]! ^! 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. 
]" ^" 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 ^# 60 00 N, 95 00 W ^$ North America ^% `! 9,984,670 sq km `" 9,093,507 sq km `# 891,163 sq km ^& somewhat larger than the US ^' `! 8,893 km `Y US 8,893 km (includes 2,477 km with Alaska) ^( 202,080 km ^) `$ 12 nm `M 24 nm `N 200 nm `O 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin ^* varies from temperate in south to subarctic and arctic in north ^+ mostly plains with mountains in west and lowlands in southeast ^, `% Atlantic Ocean 0 m `& Mount Logan 5,959 m ^- iron ore, nickel, zinc, copper, gold, lead, molybdenum, potash, diamonds, silver, fish, timber, wildlife, coal, petroleum, natural gas, hydropower ^. `' 4.57% `( 0.65% `) 94.78% (2005) ^/ 7,850 sq km (2003) ^0 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 ^1 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 _P `P 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 `Q Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Marine Life Conservation ^2 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 
]# ^3 33,390,141 (July 2007 est.) ^4 `+ 17.3% (male 2,967,383/female 2,824,189) `, 69.2% (male 11,604,723/female 11,490,839) `- 13.5% (male 1,927,035/female 2,575,972) (2007 est.) ^5 `! 39.1 years `. 38.1 years `/ 40.2 years (2007 est.) ^6 0.869% (2007 est.) ^7 10.75 births/1,000 population (2007 est.) ^8 7.86 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.) ^9 5.79 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.) ^: `0 1.05 male(s)/female `1 1.051 male(s)/female `, 1.01 male(s)/female `- 0.748 male(s)/female `2 0.977 male(s)/female (2007 est.) ^; `! 4.63 deaths/1,000 live births `. 5.08 deaths/1,000 live births `/ 4.17 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.) ^< `2 80.34 years `. 76.98 years `/ 83.86 years (2007 est.) ^= 1.61 children born/woman (2007 est.) ^> 0.3% (2003 est.) ^? 56,000 (2003 est.) ^@ 1,500 (2003 est.) ^A `3 Canadian(s) `4 Canadian ^B British Isles origin 28%, French origin 23%, other European 15%, Amerindian 2%, other, mostly Asian, African, Arab 6%, mixed background 26% ^C 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) ^D English (official) 59.3%, French (official) 23.2%, other 17.5% ^E `5 age 15 and over can read and write `2 99% `. 99% `/ 99% (2003 est.) 
]$ ^F `6 none `7 Canada ^H constitutional monarchy that is also a parliamentary democracy and a federation ^I `8 Ottawa `9 45 25 N, 75 40 W `: UTC-5 (same time as Washington, DC during Standard Time) `p +1hr, begins second Sunday in March; ends first Sunday in November `* Canada is divided into six time zones ^J 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* ^K 1 July 1867 (union of British North American colonies); 11 December 1931 (recognized by UK) ^L Canada Day, 1 July (1867) ^M made up of unwritten and written acts, customs, judicial decisions, and traditions; the written part of the constitution consists of the Constitution Act of 29 March 1867, which created a federation of four provinces, and the Constitution Act of 17 April 1982, which transferred formal control over the constitution from Britain to Canada, and added a Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms as well as procedures for constitutional amendments ^N based on English common law, except in Quebec, where civil law system based on French law prevails; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations ^O 18 years of age; universal ^P `; Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Governor General Michaelle JEAN (since 27 September 2005) `< Prime Minister Stephen HARPER (since 6 February 2006) `= Federal Ministry chosen by the prime minister usually from among the members of his own party sitting in Parliament `> none; the monarchy is hereditary; governor general appointed by the monarch on the advice of the prime minister for a five-year term; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition in the House of Commons is automatically designated prime minister by the governor general ^Q bicameral Parliament or Parlement consists of the Senate or Senat (members appointed by the governor general with the advice of the prime minister and serve until reaching 75 years of age; its normal limit is 105 senators) and the House of Commons or Chambre des Communes (308 seats; members elected by direct, popular