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's paramount political problem is meeting public demands for quality improvements in health care and education services after a decade of budget cuts. Canada also faces questions about integrity in government following revelations regarding a corruption scandal in the federal government that has helped revive the fortunes of separatists in predominantly francophone Quebec.
CANADA'S AREA MASS
total: 9,984,670 sq km
land: 9,093,507 sq km
water: 891,163 sq km
land boundries
total: 8,893 km
border countries: US 8,893 km (includes 2,477 km with Alaska) (haha adam )
Terrain
mostly plains with mountains in west and lowlands in southeast
elevations
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mount Logan 5,959 m
natural resources
iron ore, nickel, zinc, copper, gold, lead, molybdenum, potash, diamonds, silver, fish, timber, wildlife, coal, petroleum, natural gas, hydropower
Our land usage
arable land: 4.57%
permanent crops: 0.65%
other: 94.78% (2005)
Natural hazzards
continuous permafrost in north is a serious obstacle to development; cyclonic storms form east of the Rocky Mountains, a result of the mixing of air masses from the Arctic, Pacific, and North American interior, and produce most of the country's rain and snow east of the mountains
enviroment (current) issues
air pollution and resulting acid rain severely affecting lakes and damaging forests; metal smelting, coal-burning utilities, and vehicle emissions impacting on agricultural and forest productivity; ocean waters becoming contaminated due to agricultural, industrial, mining, and forestry activities
Environment - international agreements
party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Marine Life Conservation
note**
second-largest country in world (after Russia); strategic location between Russia and US via north polar route; approximately 90% of the population is concentrated within 160 km of the US border
recent est.. pop
33,098,932 July 2006
age structure
0-14 years: 17.6% (male 2,992,811/female 2,848,388)
15-64 years: 69% (male 11,482,452/female 11,368,286)
65 years and over: 13.3% (male 1,883,008/female 2,523,987) (2006 est.)
median age
total: 38.9 years
male: 37.8 years
female: 39.9 years (2006 est.)
our population growth
0.88% (2006 est.)
birth rate
10.78 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
death rate
7.8 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
migrant rate
5.85 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)
**MORE TO COME****
