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 | |
Ethnic groups (2016)[2] | List of ethnicities
|
Religion (2011)[3] | List of religions
|
Demonym(s) | Canadian |
Government | Federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy[4] |
• 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 (as of 2015)[5] |
• Total land area | 9,093,507 km2 (3,511,023 sq mi) |
Population | |
• Q1 2021 estimate | 38,131,104 [6] (37th) |
• 2016 census | 35,151,728[7] |
• Density | 3.92/km2 (10.2/sq mi) (185th) |
GDP (PPP) | 2021 estimate |
• Total | $1.979 trillion[8] (15th) |
• Per capita | $51,713[8] (20th) |
GDP (nominal) | 2021 estimate |
• Total | $1.883 trillion[8] (9th) |
• Per capita | $49,222[8] (18th) |
Gini (2018) | 30.3[9] medium |
HDI (2019) | 0.929[10] very high · 16th |
Currency | Canadian dollar ($) (CAD) |
Time zone | UTC−3.5 to −8 |
• Summer (DST) | UTC−2.5 to −7 |
Date format | yyyy-mm-dd (AD)[11] |
Driving side | right |
Calling code | +1 |
ISO 3166 code | CA |
Internet TLD | .ca |
Canada is a country
America. Its land reaches from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west. The Arctic Ocean is to the north of Canada. Canada's land area is 9.98 million square kilometres (3.85 million square miles). It is the world's second largest country by total area, but only the fourth largest country by land area. It has the world's longest coastline.[source?]
Canada has ten provinces and three territories. Most parts of the country are cold or severely cold in the winter. Areas in the south of Canada are warm in the summer. Much of the land is covered in forest or tundra. Most of the people in Canada live in urban areas, near the southern border with the US. This border is the longest between any two countries in the world. The national capital is Ottawa, and the largest city is Toronto. Other large cities include Montreal, Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Quebec City, Winnipeg and Hamilton.[source?]
The name "Canada" comes from the Huron-Iroquois word "Kanata," meaning "village" or "settlement." In 1535, two Aboriginal youths told an explorer from France, named Jacques Cartier, about the route to Kanata. They were actually referring to the village named Stadacona, which is near present-day city of Québec.[source?]
Aboriginal people lived in the places (that are now Canada) for a long time. In 1537, the French started a colony. The British Empire soon followed. The two empires fought several wars. In the late 18th century, only British North America remained with what is more or less Canada today. The country was formed from several colonies with the British North America Act on July 1, 1867. Over time, more provinces and territories became part of Canada. In 1931, Canada achieved nearly total independence with the Statute of Westminster 1931, and became completely independent when the Canada Act 1982 removed the last remaining ties of legal dependence with the Parliament of the United Kingdom.[source?]
Canada is a federal parliamentary democracy and a constitutional monarchy, with King Charles III as its head of state. The country is officially bilingual at the federal level. That means that citizens have the right to communicate with the government in two languages: English or French. Immigration to Canada has made it one of the world's most ethnically diverse and multicultural nations. Its economy is the eleventh largest in the world, and relies mainly on natural resources and well-developed international trade networks. Canada's relationship with its neighbor and biggest trading partner, the U.S., has a big impact on its economy and culture.[source?]
Canada is a developed country and has the tenth highest nominal per capita income globally as well as the sixteenth highest ranking in the Human Development Index. It ranks among the highest in international measurements of government transparency, civil liberties, quality of life, economic freedom, and education. Canada is a Commonwealth realm member of the Commonwealth of Nations, a member of the Francophonie, and part of several major international and intergovernmental institutions or groupings including the United Nations, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, the G7, the G20, the North American Free Trade Agreement and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum.[source?]