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Northern North America, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean on the east, North Pacific Ocean on the west, and the Arctic Ocean on the north, north of the conterminous US

60 00 N, 95 00 W

North America

total: 9,984,670 sq km

land: 9,093,507 sq km

water: 891,163 sq km

country comparison to the world: 3

slightly larger than the US

total: 8,893 km

border countries (1): US 8,893 km (includes 2,477 km with Alaska)

note: Canada is the world's largest country that borders only one country

202,080 km

note: the Canadian Arctic Archipelago - consisting of 36,563 islands, several of them some of the world's largest - contributes to Canada easily having the longest coastline in the world

territorial sea: 12 nm

contiguous zone: 24 nm

exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin

varies from temperate in south to subarctic and arctic in north

mostly plains with mountains in west, lowlands in southeast

mean elevation: 487 m

elevation extremes: lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m

highest point: Mount Logan 5,959 m

iron ore, nickel, zinc, copper, gold, lead, rare earth elements, molybdenum, potash, diamonds, silver, fish, timber, wildlife, coal, petroleum, natural gas, hydropower

agricultural land: 6.8%

arable land 4.7%; permanent crops 0.5%; permanent pasture 1.6%

forest: 34.1%

other: 59.1% (2011 est.)

8,700 sq km (2012)

vast majority of Canadians are positioned in a discontinuous band within approximately 300 km (180 mi) of the southern border with the United States; the most populated province is Ontario, followed by Quebec and British Columbia

continuous permafrost in north is a serious obstacle to development; cyclonic storms form east of the Rocky Mountains, a result of the mixing of air masses from the Arctic, Pacific, and North American interior, and produce most of the country's rain and snow east of the mountains

volcanism: the vast majority of volcanoes in Western Canada's Coast Mountains remain dormant

metal smelting, coal-burning utilities, and vehicle emissions impacting agricultural and forest productivity; air pollution and resulting acid rain severely affecting lakes and damaging forests; ocean waters becoming contaminated due to agricultural, industrial, mining, and forestry activities

party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Marine Life Conservation

second-largest country in world (after Russia) and largest in the Americas; strategic location between Russia and US via north polar route; approximately 90% of the population is concentrated within 160 km (100 mi) of the US border; Canada has more fresh water than any other country and almost 9% of Canadian territory is water; Canada has at least 2 million and possibly over 3 million lakes - that is more than all other countries combined

35,623,680 (July 2017 est.)

country comparison to the world: 38

noun: Canadian(s)

adjective: Canadian

Canadian 32.2%, English 19.8%, French 15.5%, Scottish 14.4%, Irish 13.8%, German 9.8%, Italian 4.5%, Chinese 4.5%, North American Indian 4.2%, other 50.9%

note: percentages add up to more than 100% because respondents were able to identify more than one ethnic origin (2011 est.)

English (official) 58.7%, French (official) 22%, Punjabi 1.4%, Italian 1.3%, Spanish 1.3%, German 1.3%, Cantonese 1.2%, Tagalog 1.2%, Arabic 1.1%, other 10.5% (2011 est.)

Catholic 39% (includes Roman Catholic 38.8%, other Catholic .2%), Protestant 20.3% (includes United Church 6.1%, Anglican 5%, Baptist 1.9%, Lutheran 1.5%, Pentecostal 1.5%, Presbyterian 1.4%, other Protestant 2.9%), Orthodox 1.6%, other Christian 6.3%, Muslim 3.2%, Hindu 1.5%, Sikh 1.4%, Buddhist 1.1%, Jewish 1%, other 0.6%, none 23.9% (2011 est.)

total dependency ratio: 47.3

youth dependency ratio: 23.5

elderly dependency ratio: 23.8

potential support ratio: 4.2 (2015 est.)

total: 42.2 years

male: 40.9 years

female: 43.5 years (2017 est.)

country comparison to the world: 29

0.73% (2017 est.)

country comparison to the world: 141

10.3 births/1,000 population (2017 est.)

country comparison to the world: 190

8.7 deaths/1,000 population (2017 est.)

country comparison to the world: 73

5.7 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2017 est.)

country comparison to the world: 18

vast majority of Canadians are positioned in a discontinuous band within approximately 300 km of the southern border with the United States; the most populated province is Ontario, followed by Quebec and British Columbia

urban population: 82.2% of total population (2017)

rate of urbanization: 1.16% annual rate of change (2015-20 est.)