vote to serve for up to five-year terms) `> House of Commons - last held 23 January 2006 (next to be held in 2011) `? House of Commons - percent of vote by party - Conservative Party 36.3%, Liberal Party 30.2%, New Democratic Party 17.5%, Bloc Quebecois 10.5%, Greens 4.5%, other 1%; seats by party - Conservative Party 124, Liberal Party 102, New Democratic Party 29, Bloc Quebecois 51, other 2; seats by party as of February 2007 - Conservative Party 125, Liberal Party 100, New Democratic Party 29, Bloc Quebecois 51, other 2 ^R Supreme Court of Canada (judges are appointed by the prime minister through the governor general); Federal Court of Canada; Federal Court of Appeal; Provincial Courts (these are named variously Court of Appeal, Court of Queens Bench, Superior Court, Supreme Court, and Court of Justice) ^S Bloc Quebecois [Gilles DUCEPPE]; Conservative Party of Canada [Stephen HARPER] (a merger of the Canadian Alliance and the Progressive Conservative Party); Green Party [Elizabeth MAY]; Liberal Party [Stephane DION]; New Democratic Party [Jack LAYTON] ^T NA ^U ACCT, AfDB, APEC, Arctic Council, ARF, AsDB, ASEAN (dialogue partner), Australia Group, BIS, C, CDB, CE (observer), EAPC, EBRD, ESA (cooperating state), FAO, G-7, G-8, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MINUSTAH, MONUC, NAFTA, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS, OECD, OIF, OPCW, OSCE, Paris Club, PCA, PIF (partner), SECI (observer), UN, UNAMSIL, UNCTAD, UNDOF, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNMOVIC, UNRWA, UNTSO, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC ^V `R Ambassador Michael WILSON `S 501 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20001 `T [1] (202) 682-1740 `U [1] (202) 682-7701 `V Atlanta, Boston, Buffalo, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Los Angeles, Miami, Minneapolis, New York, Phoenix, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, Tucson `^ Anchorage, Houston, Philadelphia, Princeton (New Jersey), Raleigh, San Jose (California) ^W `R Ambassador David H. WILKINS `_ 490 Sussex Drive, Ottawa, Ontario K1N 1G8 `` P. O. Box 5000, Ogdensburgh, NY 13669-0430 `T [1] (613) 238-5335, 4470 `U [1] (613) 688-3082 `V Calgary, Halifax, Montreal, Quebec, Toronto, Vancouver, Winnipeg ^X two vertical bands of red (hoist and fly side, half width), with white square between them; an 11-pointed red maple leaf is centered in the white square; the official colors of Canada are red and white 
]% ^Y As an affluent, high-tech industrial society in the trillion-dollar class, Canada resembles the US in its market-oriented economic system, pattern of production, and affluent living standards. Since World War II, the impressive growth of the manufacturing, mining, and service sectors has transformed the nation from a largely rural economy into one primarily industrial and urban. The 1989 US-Canada Free Trade Agreement (FTA) and the 1994 North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) (which includes Mexico) touched off a dramatic increase in trade and economic integration with the US. Given its great natural resources, skilled labor force, and modern capital plant, Canada enjoys solid economic prospects. Top-notch fiscal management has produced consecutive balanced budgets since 1997, although public debate continues over how to manage the rising cost of the publicly funded healthcare system. Exports account for roughly a third of GDP. Canada enjoys a substantial trade surplus with its principal trading partner, the US, which absorbs about 85% of Canadian exports. Canada is the US' largest foreign supplier of energy, including oil, gas, uranium, and electric power. ^Z $1.165 trillion (2006 est.) ^[ $1.089 trillion (2006 est.) ^\ 2.8% (2006 est.) ^] $35,200 (2006 est.) ^^ `@ 2.3% `A 29.2% `B 68.5% (2006 est.) ^_ 17.59 million (2006 est.) ^` agriculture 2%, manufacturing 14%, construction 5%, services 75%, other 3% (2004) ^a 6.4% (2006 est.) _! 15.9%; note - this figure is the Low Income Cut-Off (LICO), a calculation that results in higher figures than found in many comparable economies; Canada does not have an official poverty line (2003) _" `C 2.8% `D 23.8% (1994) _d 33.1 (1998) _# 2% (2006 est.) _V 21.3% of GDP (2006 est.) _$ `E $183.5 billion `F $181.8 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.) _% 65.4% of GDP (2006 est.) _& wheat, barley, oilseed, tobacco, fruits, vegetables; dairy products; forest products; fish _' transportation equipment, chemicals, processed and unprocessed minerals, food products, wood and paper products, fish products, petroleum and natural gas _( 0.7% (2006 est.) _) 573 billion kWh (2004) _* 522.4 billion kWh (2004) _+ 33.01 billion kWh (2004) _, 22.48 billion kWh (2004) _- 3.135 million bbl/day (2004) _. 