Introduction

The second largest country in the world after Russia, Canada is a federated country composed of ten provinces and three territories. The country became a self governing dominion on July 1, 1867 while still retaining its ties to the British Crown and has developed in parallel with the successes of the U.S.

Geography

Spanning a total area of 9,984,670 sq. km, Canada is a diverse nation with a vast variety of geological formations, climates, and ecological systems. Rain forests, prairie grasslands, deciduous forests, tundra’s, and wetlands compromise these various formations. With such a wide array of land features, Canada has come to have more lakes and inland waterways then any other country in the world.

Population

The population of Canada was 28,846,761 at the time of the latest census in 1996, compared to 27.3 million in 1991. The growth rate from 1991 to 1996 was approximately 1.14 %/year and in 2004 the population was estimated to be 32,507,874. Giving Canada the fourth highest rate among the 27 countries in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), which corresponds roughly to the most developed industrial countries of the world. Half of this growth is due to immigration which is quite welcome in Canada. Their immigration program, which is considered to be quite liberal, accepts newcomers from nearly every country in the world.

Most Canadians live in cities, 90% of which are close to the southern border. The largest urban centers are in central Canada, where some two-thirds of the people live. Most of the population is ethnically British or French, although other European countries are well represented, and indigenous peoples are the majority in the north. French and English are the official languages, although the people who speak English as their mother tongue outnumber those whose mother tongue is French by 2½ to 1. Roman Catholics, who include most French-speaking people, are the most numerous religious group, followed by the United Church of Canada and the Anglican Church. Immigrants are also a growing minority and have been changing the landscape of Canada’s largest urban areas.

Canadians have a high literacy rate and a number of well funded universities. The standard of living is considered to be one of the world’s highest, although 1 in 7 households is poverty stricken. Violent crime is low comparison to other North American cities, but has been rising as of late.

Government

With the city of Ottawa as its capital, Canada is recognized as a confederation with parliamentary democracy. That is, where governmental powers are divided between the central or federal government and the provincial and territorial governments with the territories having less autonomy from the federal government than the provinces. Canada also has a constitution which divides the government into three branches: executive, legislative, and judicial with rights and responsibilities closely resembling those of the U.S. governmental structure.  

Economy

As an affluent, high-tech industrial society, Canada today closely resembles the US in its economic system, production, and 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 NAFTA touched off a dramatic increase in trade and economic integration with the US. As a result of the close cross-border relationship, the  sluggishness of the U.S. economy in 2001-02 had a negative impact on the Canadian economy. Real growth averaged only 3% during 1993-2000, but declined in 2001, with moderate recovery in 2002-03. Unemployment is up, with decline in the manufacturing and natural resource sectors. Nevertheless, given its great natural resources, skilled labor force, and modern capital plant Canada enjoys a solid economic future. However two difficulties continue to cast a shadow, the first being the constitutional impasse between English and French-speaking areas, which has been raising the unnerving prospect of a possible split in the federation. Another concern, is the flow of professionals to the U.S. who have been lured by higher pay, lower taxes, and the large high-tech infrastructure. A key strength however in the economy is the substantial trade surplus.