Toronto 5.993 million; Montreal 3.981 million; Vancouver 2.485 million; Calgary 1.337 million; OTTAWA (capital) 1.326 million; Edmonton 1.272 million (2015)

at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female

0-14 years: 1.05 male(s)/female

15-24 years: 1.06 male(s)/female

25-54 years: 1.03 male(s)/female

55-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.8 male(s)/female

total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2017 est.)

28.1 years (2012 est.)

7 deaths/100,000 live births (2015 est.)

country comparison to the world: 161

total: 4.5 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 4.8 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 4.2 deaths/1,000 live births (2017 est.)

country comparison to the world: 180

total population: 81.9 years

male: 79.3 years

female: 84.7 years (2017 est.)

country comparison to the world: 21

1.6 children born/woman (2017 est.)

country comparison to the world: 183

10.4% of GDP (2014)

country comparison to the world: 20

2.54 physicians/1,000 population (2015)

2.7 beds/1,000 population (2012)

improved:

urban: 100% of population

rural: 99% of population

total: 99.8% of population

unimproved:

urban: 0% of population

rural: 1% of population

total: 0.2% of population (2015 est.)

improved:

urban: 100% of population

rural: 99% of population

total: 99.8% of population

unimproved:

urban: 0% of population

rural: 1% of population

total: 0.2% of population (2015 est.)

NA

NA

NA

29.4% (2016)

country comparison to the world: 26

5.3% of GDP (2011)

country comparison to the world: 62

total: 13.1%

male: 14.8%

female: 11.3% (2016 est.)

country comparison to the world: 100

conventional long form: none

conventional short form: Canada

etymology: the country name likely derives from the St. Lawrence Iroquoian word "kanata" meaning village or settlement

federal parliamentary democracy (Parliament of Canada) under a constitutional monarchy; a Commonwealth realm; federal and state authorities and responsibilities regulated in constitution

name: Ottawa

geographic coordinates: 45 25 N, 75 42 W

time difference: UTC-5 (same time as Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

daylight saving time: +1hr, begins second Sunday in March; ends first Sunday in November

note: Canada has six time zones

10 provinces and 3 territories*; Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Northwest Territories*, Nova Scotia, Nunavut*, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Quebec, Saskatchewan, Yukon*

1 July 1867 (union of British North American colonies); 11 December 1931 (recognized by UK per Statute of Westminster)

Canada Day, 1 July (1867)

made up of unwritten and written acts, customs, judicial decisions, and traditions dating from 1763; the written part of the constitution consists of the Constitution Act of 29 March 1867, which created a federation of four provinces, and the Constitution Act of 17 April 1982; several amendments to the 1982 Constitution Act, last in 2011 (2016)

common law system except in Quebec, where civil law based on the French civil code prevails

accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

citizenship by birth: yes

citizenship by descent: yes

dual citizenship recognized: yes

residency requirement for naturalization: minimum of 3 of last 5 years resident in Canada

18 years of age; universal

chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Governor General Julie PAYETTE (since 2 October 2017)

head of government: Prime Minister Justin Pierre James TRUDEAU (Liberal Party) (since 4 November 2015)

cabinet: Federal Ministry chosen by the prime minister usually from among members of his/her own party sitting in Parliament

elections/appointments: the monarchy is hereditary; governor general appointed by the monarch on the advice of the prime minister for a 5-year term; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or majority coalition in the House of Commons generally designated prime minister by the governor general

note: the governor general position is largely ceremonial; Julie PAYETTE, a former space shuttle astronaut, is Canada's fourth female governor general but the first to have flown in space

description: bicameral Parliament or Parlement consists of the Senate or Senat (105 seats; members appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister and can serve until age 75) and the House of Commons or Chambre des Communes (338 seats; members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by simple majority vote with terms up to 4 years)

elections: House of Commons - last held on 19 October 2015 (next to be held in 2019)

election results: House of Commons - percent of vote by party - Liberal Party 39.5%, CPC 31.9%, NDP 19.7%, Bloc Quebecois 4.7%, Greens 3.4%, other .8%; seats by party - Liberal Party 184, CPC 99, NDP 44, Bloc Quebecois 3, Greens 1, independent 7

highest court(s): Supreme Court of Canada (consists of the chief justice and 8 judges); note - in 1949, Canada abolished all appeals beyond its Supreme Court, which prior to that time, were heard by the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (in London)

judge selection and term of office: chief justice and judges appointed by the prime minister in council; all judges appointed for life with mandatory retirement at age 75

subordinate courts: federal level: Federal Court of Appeal; Federal Court; Tax Court; federal administrative tribunals; Courts Martial; provincial/territorial level: provincial superior, appeals, first instance, and specialized courts; in 1999, the Nunavut Court - a circuit court with the power of a provincial superior court, as well as a territorial court - was established to serve isolated settlements

