Canada is a state in North America. It is the second (after Russia) country in terms of area in the world and one of the three, washed by three oceans - Pacific, Atlantic and Arctic. In addition, the territory of Canada is washed by the Beaufort, Baffin and Labrador seas.
General information
The name "Canada" in the language of the indigenous people means "small settlement", "village". In the fifteenth century, this was the name of Stadakone - a small settlement near modern Quebec. The area of Canada is approximately ten million square kilometers. Some print media after the collapse of the USSR recklessly called this country the largest in the world. But it's not. The area of Canada is one and a half times inferior to the area of Russia. An interesting fact is that this country is comparable in size to the United States and China, but the population here is an order of magnitude, or even two, lower. Judge for yourself, the United States has 307 million inhabitants, while China has 1.3 billion. Canada, on the other hand, boasts only 33 million, that's it. And two thirds of themlive in the two hundred-kilometer zone bordering the United States.
State border
The borders of Canada stretched from the Pacific coast to the Atlantic coast. Their total duration is more than eight thousand kilometers. To be precise, the land dividing line (including Alaska) is 8893 km. Here is another interesting fact: Canada is the only country in the world that has a land border with only one state - the United States.
Area of Canada in thousand km2
For lovers of the exact sciences and dry statistics, here are more accurate numbers. So, the state of Canada: the area of the territory is 9,970,610 square kilometers; from east to west it reaches 7700 kilometers; from the north coast to the south - 4600 kilometers; the length of the coast is 243,791 kilometers. Land suitable for cultivation of agricultural crops occupies only five percent of the total territory of the country, three percent are occupied by pastures, 54 percent are forests and forest plantations. The irrigated area is only 7,100 square kilometers.
Canadian largest cities
The capital of this state is the city of Ottawa, which is located in the province of Ontario. Canada's largest population centers are: Toronto in Ontario (5.5 million), Montreal in Quebec (3.6 million), Vancouver in British Columbia (2.1 million), Calgary and Edmonton in Alberta (1 each). million), Quebec (1million). The rest of the cities fall short of one million inhabitants.
Geographic reference
Despite the fact that the main area of Canada is occupied by lakes and coniferous forests, there are mountain ranges, plains and even desert. Part of the provinces of Alberta, Manitoba and Saskatchewan are covered by prairie - the Great Plain. It is in this place that the main agricultural lands of the country are located. The western part of Canada is widely known for the Rocky Mountains, and the eastern part for Niagara Falls. The north of the country is known for the Canadian Shield, an ancient mountainous region formed over 2.5 billion years ago that covers most of the northern region. The Arctic part is represented exclusively by tundra, in the north it is divided into islands, which are ice-bound all year round. The highest point in Canada is Mount Logan. Its height is 5950 meters. Canada is very rich in natural resources. Nickel, zinc, copper, molybdenum, silver, gold, lead, potash, oil and even natural gas are mined here.
Climate and flora
In the south of Canada, a small warm subtropical corner is sheltered - this is Vancouver, as well as the winemaking zone - Niagara. The middle zone is characterized by a temperate climate, very similar to the Russian one. Further north is continuous tundra. Forested areas abound with very valuable species of wood. Coniferous trees are especially in demand: giant thuja, douglas, balsam fir, white and black spruce, larch. In the southern and southeastern regions growyellow birch, poplar, oak and maple, which is the symbol of Canada. In terms of timber reserves, Canada is second only to Russia and Brazil, but if you recalculate per capita, it will be in first place. The tundra is rich in mosses, lichens, flowers and herbs. The forest tundra boasts only dwarf trees. Plains and prairies are covered with feather grass, sagebrush and bearded vulture.
Animal world
Canada has a very diverse wildlife. The fur-bearing animal, which is rich in the taiga zone, is of commercial importance (as in Russia). The area of Canada, covered with tundra, gave shelter to reindeer, tundra wolves, white hares, polar bears, arctic foxes. Bears, wolves, foxes, lynxes, squirrels, hares, martens, beavers, elks, and deer found shelter in dense forests. The steppe regions have practically nothing to boast of - field mice, ground squirrels and moles. Millions of migratory birds feel great on the Arctic islands and lakes. Bison live in the reserves of Canada, which were practically exterminated on the American continent by European settlers. Coastal waters are famous for their rich stocks of fish: in the east, these are herring and cod species; and in the west, salmon (chum salmon, pink salmon and chinook salmon).
Political structure
July 1, 1867 Canada became an independent nation. On this day, she declared that she was an independent dominion of the British Empire. The form of government in this country is a parliamentary democracy, which is formally subordinate to the head of the British Commonwe alth. This is the second largest state in the worldfederal structure, it consists of ten independent provinces and three northern territories. This means that each such entity has its own laws, budget and infrastructure. Some of the powers of the territory and the province are delegated to the federal government, which is responsible for a number of general issues, such as foreign policy, defense, and so on. All other issues are resolved at the local level. Despite the fact that the provinces strive to bring their legislative framework and social programs in line with uniform principles, differences still remain. And sometimes very significant. Most importantly, each independent province has its own tax system and budget. Accordingly, the individual priorities in spending money in each administrative unit lead to the provision of completely different opportunities for their residents. In this regard, it is very important to choose the city and province that suits this or that Canadian citizen to the greatest extent. After all, the opportunities for life have significant differences.
Conclusion
Canada (the photos in this article will help the reader make up his mind about this country) has the richest reserves of natural resources. Its technological and economic development took place in parallel with similar processes in the United States, with which it has close relations and practically a single cultural and economic space. As a result, Canada is one of the most developed countries in the world,demonstrating the best economic performance among representatives of the G7 economic group in the last decade.
