Canada is the second largest country by total area and has a variety of landscapes including mountains, prairies, and arctic wilderness. It has coastlines on three oceans and more lakes than any other country. The capital is Ottawa and major cities include Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Edmonton, and Calgary. Canada has a diverse population and culture that reflects both British and French influences, and the country has a highly developed economy focused on manufacturing, services, and natural resources.

1. CANADA SHARABLE NOTES
GEOGRAPHY
 3.8 million square miles (second largest nation only to Russia)
 Slightly larger than the United States
 Variety of landforms – mountains, lowlands, prairies, and arctic wilderness
 North Pole is in this region
 Covers most of the NORTHERN PART of North America
 Has coastlines on the Atlantic, Arctic, and Pacific Oceans, giving it the
longest coastline of any country
 Canada has more lakes and inland waterways than any other country in the
world
 Most of Canada has a cool or cold climate
Mountains
 Mount Logan (Yukon) at 19,850 feet high is the tallest mountain
 The Appalachians are in the east region
 The Rocky Mountains are in the west region
Lakes
 Canada has over two million lakes
 The United States shares the Great Lakes with Canada (Huron, Ontario,
Michigan, Erie, Superior)
Rivers
 Mackenzie River is the longest river at 2,635 miles long.
 Saint Lawrence and the Yukon rivers are also important

MAJOR CITIES AND LOCATION INFORMATION
- National Capital – Ottawa (located in the province of Ontario)
- Ottawa = Washington, D.C. (basically the same)
- Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary are major cities
Provinces
 There are ten provinces and three territories.
 Nunavut – carved out of the Northwest Territory for the Inuit people to live
in. Created in 1999.

2. CULTURE
 Most Canadians live near the United States border.
 Native Americans were the first Canadians.
 British and French later settled along the St. Lawrence River and Great
Lakes.
 Cultural differences exist between the French speaking province of Quebec
and the rest of Canada.
 Very diverse in population.
 Some people in French-speaking Quebec want independence from the rest of
Canada.
 In 1995, voters narrowly defeated a proposal for independence.
ECONOMY
- One of the world’s most developed economies.
- Like the U.S., Canada has a strong free market economy
- Manufacturing and service industries
- Very rich in mineral deposits and forests.
- Fishing, mining, and lumbering also important to the economy
- Canada is the world's leading producer of newsprint.
- The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) has brought an
economic boom—about 80 percent of Canada's trade is with the U.S.
GENERAL NOTES
- HDI ranking of #8 out of 170 (approximately)
- Only has 11 percent as many people as the U.S. making Canada one of the
least densely inhabited and most prosperous countries
- Native Americans and the Inuit were the first Canadians.
- Canada was a colony of Great Britain until the Dominion of Canada was
established in 1867.
- Canada's government is a confederation with a parliamentary democracy,
headed by a prime minister.
- Its culture reflects the country's diverse ethnic heritage.
- Some 28 percent of Canadians are of British descent, 23 percent claim
French descent (concentrated in Quebec), and 2 percent are aboriginal
peoples
- Other minorities include Italians, Germans, Ukrainians, and Chinese.
- A bilingual country—its two official languages are French and English.

3. - Highly urbanized population - most people live in four areas: 1 -southern
Ontario, 2 - Montréal region, 3 -Vancouver city and southern Vancouver
Island, and 4 - Calgary-Edmonton corridor.
- In fact, an estimated 75 percent of Canadians live within 100 miles of the
U.S. border.
Faces three major challenges
 Holding separate regions together
 Working out trade issues with the United States
 Dealing with environmental issues
CANADA QUICK FACTSHEET
Population Currency
33 Million (33,000,000 +) Canadian dollar
80% Urban
Life Expectancy
Capital and Major Cities 79 (77 males, 84 females)
Ottawa // Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary
Literacy Percent
Area 99
9,984,670 sq. kilometers (3,855,101 sq. miles)
4 per sq. kilometer (10 per sq. mile) Internet Usuage
22 million (out of 33+)
Language
English, French (Bilingual country) Government
Confederation with Parliamentary Democracy
Religion
Roman Catholic, Protestant