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9,976,140 km²; land area: 9,220,970 km²
Comparative area: slightly larger than US
Land boundaries: 8,893 km with US (includes 2,477 km with Alaska)
Coastline: 243,791 km
Maritime claims:
Continental shelf: 200 meters or to depth of exploitation;
Exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm;
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Disputes: maritime boundary disputes with France (St. Pierre and Miquelon)
and US
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, crude oil, natural gas
Land use: 5% arable land; NEGL% permanent crops; 3% meadows and pastures;
35% forest and woodland; 57% other; includes NEGL% irrigated
Environment: 80% of population concentrated within 160 km of US border;
continuous permafrost in north a serious obstacle to development
Note: second-largest country in world (after USSR); strategic
location between USSR and US via north polar route
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█ ≡ People ≡ █
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Population: 26,538,229 (July 1990), growth rate 1.1% (1990)
Birth rate: 14 births/1,000 population (1990)
Death rate: 7 deaths/1,000 population (1990)
Net migration rate: 5 migrants/1,000 population (1990)
Infant mortality rate: 7 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)
Life expectancy at birth: 74 years male, 81 years female (1990)
Total fertility rate: 1.7 children born/woman (1990)
Nationality: noun--Canadian(s); adjective--Canadian
Ethnic divisions: 40% British Isles origin, 27% French origin, 20% other
European, 1.5% indigenous Indian and Eskimo
Religion: 46% Roman Catholic, 16% United Church, 10% Anglican
Language: English and French (both official)
Literacy: 99%
Labor force: 13,380,000; services 75%, manufacturing 14%, agriculture 4%,
construction 3%, other 4% (1988)
Organized labor: 30.6% of labor force; 39.6% of nonagricultural paid
workers
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█ ≡ Government ≡ █
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Long-form name: none
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)
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
National holiday: Canada Day, 1 July (1867)
Executive branch: British monarch, governor general, prime minister,
deputy prime minister, Cabinet
Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament consists of an upper house
or Senate and a lower house or House of Commons
Judicial branch: Supreme Court
Leaders:
Chief of State--Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented
by Governor General Raymond John HNATSHYN (since 29 January
1990);
Head of Government--Prime Minister (Martin) Brian MULRONEY (since
4 September 1984); Deputy Prime Minister Donald Frank MAZANKOWSKI (since
NA June 1986)
Political parties and leaders: Progressive Conservative, Brian Mulroney;
Liberal, John Turner; New Democratic, Audrey McLaughlin
Suffrage: universal at age 18
Elections:
House of Commons--last held 21 November 1988 (next to be
held by November 1993);
results--Progressive Conservative 43.0%, Liberal 32%,
New Democratic Party 20%, other 5%;
seats--(295 total) Progressive Conservative 170, Liberal 82, New
Democratic Party 43
Communists: 3,000
Member of: ADB, CCC, Colombo Plan, Commonwealth, DAC, FAO, GATT, IAEA,
IBRD, ICAO, ICES, ICO, IDA, IDB--Inter-American Development Bank, IEA,
IFAD, IFC, IHO, ILO, ILZSG, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IPU, ISO, ITC,
ITU, IWC--International Whaling Commission, IWC--International Wheat
Council, NATO, OAS, OECD, PAHO, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO,
WSG
Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Derek BURNEY; Chancery at
1746 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington DC 20036; telephone (202) 785-1400;
there are Canadian Consulates General in Atlanta, Boston, Buffalo, Chicago,
Cleveland, Dallas, Detroit, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, New York,
Philadelphia, San Francisco, and Seattle; US--Ambassador Edward N. NEY;
Embassy at 100 Wellington Street, K1P 5T1, Ottawa (mailing address is P. O.
Box 5000, Ogdensburg, NY 13669); telephone (613) 238-5335; there are US
Consulates General in Calgary, Halifax Montreal, Quebec, Toronto, and
Vancouver
Flag: three vertical bands of red (hoist side), white (double width,
square), and red with a red maple leaf centered in the white band
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█ ≡ Economy ≡ █
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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
impressive growth 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 growth among the OECD nations, averaging about 4%. With its
great natural resources, skilled labor force, and modern capital plant,
Canada has excellent economic prospects. In mid-1990, however, the
long-simmering problems between English- and French-speaking areas
became so acute that observers spoke openly of a possible split in the
confederation; foreign investors were becoming edgy.
