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About the Country
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A land of vast distances and rich natural resources, Canada became a self-governing dominion in 1867 while retaining ties to the British crown. Economically and technologically the nation has developed in parallel with the US, its neighbor to the south across an unfortified border. Canada faces the political challenges of meeting public demands for quality improvements in health care and education services, as well as responding to separatist concerns in predominantly francophone Quebec. Canada also aims to develop its diverse energy resources while maintaining its commitment to the environment.
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Map courtesy of www.theodora.com/maps
used with permission.
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Quick Facts on Canada
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Location : Northern North America, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean on the east, North Pacific Ocean on the west, and the Arctic Ocean on the north, north of the conterminous US
Geographic coordinates : 60 00 N, 95 00 W
Area - comparative : Somewhat larger than the US
Natural resources : Iron ore, nickel, zinc, copper, gold, lead, molybdenum, potash, diamonds, silver, fish, timber, wildlife, coal, petroleum, natural gas, hydropower
Population : 33,212,696 (July 2008 est.)
Ethnic groups : British Isles origin 28%, French origin 23%, other European 15%, Amerindian 2%, other, mostly Asian, African, Arab 6%, mixed background 26%
Religions : Roman Catholic 42.6%, Protestant 23.3% (including United Church 9.5%, Anglican 6.8%, Baptist 2.4%, Lutheran 2%), other Christian 4.4%, Muslim 1.9%, other and unspecified 11.8%, none 16% (2001 census)
Languages : English (official) 59.3%, French (official) 23.2%, other 17.5%
Capital : Ottawa
Administrative divisions : 10 provinces and 3 territories*; Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Northwest Territories*, Nova Scotia, Nunavut*, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Quebec, Saskatchewan, Yukon Territory*
Imports - commodities : Machinery and equipment, motor vehicles and parts, crude oil, chemicals, electricity, durable consumer goods
Exports - commodities : Motor vehicles and parts, industrial machinery, aircraft, telecommunications equipment; chemicals, plastics, fertilizers; wood pulp, timber, crude petroleum, natural gas, electricity, aluminum
Currency : Canadian dollar (CAD)
Military branches : Canadian Forces: Land Forces Command (LFC), Maritime Command (MARCOM), Air Command (AIRCOM), Canada Command (homeland security) (2008)
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Source of background and statistical data: The World Factbook
For more on Canada, click here
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Evolution of Canada
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July 1, 1867:
The Dominion of Canada was formed from three provinces of British North America: the Province of Canada, which was split into the provinces of Ontario and Quebec, and the colonies of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia.
July 15, 1870:
The United Kingdom ceded most of its remaining land in North America to Canada: Rupert's Land and the North-Western Territory became the North-West Territories. The Rupert's Land Act of 1868 transferred the region to Canada as of 1869, but it was only consummated in 1870 when £300,000 were paid to the Hudson's Bay Company. At this time, the Manitoba Act took effect, and a small square of this surrounding the city of Winnipeg was made the province of Manitoba.
July 20, 1871:
The British colony of British Columbia became a province.
July 1, 1873:
The British colony of Prince Edward Island became a province.
1874:
The borders of Ontario were provisionally expanded north and west, anticipating future development and population growth
April 12, 1876:
The District of Keewatin was created in a central strip of the North-West Territories.
September 1, 1880:
The United Kingdom ceded its Arctic Islands to Canada, and they were made part of the North-West Territories.
July 1, 1881:
Manitoba's borders were expanded, but a large portion was disputed, as Ontario also claimed the land.
1886:
The southwestern border of the District of Keewatin was adjusted.
1889:
The disputed area between Manitoba and Ontario was awarded to Ontario, whose borders were expanded to the west and north.
1895:
The District of Keewatin was enlarged to the east.
June 13, 1898:
Yukon Territory was created from the northwesternmost area of the North-West Territories, and the borders of Quebec were expanded towards the north.
1901:
The eastern border of Yukon Territory was adjusted.
September 1, 1905:
The provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan were created from the North-West Territories, and the District of Keewatin was reassigned back to the North-West Territories.
May 15, 1912:
Manitoba, Ontario, and Quebec were all expanded into their present-day boundaries. Also, sometime in 1912 the official name of the North-West Territories lost the hyphen, becoming the Northwest Territories, and in 1907, the British colony of Newfoundland was granted independence.
March 11, 1927:
A British court decided the issue of the border between Labrador and Quebec in Labrador's favour, transferring a small portion of land from Canada to the Dominion of Newfoundland.
March 31, 1949:
The Dominion of Newfoundland and its dependency of Labrador joined as the province of Newfoundland.
April 1, 1999:
The territory of Nunavut is split from the Northwest Territories. Also, on December 6, 2001, the name of the province of Newfoundland became Newfoundland and Labrador, giving the present-day situation of Canada.
More information on the Evolution of Canada
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Famous Canadians Profiles
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Unveiling of a plaque commemorating the five Alberta women whose efforts resulted in the Persons Case, which established the rights of women to hold public office in Canada.
(Front row, L-R): Mrs. Muir Edwards, daughter-in-law of Henrietta Muir Edwards; Mrs. J.C. Kenwood, daughter of Judge Emily Murphy; Rt. Hon. Mackenzie King; Mrs. Nellie McClung.