2.294 million bbl/day (2004) _/ 1.6 million bbl/day (2004) _0 963,000 bbl/day (2004) _W 178.9 billion bbl `* includes oil sands (2004 est.) _1 183.6 billion cu m (2004 est.) _2 95.85 billion cu m (2004 est.) _X 104 billion cu m (2004 est.) _Y 10.86 billion cu m (2004 est.) _Z 1.603 trillion cu m (1 January 2005 est.) _Q $20.56 billion (2006 est.) _3 $405 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.) _4 motor vehicles and parts, industrial machinery, aircraft, telecommunications equipment; chemicals, plastics, fertilizers; wood pulp, timber, crude petroleum, natural gas, electricity, aluminum _5 US 84.2%, Japan 2.1%, UK 1.8% (2005) _6 $353.2 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.) _7 machinery and equipment, motor vehicles and parts, crude oil, chemicals, electricity, durable consumer goods _8 US 56.7%, China 7.8%, Mexico 3.8% (2005) _[ $35.79 billion (August 2006 est.) _9 $684.7 billion (30 June 2006) _\ ODA, $2.6 billion (2004) _; Canadian dollar (CAD) _< Canadian dollars per US dollar - 1.1334 (2006), 1.2118 (2005), 1.301 (2004), 1.4011 (2003), 1.5693 (2002) _= 1 April - 31 March 
]& _> 18.276 million (2005) _? 16.6 million (2005) _@ `G excellent service provided by modern technology `H domestic satellite system with about 300 earth stations `I country code - 1; 5 coaxial submarine cables; satellite earth stations - 5 Intelsat (4 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Pacific Ocean) and 2 Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean region) _A AM 245, FM 582, shortwave 6 (2004) _B 80 (plus many repeaters) (1997) _C .ca _D 3.934 million (2006) _E 21.9 million (2005) 
]' _F 1,337 (2006) _G `! 509 `a 18 `J 15 `b 151 `c 248 `W 77 (2006) _R `! 828 `b 66 `c 355 `W 407 (2006) _] 12 (2006) _^ crude and refined oil 23,564 km; liquid petroleum gas 74,980 km (2005) _e `! 48,467 km `m 48,467 km 1.435-m gauge (2005) _H `! 1,042,300 km `K 415,600 km (includes 17,000 km of expressways) `L 626,700 km (2005) _b 631 km `* Saint Lawrence Seaway of 3,769 km, including the Saint Lawrence River of 3,058 km, shared with United States (2003) _S `! 173 ships (1000 GRT or over) 2,129,243 GRT/2,716,340 DWT by type: bulk carrier 62, cargo 10, chemical tanker 9, container 2, passenger 6, passenger/cargo 63, petroleum tanker 13, roll on/roll off 8 `X 7 (Germany 3, Netherlands 1, Norway 1, US 2) `d 111 (Australia 1, Bahamas 18, Barbados 8, Cambodia 6, Cyprus 2, Denmark 1, Honduras 1, Hong Kong 28, Liberia 2, Malta 18, Marshall Islands 6, Panama 4, Russia 1, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 6, US 4, Vanuatu 5) (2006) _I Fraser River Port, Halifax, Montreal, Port Cartier, Quebec, Saint John's (Newfoundland), Sept Isles, Vancouver 
]( _J Canadian Forces: Land Forces Command, Maritime Command, Air Command, Canada Command (homeland security) (2006) _T 16 years of age for voluntary military service; women comprise approximately 11% of Canada's armed forces (2001) _K males age 16-49: 8,216,510 females age 16-49: 8,034,939 (2005 est.) Manpower fit for military service: males age 16-49: 6,740,490 females age 16-49: 6,580,868 (2005 est.) _L males age 18-49: 223,821 females age 16-49: 212,900 (2005 est.) _U 1.1% (2005 est.) 
]) _N managed maritime boundary disputes with the US at Dixon Entrance, Beaufort Sea, Strait of Juan de Fuca, and around the disputed Machias Seal Island and North Rock; US works closely with Canada to intensify security measures to monitor and control legal and illegal personnel, transport, and commodities across the international border; sovereignty dispute with Denmark over Hans Island in the Kennedy Channel between Ellesmere Island and Greenland _O illicit producer of cannabis for the domestic drug market and export to US; use of hydroponics technology permits growers to plant large quantities of high-quality marijuana indoors; increasing ecstasy production, some of which is destined for the US; vulnerable to narcotics money laundering because of its mature financial services sector 