Talking about CANADA

CANADA



UBICATION.-

Canada is a country occupying most of northerm North America extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean.

It is world's second largest country by total area and shares land borders with the United States to the south and northwest.

DEMOGRAPHICS.-

Canada's 2006 census counted a total population of 31,612,897; an increase of 5,4% since 2001. Population growth is from immigration and, to a lesser extent, natural growth. About three quarters of Canada's population lives within 150 kilometers of the U.S border. A similar proportion live in urban areas concentrated in the Quebec City Windsor corridor, the BC lower Mainland, and the Calgary Edmonton Corridor in Alberta.
Toronto is Canada's most populous metropolitan are with 5,113,149 people.


HISTORY.-

Various groups of Inuit and First Peoples inhabited North America prehistorically. While no written documents exist, various forms of rock art, petroforms and ancient artifacts provide thousands of years of information about the past. Archaeological studies support a human presence in northern Yukon from 26,500 years ago, and in southern Ontario from 9,500 years ago.




RESPONSIBLE GOVERNMENT.-

The desire for Responsible Government resulted in the aborted Rebellions of 1837. The Durham Report in 1839 would subsequently recommend responsible government and the assimilation of French Canadians into British culture. The Act of Union in 1840 merged The Canadas into a United Province of Canada. French and English Canadians worked together in the Assembly to reinstate French rights. Responsible government was established for all British North American provinces by 1849.
The signing of the Oregon Treaty by Britain and the United States in 1846 ended the Oregon boundary dispute, extending the border westward along the 49th parallel, and paving the way for British colonies on Vancouver Island and in British Columbia in 1858. Canada launched a series of western exploratory expeditions to claim Rupert's Land and the Arctic region. The Canadian population grew rapidly because of high birth rates; British immigration was offset by emigration to the United States, especially by French Canadians moving to New England.

GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS.-

Canada is constitutional monarchy with Elizabeth II, Queen of Canada, as head of state. The country is a parliamentary democracy with a federal system of parliamentary government and strong democratic traditions. The constitution is the supreme law of the country, and consists of written text and unwritten conventions. The constitution Act, 1867, affirmed governance based on parliamentary precedent and divided powers between the federal and provincial governments; the constitution Act, 1982, added the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, which guarantees basic rights and freedoms that usually cannot be overridden by any level of government though a notwithstanding clause allows the federal parliament and provincial legistlatures to override cerain sections of the Charter for a period of five years and added a constitutional amending formula.


PROVINCES AND TERRITORIES.-

Canada is a federation composed of ten provinces and three territories; in turn, these may be grouped into regions. Western Canada consists of British Columbia and the three Prairie provinces (Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba). Central Canada consists of Quebec and Ontario. Atlantic Canada consists of the three Maritime provinces (New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Nova Scotia), along with Newfoundland and labrador. Eastern Canada refers to Central Canada and Atlantic Canada together. Three territories (Yukon, Northwest Territories, and Nunavut) make up Northern Canada. Provinces have a large degree of autonomy from the federal government, territories somewhat less. Each has its own provincial or territorial symbols.


ECONOMY.-

Canada is one of the world's wealthiest nations with a high per-capita income, a member of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Develoment (OECD) and Group of Eight. Canada is a mixed market, ranking lower than the U.S. but higher than most western European nations on the Heritage Foundation's index of economic freedom. Since the early 1990s, the Canadian economy has been growing rapidly with low unemployment and large goverment surpluses on the federal level.
Today Canada closely resembles the US in its market oriented economic system, pattern of production, and high living standards. As of October 2007, Canada's national unemployment rate of 5,9% is its lowest in 33 years. Provincial unemployment rates vary from a low of 3,6% in Alberta to a high of 14,6% in Newfoundland and labrador.



CULTURE.-

Canadian culture has historically been influenced by British, Fench, and Aboriginal cultures and traditions. It has also been influenced by American culture because of its proximity and migration between the two countries. American media and entertainment are popular if not dominant in English Canada; conversely, many Canadian cultural products and entertainers are successful in the U.S and worldwide. Many cultural products are marketed toward a unified "North American" or global market.


LANGUAGE.-

Canada's two official languages are English and French. Official Bilingualism in Canada is law, defined in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, the Official languages Act, and Official Language Regulations; it is applied by the Commissioner of Official Languages. English and Frech have equal status in federal courts, Parliament, and in all federal institutions. The public has the right, where there is sufficient demand, to receive federal government services in either English or French, and official language minorities are guaranteed their own schools in all provinces and territories.