Canada

=Canada=

__Fast facts__ [[image:600px-Flag_of_Canada_1964_svg.png width="349" height="166" align="right"]]

 * Population:** 33 390 331
 * Area:** 9 984 670 km sq
 * Capital City:** Ottawa
 * Language:** English
 * Currency:** Canadian Dollar (CAD)
 * Head of Country:** Queen Elizabeth the second

__Location__
Canada is located between the Artic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean and North Pacific Ocean. There are also two seas that surround Canada. These seas are the Beaufort Sea and the Labrador Sea. Its neighboring countries include Greenland and the United States of America. The northern part of Canada is located inside the Artic circle, which causes Canada to be extremely cold. Canada can be found in the North American tectonic plate. Canada is only one of the many countries which are located in North America. The geographical coordinates of Canada are 60 00 N, 95 00 W.

__Geographical Features__
Canada has a wide range of geography which ranges from place to place. Being the second largest country in the world, Canada has an enormous area of 9 984 670km sq. Canada only a little smaller than all of Europe and approximately 41 times larger than the United Kingdom. The largest water mass inside Canada is the Great Bear Lake which is around 31 153km sq in area. Canada's longest river is the Mackenzie River which is 4 241km long. The highest point in Canada is Mount Logan, at 5 959km in height. Canada has alot of forests and woodland. The forests and woodland cover around 54% of its land. Canada contains many high mountains and vast plains. Some northern parts of Canada are postitioned on a rock base which is known as the Canadian Shield. Some parts of the Canadian Shield are known as mountain ranges.

__Climate__
The temperatures of Canada can range from severe winters and scorching summers in some parts. In the Prairie provinces, some daily temperatures can be around -15°C but sometimes temperatures can be around -40°C. Occasionally, some parts of Canada can experince extremely high temperatures up to 40°C. The climate of Canada is artic or temperate in most places. There are some environmental issues in Canada such as permafrost which prevents building and development. There are also some cyclonic storms which may occur. Ottawa has an average annual rainfall of 861mm with September as the wettest month. This city also has around 2 059 hours of sunshine per year however this may vary.

__Economy__
Canada has a GDP growth rate of 2.8%. Its labour force consists of 17.59 people. In Canada, the unemployment rate is 6.4% which is quite high. Most of Canada's labour force work in the services sector 75% although 15% work in manufacturing. The industrial production growth rate in Canada is only 0.7%. This is because there are little people in Canada who work in industry. Some of Canada's industrial products include chemicals, transportation equiptment, food products, minerals, fish products and natural gas. Canada also has many agricultral products such as barley, wheat, tabacco, fruits oilseed and fish. On October 28, 2007, one Canadian dollar was worth approximately 1.318 Australian dollars.

In 2006, Canada exported $401.7 billion worth of goods. Most of these goods were exported to the United Kingdom and the US. Some of Canada's exported goods were wood pulp, plastics, aircraft, timber, motor vehicals and parts, industrial machinery and aluminum. While Canada exported many goods last year, it also imported many things too. Canada spent $356.5 billion by importing and buying these goods. Its major export partners are the US and China. some of the goods that this country imported goods were crude oil, motor vehicals and parts, machinery and equiptment, eletricity and chemicals

__Government__
The government type that Canada uses is a contitutional monarchy which is also a federation and a parliament democracy. Canada gained independence on on 1 July, 1867. Every year on the date 1 July, Canada celerbrates Canada day. The administrative divisions of Canada are 10 provinces and 3 different provinces. The capital city of this country is Ottawa. Canada has a legal system of the English common law except in Quebec, which is one of the 10 provinces. In Canada anyone over the age of 18 years who is a citizen may vote.

The Head of this country is the queen. The queen is represented by a governor general named Michaelle Jean. Prime minister Stephen Harper is the head of government for Canada. The cabinet is chosen by the Prime Minister. The legislative branch in Canada is bicameral. This bicameral parliament is made of the senate and the House of Commons. The members of the senate are appointed by the governor general with advice from the Prime Minister. The senate has 105 seats and members serve up till they are 75 years old. The House of Commons have 308 seats and members are elected by vote. There are many courts under the judicial branch. These include the Supreme Court of Canada, Federal Court of Canada, Federal Court of Appeals and many Provincial Courts. The judges for these courts are appointed by the Prime Minister through the Governor General.

__History__
There have been native aboriginals in Canada even before Europeans arrived. In 1000 AD the Vikings arrived in Canada but soon left. Many fishermen and whalers began fish and overuse the area which is now Canada. An European explorer named Samuel de Champlain arrived in Port Royal in 1603. Two years later a permanent European settlement was established and three years later another one was established in Quebec. Quebec then became a city. Later French fur traders and missionaries began to explore the area around what is now the border of Canada and the USA. Eventually a war began over the fur trade. This war is known as the Beaver or Iroquois Wars. Many other wars erupted around the 17th and 18th century. French colonists were in control of the area however the French government did not give alot of support to these colonists. For many years the British and the French fought over Quebec but in the end the British won. The Treaty of Paris was then signed by France in 1763 which gave Britian most of North America.

A War was started in 1812 but the cause of this is still unknown. The US congress then declared war against Britian wanting to expand. The war eventually ended with no major changes or gains to both sides howeve many natives died. Many rebellions against the British colonial government were staged around Canada in 1837. The government reacted by merging the two British colonies, Upper and Lower Canada, into one colony called the United Provice of Canada. This happened under the Act of Union in 1840. After the United States agreed on a border and the British government created some colonies they were fully united (1866). In 1867 the Province of Canada became a federation under the British North America Act. Canada fought in World War One which helped made them seem more independent. During the Great depression, Canada's economy dropped rapidly and did not fully recover until World War Two. This caused political parties to form and with a liberal government, Canada began to focus more on improving its facilites such as hospitals. In 1941 the American military arrived with an enormous army. Canada did not want Newfoundland to be controled by America so Canada and Newfoundland eventually joined in 1949. Canada also helped America during the Cold War and created a joint army in the Korean War. As this happend, Canada became more and more independent. In 1982 the Prime Minister Trudeau dicussed on making a new Canadian Consitiution however this did not happen. There are still many debates going on in the Candian government. Now Prime Minister Stephen Harper is leading the goverment with changes yet to come.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_canada http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canada http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geography_of_canada** [|**https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/index.html**] (search Canada)
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