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Canada .
Canada is a very big country in the continent of North America. It is about 10 million square kilometres and that makes it the second largest country in the world after Russia . Quebec (the province ) is six times as big as the UK. Canada borders the Atlantic Ocean , the Pacific Ocean, the Arctic Ocean and the USA. The capital of Canada is Ottawa and other main cities are Toronto , Montreal and Vancouver . It is a very developed country. Montreal is the largest city and it is called the Paris of North America because most of the people there speak French .
The population of Canada is 28 million people. It is a very multicultural country. People from many different countries have come to live there. The natives are Eskimos and Indians. Eskimos have their own self-governing homeland called Nunavut . In Canada there are also 2 official languages – English and French. One third of the population speaks French and the other two speak English. Many more languages are spoken in that country. 75% of the population lives within 300 km of the USA border.
Political Structure. Canada is a constitutional monarchy and a Commonwealth Realm that formally recognizes Elizabeth II as Queen of Canada. Though the United Kingdom and Canada share the same Monarch, the Queen of the United Kingdom is a legally separate role from the Queen of Canada. While Queen Elizabeth II is currently Canada's sovereign, the Queen's representative in Canada and de facto head of state is the Governor General. The Governor General is generally a retired politician, military leader , or other notable Canadian . Current Governor General is Michaelle Jean. The Prime Minister is really the head of government in Canada. Stephen Harper is currently the PM.
National symbols. The use of the maple leaf as a Canadian symbol dates back to the early 18th century , and is on its current and previous flags, the penny, and on the coat of arms. The national colours are red and white which also appear on the flag. The national animal is the beaver and it is because the fur trade. Maple syrup is very important for Canadians also. Hockey is the official winter sport . Canada’s official colours are red and white. The colours appear on the flag.
History. Almost a thousand years ago men from Norway sailed across the Atlantic Ocean and “ discovered ” America about 4 centuries before Columbus. In 985 AD Vikings who wanted to go to Greenland from Iceland were blown off their course and they reached Canada. It is thought that they reached Labrador . They saw forested areas there and further exploration were encouraged by this discovery because the Norse colonists from Greenland lacked lumber which was found in Canada.
Five hundred years later an Italian John Cabot sailed from England to the shores of Canada in 1497 . He met no living man there and soon returned to England. About 40 years later, Jacques Cartier, a French explorer, made two voyages from France . He found Indians in Canada. There are many place names in Canada that come from the Indians. The first people who came to live there were the French. It became a French colony. But soon the English also became interested in this rich country and so for many years England and France fought for the right to be the masters of the new land . In 1759 the English captured the French fortress of Louisbourg. Then Quebec lay unprotected. After the winning of Quebec they conquered Montreal and the French rule came to an end. The English allowed the French to keep their Roman Catholic religion, civil law system and language so they would not try to break away from Britain.
After the American War of Independence immigrants from Britain began to arrive, among them there were also poor Irishmen and Scotsmen. Indeed, all the Canadians except the Indians and Eskimos, are really immigrants or their descendants.
Canada is politically a young country. In 1967 the people celebrated its first century of independence. It was on the first of July, 1967, that four provinces of British North America joined together and formed the Dominion of Canada.
Geographical facts. Canada occupies the northern portion of North America. It shares land borders with the United States to the south and with Alaska to the northwest. It shares territorial water boundaries with the United States, Greenland to the northeast, and Saint- Pierre and Miquelon (an overseas community of France) to the southeast. Canada stretches from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west . To the north lies the Arctic Ocean.
The most densely populated part of the country is the Quebec City- Windsor Corridor in the east. This part is thinly soiled, rich in minerals, and dotted with lakes and rivers —over 60% of the world's lakes are in Canada.
Canada is rich in lakes and rivers. The largest lake is the Great Bear Lake (31,153 km²). The Great Lakes are a group of five large lakes on or near the United States-Canadian border. They are the largest group of fresh water lakes on the earth and the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence system is the largest fresh-water system in the world. They are sometimes referred to as inland seas.
Rivers in Canada flow into five major ocean drainage basins: the Pacific, Arctic and Atlantic oceans and Hudson Bay. The St. Lawrence is Canada's most important river , providing a seaway for ships from the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean. The longest Canadian river is the Mackenzie , which flows 4 241 kilometres through the Northwest Territories.
