Background: A land of vast distances and rich natural resources, Canada became a
self-governing dominion in 1867 while retaining ties to the British crown. Economically
and technologically the nation has developed in parallel with the US, its neighbor to the
south across an unfortified border. Its paramount political problem continues to be the
relationship of the province of Quebec, with its French-speaking residents and unique
culture, to the remainder of the country.
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- Map:
- Location:
- • Northern North America, bordering
the North Atlantic Ocean and North Pacific Ocean, north of the conterminous US
- Area—comparative:
- • slightly larger than US
- Land boundaries:
- • total: 8,893 km
• border countries: US 8,893 km (includes 2,477 km with Alaska)
- Coastline:
- • 243,791 km
- Climate:
- • varies from temperate in south to subarctic and arctic in north
- Climate Change office
of Natural Resources Canada
- Terrain:
- • mostly plains with mountains in west and lowlands in southeast
- Environment—current issues:
- • air pollution and resulting acid rain severely affecting lakes and damaging
forests; metal smelting, coal-burning utilities, and vehicle emissions impacting on
agricultural and forest productivity; ocean waters becoming contaminated due to
agricultural, industrial, mining, and forestry activities
- Environment—international agreements:
- • party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air
Pollution-Sulphur 85, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate
Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes,
Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber
83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling
• signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds,
Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation
- Canadian Environmental
Assessment Agency
- Environment Canada
- Geography—note:
- • second-largest country in world (after Russia); strategic location between Russia
and US via north polar route; nearly 90% of the population is concentrated within 160 km
of the US/Canada border
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- Population:
- • 31,592,805 (July 2001 est.)
- Net
migration rate
- • 6.13 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
- Immigration and Refugee
Board of Canada
- Infant mortality rate:
- • 5.02 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
- Life expectancy at birth:
- • total population: 79.56 years
• male: 76.16 years
• female: 83.13 years (2001 est.)
- Total fertility rate:
- • 1.6 children born/woman (2001 est.)
- Nationality:
- • noun: Canadian(s)
• adjective: Canadian
- Ethnic groups:
- • British Isles origin 28%, French origin 23%, other European 15%, Amerindian 2%,
other, mostly Asian, African, Arab 6%, mixed background 26%
- Religions:
- • Roman Catholic 42%, Protestant 40%, other 18%
- Languages
- • English 59.3% (official), French 23.2% (official),
other 17.5%
- Commissioner of Official
Languages
- Literacy:
- • definition: age 15 and over can read and write
• total population: 97% (1986 est.)
• male: NA%
• female: NA%
- Population
Statistics
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- Country name:
- • conventional long form: none
• conventional short form: Canada
- Data code:
- • CA
- Government type:
- • federation with parliamentary democracy
- Canada and the Commonwealth
- National capital:
- • Ottawa
- Administrative divisions:
- • 10 provinces and 3 territories*; Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New
Brunswick, Nunavut*, Newfoundland, Northwest Territories*, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Prince
Edward Island, Quebec, Saskatchewan, Yukon Territory*
• note: the Northwest Territories will be split in two as of April 1999; the
eastern section, which will be self-governing, will be renamed Nunavut, the west is as yet
unnamed
- Independence:
- • 1 July 1867 (from UK)
- National holiday:
- • Canada Day, 1 July (1867)
- Constitution
- • 17 April 1982 (Constitution Act); originally, the machinery of the government was
set up in the British North America Act of 1867; charter of rights and unwritten customs
- Legal system
- • based on English common law, except in Quebec, where civil law system based on
French law prevails; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
- Suffrage:
- • 18 years of age; universal
- Executive branch:
- • chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II of the UK (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Adrienne Clarkson(since
7 October 1999)
• head of government: Prime Minister
Jean CHRETIEN (since 4 November 1993)
• cabinet: Federal Ministry chosen by the prime minister from among the
members of his own party sitting in Parliament
• elections: none; the queen is a hereditary monarch; governor general
appointed by the queen on the advice of the prime minister for a five-year term; following
legislative elections, the leader of the majority party in the House of Commons is
automatically designated by the governor general to become prime minister
- Legislative branch:
- • bicameral Parliament or Parlement consists of the Senate or Senat (a body whose
members are appointed to serve until reaching 75 years of age by the governor general and
selected on the advice of the prime minister; its normal limit is 104 senators) and the
House of Commons or Chambre des Communes (301 seats; members elected by direct popular
vote to serve five-year terms)
- current and past membership of Parlement
- Parlementary Internet
- Elections Canada
On-line
- Electoral Reform
- Judicial branch
- • Supreme Court, judges are appointed by the prime minister through the governor
general
- Political parties and leaders
- • Bloc Quebecois [Gilles DUCEPPE]; Canadian Alliance
[Stockwell DAY]; Liberal Party [Jean CHRETIEN]; New Democratic Party [Alexa MCDONOUGH];
Progressive Conservative Party [Joe CLARK]
- Diplomatic representation
in the US
- chief of mission: Ambassador Michael Kergin
chancery: 501 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20001
telephone: [1] (202) 682-1740
FAX: [1] (202) 682-7726
consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Boston, Buffalo, Chicago, Dallas, Detroit, Los
Angeles, Minneapolis, New York, and Seattle
consulate(s): Miami, Princeton, San Diego, San Francisco, and San Jose
- Diplomatic
representation from the US
- chief of mission: Ambassador Paul Cellucci
embassy: 490 Sussex Drive
Ottawa, Ontario K1N 1G8 Canada
tele: 613-238-5335
FAX: [613) 238-5720
consulate(s) general: Calgary, Halifax, Montreal, Quebec, Toronto, and Vancouver
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- Economy—overview:
- Economy - overview: As an affluent, high-tech industrial society, Canada today closely
resembles the US in its market-oriented economic system, pattern of production, and high
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. Real rates of growth have averaged nearly 3.0% since 1993.
