Canada
Canada is the second largest country in the world in terms of area, extending from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean with claims extending to the North Pole. The northern-most country on the mainland of North America, Canada has land borders only with the United States.Governed as a parliamentary democracy and constitutional monarchy, Canada is a federation of ten provinces with three territories. Initially constituted in 1867, the country's constitution was patriated in 1982 from the United Kingdom. Canada's head of state is its monarch, currently Queen Elizabeth II, who is represented in Canada by the Governor General, presently Michaëlle Jean. The head of government is the Prime Minister, currently Paul Martin; his minority government recently lost a vote of non-confidence in the Canadian House of Commons and asked for the dissolution of the Parliament by the Governor General, who then issued a Royal proclamation authorising the issue of election writs, and stating a federal election will take place on 2006 January 23.Canada's official languages are English and French. As of 2005, its official population estimate is approximately 32.4 million http://www.statcan.ca/english/edu/clock/population.htm.
Overview
The capital city is Ottawa, Ontario, the seat of Canada's Parliament. The Governor General, the Prime Minister, the Leader of the Loyal Opposition, and the Speaker of the House of Commons have official residences in the National Capital Region.Parliament Hill, Ottawa, Ontario.]]Originally a union of British colonies with significant French influence and entitled as a "dominion", Canada is a founding member of the United Nations, the Commonwealth of Nations, and ''La Francophonie''. Canada defines itself as a bilingual and multicultural nation:
* 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 majority language in Nunavut and has official status there.Canada is a technologically advanced and industrialized nation. It is a net exporter of energy because of its large fossil fuel deposits, nuclear energy generation, and hydroelectric power capacity. Its diversified economy relies heavily on an abundance of natural resources and trade, particularly with the United States, with which it has had a long and complex relationship.
Canada has ten provinces and three territories:
FlagProvinceCapital cityEntered
ConfederationStandard
Time Zone
(UTC)Region50pxBritish ColumbiaVictoria1871 -8 (Pacific),bn:কানাডা
gd:Canada
ht:Kanada
haw:Kanakā
ilo:Canada
iu:ᑲᓇᑕ
li:Canada
ms:Kanada
nah:Canadatlan
na:Canada
nds:Kanada
se:Kanáda
sa:केनडा
sco:Canadae
ta:கனடா
vi:Canada
yi:קאַנאַדע