Canada is quite mountainous. The highest point is Mount Logan with 5.959 m. It is the second-highest peak in North America. Mt. Logan is located within Kluane National Park and Reserve in southwestern Yukon . The Rocky Mountains , often called the Rockies, are a broad mountain range in western North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch more than 3,000 miles (4,800 kilometres) from British Columbia , in Canada, to New Mexico , in the United States. Mount Robson, at 12,972 feet (3,954 meters) is the highest peak in the Canadian Rockies
Canada has many different biomes. For instance : The Arctic. It is a very cold , windy, and often snowy biome located around the North Pole. Long periods of darkness (in the winter) and light (in the summer ) also affect Arctic life.
Nature . Canada is one of the most exciting countries in the world. It has many interesting cities, like Toronto, North Vancouver, Montreal or Halifax. But also some of the most impressive nature, which is great for outdoor activities, like hiking, skiing , rafting and fishing . It is because of the different biomes that appear in that country. One can do everything one wants to do in different parts of the land.

The animal life is also diverse in Canada. There are many interesting animals . Badger is one of them. It belongs to the weasel family. It is one of the biggest in that carnivore family. Good paintbrushes are made from its fur. They eat snakes , squirrels and insects . Snake poison doesn’t harm these mammals unless the snake strikes its nose . Moose live also in Canada. They live in marshy areas all around the country. They are reddish brown and the males are bigger than the females. Moose are herbivores. The male moose have big antlers, female ones don’t have them. Prairie dogs are very funny- looking animals. They are rodents who live in tunnels under the ground . They are very good diggers. Prairie dogs are 30 centimetres long. They eat insects and grass .

Land. Canada is divided into five major regions geographically: the Pacific Region , the Prairie Provinces, Central Canada, the Atlantic Provinces and the North.
The Pacific Region includes British Columbia. The region is known for its mild coastal climate, its forests and its spectacular mountains, including the famous Rocky Mountains. Vancouver and Victoria are the largest cities in this area.
Alberta , Saskatchewan and Manitoba are Canada’s Prairie Provinces. They are known for their rolling plains and extreme climate with long, cold winters and hot, dry summers . Much of the area is covered with farms producing large quantities of wheat and other grains. Manitoba and Saskatchewan are covered by the great Canadian Shield -a rocky landscape with lakes, rivers and forests that stretches over almost half of Canada.
Central Canada includes Ontario and Quebec. It really isn’t in the center of Canada but it’s called Central Canada because of its historical political importance . It is the most heavily populated part. There are the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River. This district is covered by the rocky Canadian Shield.
The Atlantic Provinces consists of Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, the Maritime provinces of New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador. Fishing, shipping and farming are important activities for the people of this area. The region has many small coastal communities but there are also major industrial centres such as Halifax and Sydney in Nova Scotia. There are mountains in this region. The Appalachians are there. They aren ’t like the mountains in the Pacific Region, they are old and rounded.
Canada’s North includes the Yukon Territory and the Northwest Territories, along with all the Canada’s Arctic islands . This region is sparsely populated. Many indigenous peoples live there. It covers a large area and has a varied landscape which includes mountains, plains and lowlands. Canadian Shield also features there. This region is very cold. There are very long winters and the ground is frozen throughout the year .
The regions consist of 13 different territories and provinces. The provinces are responsible for most of Canada's social programs (such as health care, education, and welfare ) and together collect more revenue than the federal government, an almost unique structure among federations in the world.
Economy. Canada is a large country blessed with many natural resources. From trees they make pulp and paper . From mines they get coal , gold, silver , iron, uranium and other minerals. On the prairies they raise cattle and extract oil and gas beneath the ground. From the oceans they catch fish and other seafood. They export many of their goods to other countries. The most important customers are USA, Japan , UK, Germany and Russia. Though largely dependent on natural resources Canada also has a strong manufacturing country. They make automobile parts and cars.
Population. About 28 million people live in Canada from many different nations and they speak different languages. Only 3.3% of the nation is native people. The Constitution Act of 1982 recognizes three groups of aboriginal peoples in Canada: the "Indians" (their legal designation, but now usually called First Nations), Inuit , and Métis. At first the natives were called Eskimos and Indians but now these names are considered to be inappropriate. Aboriginal population is growing almost twice as fast as the rest of the population in Canada.
Famous Canadians. Steve Nash is a famous Canadian basketball player who plays in the NBA for Phoenix Suns. He was born into an athletic family. He was a good football and basketball player when he was young. During high school he decided to quit football and concentrate more on basketball. He was selected to the NBA in 1996 by the Suns and since that year he has been improving as a player. Now he is in his peak.
Margaret Atwood is a well-known Canadian writer . She was born in 1939 and she has written books like “The Edible Woman” and “Cat’s Eye”.
Canada has a wide , diverse culture, which is celebrated with pride , and there is simply no way to see everything in one trip - or even in a lifetime . Full of surprises, Canada is simply the most astonishingly beautiful country in the world.