GDP: $513.6 billion, per capita $19,600; real growth rate
2.9% (1989 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 5.0% (1989)
Unemployment rate: 7.5% (1989)
Budget: revenues $79.2 billion; expenditures $102.0 billion,
including capital expenditures of $1.8 billion (FY88 est.)
Exports: $127.2 billion (f.o.b., 1989);
commodities--newsprint, wood pulp, timber, grain, crude petroleum,
natural gas, ferrous and nonferrous ores, motor vehicles;
partners--US, Japan, UK, FRG, other EC, USSR
Imports: $116.5 billion (c.i.f., 1989);
commodities--processed foods, beverages, crude petroleum, chemicals,
industrial machinery, motor vehicles, durable consumer goods, electronic
computers;
partners--US, Japan, UK, FRG, other EC, Taiwan, South Korea, Mexico
External debt: $247 billion (1987)
Industrial production: growth rate 2.3% (1989)
Electricity: 103,746,000 kW capacity; 472,580 million kWh produced,
17,960 kWh per capita (1989)
Industries: processed and unprocessed minerals, food products, wood and
paper products, transportation equipment, chemicals, fish products,
petroleum and natural gas
Agriculture: accounts for 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
Illicit drugs: illicit producer of cannabis for the domestic
drug market
Aid: donor--ODA and OOF commitments (1970-87), $2.2 billion
Currency: Canadian dollar (plural--dollars); 1 Canadian dollar
(Can$) = 100 cents
Exchange rates: Canadian dollars (Can$) per US$1--1.1714 (January
1990), 1.1840 (1989), 1.2307 (1988), 1.3260 (1987), 1.3895 (1986),
1.3655 (1985)
Fiscal year: 1 April-31 March
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█ ≡ Communications ≡ █
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Railroads: 80,095 km total; 79,917 km 1.435-meter standard gauge
(includes 129 km electrified); 178 km 0.915-meter narrow gauge (mostly
unused); two major transcontinental freight railway systems--Canadian
National (government owned) and Canadian Pacific Railway; passenger service
--VIA (government operated)
Highways: 884,272 km total; 712,936 km surfaced (250,023 km paved),
171,336 km earth
Inland waterways: 3,000 km, including St. Lawrence Seaway
Pipelines: oil, 23,564 km total crude and refined; natural gas, 74,980 km
Ports: Halifax, Montreal, Quebec, Saint John (New Brunswick),
St. John's (Newfoundland), Toronto, Vancouver
Merchant marine: 78 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 555,749 GRT/774,914
DWT; includes 1 passenger, 5 short-sea passenger, 2 passenger-cargo, 12
cargo 2 railcar carrier, 1 refrigerated cargo, 8 roll-on/roll-off, 1
container, 29 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 6 chemical
tanker, 1 specialized tanker, 10 bulk; note--does not include ships used
exclusively in the Great Lakes
ships
Civil air: 636 major transport aircraft; Air Canada is the major carrier
Airports: 1,359 total, 1,117 usable; 442 with permanent-surface runways;
4 with runways over 3,659 m; 30 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 322 with runways
1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications: excellent service provided by modern media; 18.0
million telephones; stations--900 AM, 29 FM, 53 (1,400 repeaters) TV; 5
coaxial submarine cables; over 300 satellite earth stations operating in
INTELSAT (including 4 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Pacific Ocean) and domestic
systems
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█ ≡ Defense Forces ≡ █
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Branches: Mobile Command, Maritime Command, Air Command, Communications
Command, Canadian Forces Europe, Training Commands
Military manpower: males 15-49, 7,174,119; 6,251,492 fit for military
service; 187,894 reach military age (17) annually
Defense expenditures: 2.0% of GDP, or $10 billion (1989 est.)