Bloc Quebecois [Martine OUELLET]

Conservative Party of Canada or CPC [Andrew SCHEER]

Green Party [Elizabeth MAY]

Liberal Party [Justin TRUDEAU]

New Democratic Party or NDP [Jagmeet SINGH]

other: agricultural sector; automobile industry; business groups; chemical industry; commercial banks; communications sector; energy industry; environmentalists; First Nations organizations; public administration groups; steel industry; trade unions

ADB (nonregional member), AfDB (nonregional member), APEC, Arctic Council, ARF, ASEAN (dialogue partner), Australia Group, BIS, C, CD, CDB, CE (observer), EAPC, EBRD, EITI (implementing country), FAO, FATF, G-7, G-8, G-10, G-20, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IGAD (partners), IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, MINUSTAH, MONUSCO, NAFTA, NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS, OECD, OIF, OPCW, OSCE, Pacific Alliance (observer), Paris Club, PCA, PIF (partner), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNMISS, UNRWA, UNTSO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

chief of mission: Ambassador David Brookes MACNAUGHTON (since 2 March 2016)

chancery: 501 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20001

telephone: [1] (202) 682-1740

FAX: [1] (202) 682-7726

consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Los Angeles, Miami, Minneapolis, New York, San Francisco/Silicon Valley, Seattle

trade office(s): Houston, Palo Alto (CA), San Diego; note - there are trade offices in the Consulates General

chief of mission: Ambassador Kelly CRAFT (since 23 October 2017)

embassy: 490 Sussex Drive, Ottawa, Ontario K1N 1G8

mailing address: P. O. Box 5000, Ogdensburg, NY 13669-0430; P.O. Box 866, Station B, Ottawa, Ontario K1P 5T1

telephone: [1] (613) 688-5335

FAX: [1] (613) 688-3082

consulate(s) general: Calgary, Halifax, Montreal, Quebec City, Toronto, Vancouver

consulate(s): Winnipeg

two vertical bands of red (hoist and fly side, half width) with white square between them; an 11-pointed red maple leaf is centered in the white square; the maple leaf has long been a Canadian symbol

maple leaf, beaver; national colors: red, white

name: "O Canada"

lyrics/music: Adolphe-Basile ROUTHIER [French], Robert Stanley WEIR [English]/Calixa LAVALLEE

note: adopted 1980; originally written in 1880, "O Canada" served as an unofficial anthem many years before its official adoption; the anthem has French and English versions whose lyrics differ; as a Commonwealth realm, in addition to the national anthem, "God Save the Queen" serves as the royal anthem (see United Kingdom)

electrification - total population: 100% (2016)

643.2 billion kWh (2015 est.)

country comparison to the world: 7

516.6 billion kWh (2015 est.)

country comparison to the world: 7

73.35 billion kWh (2016 est.)

country comparison to the world: 3

9.303 billion kWh (2016 est.)

country comparison to the world: 27

147.6 million kW (2015 est.)

country comparison to the world: 9

26.3% of total installed capacity (2015 est.)

country comparison to the world: 188

9.2% of total installed capacity (2015 est.)

country comparison to the world: 20

53.7% of total installed capacity (2015 est.)

country comparison to the world: 38

11.4% of total installed capacity (2015 est.)

country comparison to the world: 65

3.679 million bbl/day (2016 est.)

country comparison to the world: 7

2.671 million bbl/day (2016 est.)

country comparison to the world: 5

892,500 bbl/day (2016 est.)

country comparison to the world: 11

169.7 billion bbl (1 January 2017 est.)

country comparison to the world: 3

1.883 million bbl/day (2016 est.)

country comparison to the world: 11

2.379 million bbl/day (2016 est.)

country comparison to the world: 11

991,600 bbl/day (2016 est.)

country comparison to the world: 9

381,200 bbl/day (2016 est.)

country comparison to the world: 24

149.9 billion cu m (2015 est.)

country comparison to the world: 5

114.8 billion cu m (2015 est.)

country comparison to the world: 12

78.25 billion cu m (2015 est.)

country comparison to the world: 5

19.63 billion cu m (2015 est.)

country comparison to the world: 15

2.182 trillion cu m (1 January 2017 est.)

