additional medical services.
While the health care system covers basic services, it does not cover all services. For instance, routine dental care and optometry are not covered. Canadians often rely on private health insurance plans offered as part of employee benefit packages for vision and dental care. Some Canadians purchase insurance packages from private insurance providers. But also, many Canadians choose to depend solely on the public health system. |
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Weights and Measures |
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Canada went metric from the early 1970s until 1985, when the Canadian federal government operated the Metric Commission to plan, coordinate and implement metric conversion. Thus Canada uses the metric system, with units in liters and milliliters, kilometers and meters. While Canada has officially converted to metric, the use of imperial measurements continues to exist in the Canadian marketplace and society. |
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Electricity |
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Canada uses 120V/60Hz electricity with A and B plugs. A plugs are the flat attachment type, and B plugs are flat blades with a round grounding pin. |
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