(Rear row, L-R): Senators Iva Campbell Fallis, Cairine Wilson.
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1920s women's rights activists
The Famous Five or The Valiant Five were five Canadian women who in 1927 asked the Supreme Court of Canada to answer the question, "Does the word 'Persons' in section 24 of the British North America Act, 1867, include female persons?" in the case Edwards v. Canada (Attorney General). Canada's Supreme Court summarized its unanimous decision in the last line of the judgement as follows: "Understood to mean 'Are women eligible for appointment to the Senate of Canada,' the question is answered in the negative." This judgement was overturned by the British Judicial Committee of the Privy Council. This case, which came to be known as the Persons Case, had important ramifications not just for women's rights but also because in overturning the case, the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council engendered a radical change in the Canadian judicial approach to the Canadian constitution, an approach that has come to be known as the "living tree doctrine".
The five women, all of whom were from Alberta, were:
Emily Murphy (the British Empire's first female judge);
Irene Marryat Parlby (farm women's leader, activist and first female Cabinet minister in Alberta);
Nellie Mooney McClung (a famous suffragist and member of the Alberta legislature);
Louise Crummy McKinney (the first woman elected to the Legislative Assembly of Alberta, or any legislature in Canada or the British Empire) and
Henrietta Muir Edwards (an advocate for working women and a founding member of the Victorian Order of Nurses).
More information on The Famous Five
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Robert Mundell. Image courtesy of Triwbe.
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Nobel Prize in Economics (1999)
Robert Alexander Mundell C.C. (born October 24, 1932) is a professor of economics at Columbia University. Mundell was born in Canada and is a graduate of the University of British Columbia in Vancouver. He attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where he obtained his PhD in Economics in 1956. He also attended the London School of Economics and was a top performer in his years there. He went on to win the 1999 Nobel Prize in Economics. Since 1974 he has been a professor in the Economics department at Columbia University; since 2001 he has held Columbia's highest academic rank - University Professor.
More information on Robert Mundell
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Astronaut Marc Garneau, Canadian Space Agency mission specialist.
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First Canadian man in space
Captain (N) (ret'd) Joseph Jean-Pierre Marc Garneau CC, CD, FCASI (born February 23, 1949) is a Canadian astronaut, engineer and politician. Garneau was the first Canadian in space, and has taken part in three flights aboard NASA Space shuttles. He was the president of the Canadian Space Agency from 2001 to 2006, and in 2003 was installed as the ninth Chancellor of Carleton University in Ottawa.
In 2006, Garneau entered politics, seeking a seat as federal Member of Parliament with the Liberal Party of Canada. He was an unsuccessful candidate in Vaudreuil-Soulanges during that year's election, but two years later won the riding of Westmount—Ville-Marie in downtown Montreal.
More information on Marc_Garneau
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Sir Sandford Fleming (1827-1915) by John Wycliffe Lowes Forster, 1892 (1850-1938) in brushpoint and red oil
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Chief Engineer of the Canadian Pacific Railway, he is the father of the Standard Time system.
Sir Sandford Fleming (January 7, 1827 – July 22, 1915) was a Scottish-born Canadian engineer and inventor, known for proposing worldwide standard time zones, Canada's postage stamp, a huge body of surveying and map making, engineering much of the Intercolonial Railway and the Canadian Pacific Railway, and a founding member of the Royal Society of Canada and founder of the Royal Canadian Institute, a science organization in Toronto.
More information on Sandford Fleming
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Featured Canadian City
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Vancouver
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Vancouver is a city in southwestern British Columbia, Canada. Named for the English explorer Captain George Vancouver, the Greater Vancouver Regional District has a population of 2,208,300 (2005 estimate), making it the largest metropolitan area in western Canada and the third largest in the country.
The city of Vancouver. Image courtesy of Bob Jagendorf.
Downtown Vancouver is located just north of the Fraser river delta, south of the Coast Mountains. The city is internationally renowned for its beautiful scenery, including Stanley Park, one of the largest urban parks in North America. Vancouver was the host city of the 1986 World's Fair. The 2010 Winter Olympics will be held in Vancouver and nearby Whistler.
The Port of Vancouver is the busiest seaport in Canada and exports more cargo than any other port in North America. The city has earned the nickname Hollywood North as North America's third largest film production centre in North America and second largest television centre in the World. Vancouver is consistently ranked one of the three most livable cities in the world and in 2006, the city was ranked the 56th most expensive city to live in among 144 major cities in the world and the most expensive in Canada.
More information on Vancouver
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Regional Links
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Canadian National Anthem
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O Canada
(English)
O Canada!
Our home and native land!
True patriot love in all thy sons command.
With glowing hearts we see thee rise,
The True North strong and free!
From far and wide, O Canada,
We stand on guard for thee.
God keep our land glorious and free!
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.
(French)
Ô Canada!
Terre de nos aïeux,
Ton front est ceint de fleurons glorieux!
Car ton bras sait porter l'épée,
Il sait porter la croix!
Ton histoire est une épopée
Des plus brillants exploits.
Et ta valeur, de foi trempée,
Protégera nos foyers et nos droits
Protégera nos foyers et nos droits
Click here for more information on Canada's national anthem
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WorldAtlas.com
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Maps Links
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Reference Links
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History Links
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