country comparison to the world: 17

564 million Mt (2013 est.)

country comparison to the world: 12

total subscriptions: 15,155,520

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 42 (July 2016 est.)

country comparison to the world: 16

total: 30.752 million

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 86 (July 2016 est.)

country comparison to the world: 41

general assessment: excellent service provided by modern technology

domestic: comparatively low mobile penetration provides further room for growth; domestic satellite system with about 300 earth stations

international: country code - 1; submarine cables provide links to the US and Europe; satellite earth stations - 7 (5 Intelsat - 4 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Pacific Ocean, and 2 Intersputnik - Atlantic Ocean region) (2016)

2 public TV broadcasting networks, 1 in English and 1 in French, each with a large number of network affiliates; several private-commercial networks also with multiple network affiliates; overall, about 150 TV stations; multi-channel satellite and cable systems provide access to a wide range of stations including US stations; mix of public and commercial radio broadcasters with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), the public radio broadcaster, operating 4 radio networks, Radio Canada International, and radio services to indigenous populations in the north; roughly 1,119 licensed radio stations (2016)

.ca

total: 31,770,034

percent of population: 89.8% (July 2016 est.)

country comparison to the world: 23

number of registered air carriers: 51

inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 879

annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers: 80,228,301

annual freight traffic on registered air carriers: 2,074,830,881 mt-km (2015)

C (2016)

1,467 (2013)

country comparison to the world: 4

total: 523

over 3,047 m: 21

2,438 to 3,047 m: 19

1,524 to 2,437 m: 147

914 to 1,523 m: 257

under 914 m: 79 (2017)

total: 944

1,524 to 2,437 m: 75

914 to 1,523 m: 385

under 914 m: 484 (2013)

26 (2013)

gas and liquid petroleum 110,000 km (2017)

total: 77,932 km

standard gauge: 77,932 km 1.435-m gauge (2014)

country comparison to the world: 4

total: 1,042,300 km

paved: 415,600 km (includes 17,000 km of expressways)

unpaved: 626,700 km (2011)

country comparison to the world: 7

636 km (Saint Lawrence Seaway of 3,769 km, including the Saint Lawrence River of 3,058 km, shared with United States) (2011)

country comparison to the world: 77

total: 639

by type: bulk carrier 16, container ship 1, general cargo 88, oil tanker 15, other 519 (2017)

country comparison to the world: 32

major seaport(s): Halifax, Saint John (New Brunswick), Vancouver

river and lake port(s): Montreal, Quebec City, Sept-Isles (St. Lawrence); Fraser River Port (Fraser); Hamilton (Lake Ontario)

oil terminal(s): Lower Lakes terminal

dry bulk cargo port(s): Port-Cartier (iron ore and grain),

container port(s): Montreal (1,446,000), Vancouver (3,054,000)(2015)

LNG terminal(s) (import): Saint John

0.99% of GDP (2016)

0.99% of GDP (2015)

1% of GDP (2014)

1% of GDP (2013)

1.12% of GDP (2012)

country comparison to the world: 114

Canadian Forces: Canadian Army, Royal Canadian Navy, Royal Canadian Air Force, Canadian Joint Operations Command (2015)

17 years of age for voluntary male and female military service (with parental consent); 16 years of age for Reserve and Military College applicants; Canadian citizenship or permanent residence status required; maximum 34 years of age; service obligation 3-9 years (2012)

managed maritime boundary disputes with the US at Dixon Entrance, Beaufort Sea, Strait of Juan de Fuca, and the Gulf of Maine, including the disputed Machias Seal Island and North Rock; Canada and the United States dispute how to divide the Beaufort Sea and the status of the Northwest Passage but continue to work cooperatively to survey the Arctic continental shelf; US works closely with Canada to intensify security measures for monitoring and controlling legal and illegal movement of people, transport, and commodities across the international border; sovereignty dispute with Denmark over Hans Island in the Kennedy Channel between Ellesmere Island and Greenland; commencing the collection of technical evidence for submission to the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf in support of claims for continental shelf beyond 200 nm from its declared baselines in the Arctic, as stipulated in Article 76, paragraph 8, of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea

refugees (country of origin): 8,228 (Colombia); 7,356 (China); 6,774 (Haiti) (2016)

illicit producer of cannabis for the domestic drug market and export to US; use of hydroponics technology permits growers to plant large quantities of high-quality marijuana indoors; increasing ecstasy production, some of which is destined for the US; vulnerable to narcotics money laundering because of its mature financial services sector