Unemployment is falling and government budget surpluses are being partially devoted to
reducing the large public sector debt. The 1989 US-Canada Free Trade Agreement (FTA) and
1994 North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) (which included Mexico) have touched off
a dramatic increase in trade and economic integration with the US. With its great natural
resources, skilled labor force, and modern capital plant Canada enjoys solid economic
prospects. Two shadows loom, the first being the continuing constitutional impasse between
English- and French-speaking areas, which has been raising the possibility of a split in
the federation. Another long-term concern is the flow south to the US of professional
persons lured by higher pay, lower taxes, and the immense high-tech infrastructure.
- GDP:
- • purchasing power parity - $774.7 billion (2000 est.)
• real growth rate: 4.3% (2000 est.)
• per capita:purchasing power parity: $24,800 (2000 est.)
• composition by sector: agriculture: agriculture: 3% industry:
31% services: 66% (2000, est.)
- Inflation rate—consumer price index:
- • 2.6% (2000)
- Labor force:
- • total: 16.1 million (2000)
• by occupation: services 74%, manufacturing 15%,
construction 5%, agriculture 3%, other 3% (2000)
- Unemployment rate:
- • 6.8% (2000 est.)
- Budget:
- • revenues: $126.1 billion
• expenditures: $125.3 billion, including capital expenditures of $14.8
billion (2000)
- Exports:
- • total value: $272.3 billion (f.o.b., 2000
est.)
• commodities: newsprint, wood pulp, timber, crude petroleum, machinery,
natural gas, aluminum, motor vehicles and parts; telecommunications equipment, electricity
• partners: US 86%, Japan 3%, UK, Germany,
South Korea, Netherlands, China (1999)
- Natural
Resources Canada
- Export Development Corporation
- Imports:
- • total value: $259.3 billion (f.o.b., 1999 est.)
• commodities: crude oil, chemicals, motor vehicles and parts, durable
consumer goods, computers; telecommunications equipment and parts
• partners: US 76%, Japan 3%, UK, Germany, France,
Mexico, Taiwan, South Korea (1999)
- Canadian International Trade
Tribunal
- Debt—external:
- • $1.9 billion (2000)
- Economic aid:
- • donor: ODA, $1.3 billion (1999)
• note: ODA and OOF commitments, $10.1 billion (1986-91)
- Currency:
- • 1 Canadian dollar (Can$) = 100 cents
- Exchange rates:
- • Canadian dollars (Can$) per US$1—1.5032 (January 2001), 1.4489 (January
2000), 1.4857 (1999), 1.4835 (1998), 1.3846 (1997), 1.3635 (1996), 1.3724 (1995)
Canada Economic
Development
Industry
Canada
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- Military branches:
- • Canadian Armed Forces
(includes Land Forces
Command or LC, Maritime Command or MC, Air Command or AC, Communications Command or CC, Training Command or TC),
Royal Canadian Mounted Police
(RCMP)
- Military manpower—military age:
- • 17 years of age
- Military manpower—availability:
- • males age 15-49: 8,325,084 (2001 est.)
- Military expenditures—dollar figure:
- • $7.5 billion (FY00/01)
- Military expenditures—percent of GDP:
- • 1.3% (FY00/01)
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- Disputes—international:
- • maritime boundary disputes with the US (Dixon Entrance, Beaufort Sea, Strait of
Juan de Fuca, Machias Seal Island)
- Illicit drugs:
- • illicit producer of cannabis for the domestic drug market; use of hydroponics
technology permits growers to plant large quantities of high-quality marijuana indoors;
growing role as a transit point for heroin and cocaine entering the US market
CANADA