General Information: Canada Is a Land of Vast Distances and Rich Natural Resources

Canada

General information: Canada is a land of vast distances and rich natural resources. Location: In the northern part of North America bordering the North Atlantic Ocean in the east and North Pacific Ocean in the west and the Atlantic Ocean in the north. Area: The second largest country in the world after Russia. 9, 984, 670 sq. km. Highest point: Mount Logan 5, 959 m. Population: 33, 601, 360 (August 2006 est.) Official languages: English and French Capital: Ottawa Largest city: Toronto Other major cities: Montreal, Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipex, Halifax etc. Administrative divisions: 10 provinces and 3 territories Provinces: 1. Alberta ( in honour of the daughter of Queen Victoria ) 2. British Columbia ( began as a British colony ) 3. Manitoba 4. New Brunswick 5. Newfoundland and Labrador 6. Nova Scotia ( means „new Scotland“ in Latin ) 7. Ontario ( means „beautiful lake or sparkling water“ in the Iroquis language) 8. Prince Edward Island ( was father of Queen Victoria ) 9. Quebec ( means „narrow passage“ where the St. Lawrence River narrowed) 10. Saskatchewan ( means „swift flowing river“ in Cree language ) Territories: 1. Northwest Territories 2. Nunavet ( means „our land“ in Inuktitut, it’s the newest territory , 1999 ) 3. Yukon Territory Independence: 1. July, 1867, it’s national holiday called Canada Day Head of State: Queen Elizabeth II represented by Governor General (now Michaelle Jean since 2005 ) Head of Government: Prime Minister ( now Stephen Harper ) Government: Federal constitutional monarchy Bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate(members appointed by the Governor general) and the House of Commons(elected members) Industries: transportation equipment, chemicals, processed and unprocessed minerals, food products, wood and paper products, fish products, petroleum and natural gas Currency: Canadian dollar ( CAD ) History: Native Americans lived in Canada for thousands of years. In the early 1600s colonists from Britain and France began to settle in eastern Canada along the St. Lawrence River. Canada proved to be an excellent spot for trapping and trading of furs. In the 1800s settlers began to push west. Most of the native Americans were displaced by the Europeans. Canada was founded as a union of British colonies, some of which had earlier been French colonies. Canada peacefully obtained independence from the UK in 1867. Most of the Quebec and parts of eastern Canada are heavily influenced by their French origins. Much of the rest of Canada is of English origin. Name: Canada was named by the French explorer Jacques Cartier. „Kanata“ means „village or settlement“ in the Huron-Iroquois language. Cartier was given directions by Huron-Iroquois Indians for the route to „kanata“, a village near what is now Quebec, but Cartier later named the entire region Canada. Symbols: Flag: Popularly known as the Maple Leaf. The flag first flew on Feb. 15, 1965. Red and white are official colours of Canada. There are two vertical bands of red, with white square between them, an 11-pointed red maple leaf is centered in the white square. The maple leaf is a sugar maple leaf. Sugar maples are natives to Canada and have brilliant fall foliage. They are the major source of sap for making maple syrup. Coat of arms: The shield reflects the royal symbols of Great Britain and France: the royal lions of England, the royal lion of Scotland, the harp of Ireland and the fleur-de-lis of France. On the bottom portion of the shield there is a sprig of 3 Canadian maple leaves. On the red ribbon there is a motto: „They desire a better country“. Above the shield there is a helm with a red and white mantle. On the helm there stands a crowned golden lion holding in its right paw a red maple leaf. The lion is asymbol of valour and courage.The lion of England holds the British flag, the unicorn of Scotland holds the flag of royal France. At the base there are floral emblems: the fleur-de-lis (France), the shamrock (Ireland), the thistle (Scotland) and the rose(England). Motto:“From sea to sea“ comes from the Bible. The imperial crown symbolises a monarch as Canada’s head of state. Other symbols: the beaver, Canada goose, common loon, the RCMP(Royal Canadian Mounted Police). Geography: In northern part of Canada near the Arctic Circle the sea is covered with ice and floating icebergs. There are large areas of frozen land, called tundra, where very little grows. South of tundra are rocks, forests, swamps, rivers and lakes. Much of Canada is still wilderness covered by forests. The Rocky Mountains cover a major part of western Canada – British Columbia, the Yukon Territory and the western part of Alberta. West- central Canada is mostly prairie, consisting of large grain farms. The east –central part are the provinces of Ontario and Quebec. These are major population and industrial areas. The Niagara Falls is one of Canada’s best-known tourist attractions. Canada by far has more lakes than any other country in the world – about 2 million. The biggest lakes are: Lake Huron, Lake Great Bear, Lake Superior, Lake Great Slave, Lake Erie, LakeOntario etc. The longest river is the Mackenzie River. Other large and important rivers are the St. Lawrence River, the Yukon River, the Columbia River etc. Weather: The climate varies considerably throughout the country. Canada is generally known for its cold winters and hot, but short summers. Animals and birds: Beavers are the national animals of Canada. They are best-known for their natural trait of building dams in rivers and streams and making their homes or lodges in the artificial pond. They are the second largest rodents. Beavers continue to grow throughout their life.However in several areas of Canada they are considered pests. Canada geese breed in Canada and in the northern USA. The black head and neck with white „chinstrap“ distinguish them from all the others.The Great Lakes region maintains a very large population of Canada geese. Like most geese, they are naturally migratory.the calls overhead from large groups of these birds flying in v-shaped formation signal the transitions into spring and fall. Common loon or diver is a well-known bird in Canada. Their call sometimes referred to as „loon laughter“ is an eerie wailing, a symbol of the Canadian wilderness, and often used as atmosphere in horror films. Native tribes of British Columbia believed that an excess of calls from this bird predicted rain and even brought it. Other animals and birds who live in Canada are the arctic fox, the moose, the badger, the polar bear, the musk ox, the Canada lynx, the prairie dog, the raccoon, seals, whales, snowy owls, snow geese, ravens, wild turkeys etc. Sports: Canada’s official national sports are ice- hockey in winter and lacrosse in summer. Hockey is a national pastime and is by far the most popular spectator sport. Other popular Canadian sports include curling and Canadian football. Canada will host the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver and Whistler BC. Famous people: Pamela Anderson – actress and model Kiefer and Donald Sutherland – television and film actor Christopher Plummer – actor Linda Evangelista – supermodel Bryan Adams – singer, musician Paul Anka – singer Celine Dion – singer Alanis Morissette – singer Weyne Gretzky – hockey player Dan Aykroyd – actor James Cameron – director of the movie „Titanic“