History and Government
- Canada's history is characterized by Indigenous peoples, European colonization, and the formation of a federal dominion.
- Indigenous peoples include the First Nations, Inuit, and Métis.
- Europeans settled along the Atlantic coast in the 16th century.
- Canada became a federal dominion in 1867 through Confederation.
- The country gained increasing autonomy from the United Kingdom, culminating in the Canada Act 1982.
- Canada is a parliamentary democracy and a constitutional monarchy.
- The head of government is the prime minister, who holds office by commanding the confidence of the elected House of Commons.
- The monarch of Canada, represented by the governor general, is the head of state.
- Canada is officially bilingual in English and French in the federal jurisdiction.
- The country is highly ranked in government transparency, quality of life, economic competitiveness, innovation, education, and gender equality.
Indigenous Peoples
- Indigenous peoples in Canada include the First Nations, Inuit, and Métis.
- They have inhabited the land for thousands of years.
- Indigenous societies had permanent settlements, agriculture, societal hierarchies, and trading networks.
- The Indigenous population at the time of European contact was estimated to be between 200,000 and two million.
- European colonization led to a decline in the Indigenous population due to diseases, conflicts, and land loss.
Economy and International Role
- Canada has a high per capita income and an advanced economy.
- Its economy relies on abundant natural resources and well-developed international trade networks.
- Canada is recognized as a middle power in international affairs.
- The country has a history of peacekeeping and is part of major international and intergovernmental institutions.
- Canada's relationship with the United States has had a significant impact on its history, economy, and culture.
European Colonization and Expansion
- Norse explorer Leif Erikson documented the east coast of Canada.
- Norse built a short-lived encampment at L'Anse aux Meadows.
- John Cabot explored and claimed Canada's Atlantic coast for England.
- Jacques Cartier explored the Gulf of Saint Lawrence and claimed New France.
- European mariners established seasonal whaling and fishing outposts along the Atlantic coast.
- The Royal Proclamation of 1763 established First Nation treaty rights and created the Province of Quebec.
- St Johns Island became a separate colony in 1769.
- The Quebec Act 1774 expanded Quebec's territory and granted special autonomy.
- The 1783 Treaty of Paris recognized the independence of the United States and ceded territories to them.
- Loyalists migrated to Canada, changing the demographic distribution.
- Canadian Confederation was proclaimed in 1867 with four provinces.
- Manitoba was created in 1870 due to the Red River Rebellion.
- British Columbia and Vancouver Island joined in 1871 with the promise of a transcontinental railway.
- Prince Edward Island joined in 1873.
- Alberta and Saskatchewan became provinces in 1905.
Geography and Climate
- Canada shares borders with the United States, Greenland, and France's overseas collectivity of Saint Pierre and Miquelon.
- Canadian Forces Station Alert is the northernmost settlement in the world.
- Canada can be divided into seven physiographic regions, including the Canadian Shield, the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Lowlands, and the Arctic Archipelago.
- Boreal forests dominate the country, while the Canadian Prairies support agriculture.
- Canada has over 2 million lakes and contains a significant amount of the world's fresh water.
- Canada experiences varying temperatures across different regions, with harsh winters in the interior and Prairie provinces.
- Coastal British Columbia has a mild and rainy winter, while the east and west coasts have average high temperatures in the low 20s °C.
- Northern Canada is covered by ice and permafrost, which is at risk due to climate change.
- Canada's annual average temperature over land has risen by 1.7°C since 1948, with higher rates of warming in the North and the Prairies.
- Air pollution from Canada and the United States has caused acid rain, impacting waterways and agriculture.
- Canada is divided into 15 terrestrial and five marine ecozones, supporting a diverse range of wildlife.
- The boreal forest is the largest intact forest on Earth, covering approximately 3 million square kilometers.
- Canada has 42 percent of its land area covered by forests, accounting for 8 percent of the world's forested land.
- Approximately 800 species in Canada are at risk of being lost due to human activities and environmental issues.
- Over half of Canada's landscape is relatively free of human development.
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's second-largest country by total area, with the world's longest coastline. Its border with the United States is the world's longest international land border. The country is characterized by a wide range of both meteorologic and geological regions. It is a sparsely inhabited country of 40 million people, the vast majority residing south of the 55th parallel in urban areas. Canada's capital is Ottawa and its three largest metropolitan areas are Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver.
Canada | |
|---|---|
| Motto: A mari usque ad mare (Latin) "From Sea to Sea" | |
| Anthem: "O Canada" | |
 | |
| Capital | Ottawa 45°24′N 75°40′W / 45.400°N 75.667°W |
| Largest city | Toronto |
| Official languages | |
| Demonym(s) | Canadian |
| Government | Federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy |
• Monarch | Charles III |
| Mary Simon | |
| Justin Trudeau | |
| Legislature | Parliament |
| Senate | |
| House of Commons | |
| Independence from the United Kingdom | |
| July 1, 1867 | |
| December 11, 1931 | |
| April 17, 1982 | |
| Area | |
• Total area | 9,984,670 km2 (3,855,100 sq mi) (2nd) |
• Water (%) | 11.76 (2015) |
• Total land area | 9,093,507 km2 (3,511,023 sq mi) |
| Population | |
• 2023 Q4 estimate |  40,528,396 (37th) |
• 2021 census | 36,991,981 |
• Density | 4.2/km2 (10.9/sq mi) (236th) |
| GDP (PPP) | 2023 estimate |
• Total |  $2.379 trillion (16th) |
• Per capita | $59,813 (28th) |
| GDP (nominal) | 2023 estimate |
• Total |  $2.118 trillion (10th) |
• Per capita | $53,247 (18th) |
| Gini (2018) |  30.3medium |
| HDI (2021) | 0.936 very high · 15th |
| Currency | Canadian dollar ($) (CAD) |
| Time zone | UTC−3.5 to −8 |
• Summer (DST) | UTC−2.5 to −7 |
| Date format | yyyy-mm-dd (AD) |
| Calling code | +1 |
| Internet TLD | .ca |
Indigenous peoples have continuously inhabited what is now Canada for thousands of years. Beginning in the 16th century, British and French expeditions explored and later settled along the Atlantic coast. As a consequence of various armed conflicts, France ceded nearly all of its colonies in North America in 1763. In 1867, with the union of three British North American colonies through Confederation, Canada was formed as a federal dominion of four provinces. This began an accretion of provinces and territories and a process of increasing autonomy from the United Kingdom, highlighted by the Statute of Westminster, 1931, and culminating in the Canada Act 1982, which severed the vestiges of legal dependence on the Parliament of the United Kingdom.
Canada is a parliamentary democracy and a constitutional monarchy in the Westminster tradition. The country's head of government is the prime minister, who holds office by virtue of their ability to command the confidence of the elected House of Commons and is "called upon" by the governor general, representing the monarch of Canada, the head of state. The country is a Commonwealth realm and is officially bilingual (English and French) in the federal jurisdiction. It is very highly ranked in international measurements of government transparency, quality of life, economic competitiveness, innovation, education and gender equality. It is one of the world's most ethnically diverse and multicultural nations, the product of large-scale immigration. Canada's long and complex relationship with the United States has had a significant impact on its history, economy, and culture.
A developed country, Canada has a high nominal per capita income globally and its advanced economy ranks among the largest in the world, relying chiefly upon its abundant natural resources and well-developed international trade networks. Canada is recognized as a middle power for its role in international affairs, with a tendency to pursue multilateral solutions. Canada's peacekeeping role during the 20th century has had a significant influence on its global image. Canada is part of multiple major international and intergovernmental institutions.
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