Canada
"O Canada! Our home and native land! True patriot love in all thy sons command.
With Glowing hearts, we see thee rise, The True North strong and free!"
Canada is a beautiful country, the majority vast wilderness, with a sprinkling of small towns. It has three major cities; Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal. Over 30% of the Canadian population resides in these three cities.
It's the second largest country in the world, Russia is the
largest. It is 4,545 miles from east to west and 3,000 miles from south to north which encompasses 46.6% of North America.
The three coasts make up the world's longest coastline and Canada holds a fourth of the entire world's fresh water supply in it's plentiful streams, rivers and lakes.
There are six time zones, ten provinces and three territories.
Canada's landscape is diverse. In the south the plains are fertile. As you move northward it becomes forested and rocky. The Canadian Shield covers most of central Canada and is typified by rocks and lakes. Of course the Arctic Tundra caps the country. Moving from west to east; the coastal rainforests rise into Rocky Mountains, which eventually roll gently into the prairie grassland. Back to the Canadian Shield and across the Laurentian Mountains and out the St. Lawrence Seaway.
Climate varies depending on where you are in the country but generally there are four distinct seasons. Daytime summer temperatures can go
as high as 35 C (95 F) and wintertime lows can drop to -25 C (-13 F). Spring and autumn temperatures fall comfortably in between
In 1999, the UN Human Development Report ranked Canada as the best place in the World to live - for the seventh year in a row. The rating is based on standard of living, life expectancy, and education. It also ranked first on the subject of gender equality.
In 2000, Canada lost it's first place title, which dropped to third. Cuts in social programs were thought to be the cause of increased poverty.
The economy is a capitalist, free-market one, although some Americans seem to think it's socialist because of the government controlled health insurance system.
Initially, Canada's main income was from exporting national resources and agricultural products, that has recently changed to services and manufacturing. One of ten Canadians is employed in the tourism industry. In order to remain prosperous, trade is important to Canada which leaves it vulnerable to world economic trends. If the United States feels a "blip" in it's economy, it is felt more severely in Canada and for a longer period of time.
Of course, when the United States is booming - Canada is celebrating too.
Trivia Eh?
AREA: 3,849,670 sq. km. - 2nd largest in the world (1st: Russia)
POP: 29.25 million
Density: 1 person per sq. mile compared to the USA which is 60 per sq. mile.
Capital: Ottawa
Official Language: English & French
Religion: Christianity 54% Roman Catholic 40% Protestant.
1991 census showed that 12% of Canadians had no religious affiliation
Trading Partners: USA, Japan, UK, Germany. Canada is the USA's largest trading partner
Export Products: cars, machinery, equipment, high technology, wheat, natural gas, lumber, crude petroleum, metal ores, pulp & paper.