Canada

[Country map of Canada]

Map ©1996 NGS Cartographic Division. Developed in association with GeoSystems Global Corp. World Map

Geography

Location: Northern North America, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean and North Pacific Ocean, north of the conterminous US

Map references: North America

Area:
total area: 9,976,140 sq km
land area: 9,220,970 sq km
comparative area: slightly larger than US

Land boundaries: total 8,893 km, 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

Terrain: mostly plains with mountains in west and lowlands in southeast

Natural resources: nickel, zinc, copper, gold, lead, molybdenum, potash, silver, fish, timber, wildlife, coal, petroleum, natural gas

Land use:
arable land: 5%
permanent crops: 0%
meadows and pastures: 3%
forest and woodland: 35%
other: 57%

Irrigated land: 8,400 sq km (1989 est.)


People

Population: 28,434,545 (July 1995 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 21% (female 2,874,705; male 3,016,050)
15-64 years: 67% (female 9,529,272; male 9,531,107)
65 years and over: 12% (female 2,022,324; male 1,461,087) (July 1995 est.)

Population growth rate: 1.09% (1995 est.)

Birth rate: 13.74 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Death rate: 7.43 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Net migration rate: 4.55 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 6.8 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 78.29 years
male: 74.93 years
female: 81.81 years (1995 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.83 children born/woman (1995 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Canadian(s)
adjective: Canadian

Ethnic divisions: British Isles origin 40%, French origin 27%, other European 20%, indigenous Indian and Eskimo 1.5%

Religions: Roman Catholic 46%, United Church16%, Anglican 10%, other 28%

Languages: English (official), French (official)

Literacy: age 15 and over can read and write (1986)
total population: 97%

Labor force: 13.38 million
by occupation: services 75%, manufacturing 14%, agriculture 4%, construction 3%, other 4% (1988)


Government

Names:
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Canada

Digraph: CA

Type: confederation with parliamentary democracy

Capital: Ottawa

Administrative divisions: 10 provinces and 2 territories*; Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland, Northwest Territories*, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Quebec, Saskatchewan, Yukon Territory*

Independence: 1 July 1867 (from UK)

National holiday: Canada Day, 1 July (1867)

Constitution: amended British North America Act 1867 patriated to Canada 17 April 1982; 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


Economy

Overview: As an affluent, high-tech industrial society, Canada today closely resembles the US in per capita output, market-oriented economic system, and pattern of production. Since World War II the impressivegrowth of the manufacturing, mining, and service sectors has transformed the nation from a largely rural economy into one primarily industrial and urban. In the 1980s, Canada registered one of the highest rates of real growth among the OECD nations, averaging about 3.2%. With its great natural resources, skilled labor force, and modern capital plant, Canada has excellent economic prospects, although the country still faces high unemployment and a growing debt. Moreover, the continuing constitutional impasse between English- and French-speaking areas has observers discussing a possible split in the confederation; foreign investors have become edgy.

National product: GDP - purchasing power parity - $639.8 billion (1994 est.)

National product real growth rate: 4.5% (1994)

National product per capita: $22,760 (1994)

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 0.2% (1994)

Unemployment rate: 9.6% (December 1994)

Budget:
revenues: $85 billion (Federal)
expenditures: $115.3 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY93/94 est.)

Exports: $164.3 billion (f.o.b., 1994 est.)
commodities: newsprint, wood pulp, timber, crude petroleum, machinery, natural gas, aluminum, motor vehicles and parts; telecommunications equipment
partners: US, Japan, UK, Germany, South Korea, Netherlands, China

Imports: $151.5 billion (c.i.f., 1994 est.)
commodities: crude oil,chemicals, motor vehicles and parts, durable consumer goods, electronic computers; telecommunications equipment and parts
partners: US, Japan, UK, Germany, France, Mexico, Taiwan, South Korea

External debt: $243 billion (1993)

Industrial production: growth rate 4.8% (1993)

Electricity:
capacity: 108,090,000 kW
production: 511 billion kWh
consumption per capita: 16,133 kWh (1993)

Industries: processed and unprocessed minerals, food products, wood and paper products, transportation equipment, chemicals, fish products, petroleum and natural gas

Agriculture: accounts for about 3% of GDP; one of the world's major producers and exporters of grain (wheat and barley); key source of US agricultural imports; large forest resources cover 35% of total land area; commercial fisheries provide annual catch of 1.5 million metric tons, of which 75% is exported

Currency: 1 Canadian dollar (Can$) = 100 cents

Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March


Transportation

Railroads:
total: 78,148 km; note - there are two major transcontinental freight railway systems: Canadian National (government owned) and Canadian Pacific Railway; passenger service provided by VIA (government operated)
standard gauge: 78,148 km 1.435-m gauge (185 km electrified) (1994)

Highways:
total: 849,404 km
paved: 253,692 km (15,983 km of expressways)
unpaved: gravel 595,712 km (1991)

Inland waterways: 3,000 km, including Saint Lawrence Seaway

Pipelines: crude and refined oil 23,564 km; natural gas 74,980 km

Ports: Becancour, Churchill, Halifax, Montreal, New Westminister, Prince Rupert, Quebec, Saint John (New Brunswick), Saint John's (Newfoundland), Seven Islands, Sydney, Three Rivers, Toronto, Vancouver, Windsor

Merchant marine:
total:71 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 617,010 GRT/878,819 DWT
ships by type: bulk 17, cargo 10, chemical tanker 5, oil tanker 23, passenger 1, passenger-cargo 1, railcar carrier 2, roll-on/roll-off cargo 7, short-sea passenger 3, specialized tanker 2
note: does not include ships used exclusively in the Great Lakes

Airports:
total: 1,386
with paved runways over 3,047 m: 17
with paved runways 2,438 to 3,047 m: 16
with paved runways 1,524 to 2,437 m: 147
with paved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 234
with paved runways under 914 m: 550
with unpaved runways 1,524 to 2,438 m: 69
with unpaved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 353


Flag by Dream Maker Software, Inc.
Information obtained from CIA, The World Factbook 1995