Canada Topic (0)

Territory and landscape
Canada is one of the largest countries in the world. It covers nearly 4 million square miles . It is dividend into ten provinces( British Columbia , Manitoba, New Brunswick, Alberta, Nova Scotia, Ontario , Prince Edward Island, Quebec , Saskatchewan, Newfoundland ) along with two territories( the Yukon , the Northwest territories ). The capital city is Ottawa .
Canada is a country rich in forests . It borders in the south with The United States and it’s surrounded in the west by the Pacific Ocean, in the east by the Atlantic Ocean and above by many smaller bays, but is also borderedd with Alaska in the north -west. To the north of Canada is the broad Canadian Shield , an area of rock scoured clean by the last ice age, thinly soiled, rich in minerals, and dotted with lakes and rivers . Canada by far has more lakes than any other country and has a large amount of the world's freshwater. You can see more lakes in the south eastern part , on the U.S.A’s border, including the famous waterfall Niagara Falls. The eastern areas of Canada are occupied by the Saint Lowrence Lowlands. The Saint Lawrence River widens into the world's largest estuary before flowing into the Gulf of Saint Lawrence. In northwestern Canada, the Mackenzie River flows from the Great Slave Lake to the Arctic Ocean. Northern Canadian vegetation tapers from coniferous forests to tundra and finally to Arctic barrens in the far north. The northern Canadian mainland is ringed with a vast archipelago containing some of the world's largest islands .
Population
Canada is one of the most sparsely populated, with only about 30 million inhabitants. The two biggest ethnic groups are those of British and French extraction. Quebec has a large French speaking majority . There are substantial minorities who speak other European languages, such as German, Scandinavian and Polish. Inuit and Indians in the Northwest and Yukon were the first inhabitants of Canada, the Indians crossing from Asian more than 10 000 years ago, and the Inuit which has distributed all around the Arctic circle. After the First World War, Canada was one of the principal creators of the Commonwealth .

Climate
Average winter and summer high temperatures across Canada vary depending on the location . Winters can be very freeze in many regions of the country, particularly in the interior and Prairie provinces which experience a continental climate, where daily average temperatures are near −15 °C (5 °F) but can drop below −40 °C (−40 °F) with severe wind chills. In non- coastal regions, snow can cover the ground almost six months of the year (more in the north). On the east and west coast, average high temperatures are generally in the low 20s °C (70s °F), while between the coasts the average summer high temperature ranges from 25 to 30 °C (75 to 85 °F) with occasional extreme heat in some interior locations exceeding 40 °C (104 °F).
Canada is also geologically active, having many earthquakes and potentially active volcanoes, notably Mount Meager, Mount Garibaldi, Mount Cayley and the Mount Edziza volcanic complex.
Economy
Canada’s main economic resources are minerals( nickel , uranium ), timber ( the wood from its forests ), grain, petroleum and natural gas. Canada is one of the world's most important suppliers of agricultural products , with the Canadian Prairies one of the most important suppliers of wheat , canola and other grains .
Canada is also one of the world's most important suppliers of agricultural products, with the Canadian Prairies one of the most important suppliers of wheat, canola and other grainsCanada is the world's largest producer of zinc and uranium and a world leader in many other natural resources such as gold , nickel, aluminium, and lead ; many towns in the northern part of the country, where agriculture is difficult, exist because of a nearby mine or source of timber. Canada also has a sizeable manufacturing sector centered in southern Ontario and Quebec, with automobiles and aeronautics representing particularly important industries. Besides natural resources, fishing and hunting are very popular hobbies there , as many people earn their living by doing these things.
System of government and politics
Queen Elizabeth II is still the head of state in Canada. She is represented by a Governor General. There is a two- chamber parliament , and a system of provincial government with substantial autonomy. Parliament is made up of the Crown , an elected House of Commons and an appointed Senate. Each Member of Parliament in the House of Commons is elected by simple plurality in an electoral district or riding. Members of the Senate, whose seats are apportioned on a regional basis , are chosen by the Prime Minister and formally appointed by the Governor General, and serve until age 75. In conclusion Canada has a parliamentary government with strong democratic traditions and also a constitutional monarchy.