Канадський Навчальний Центр

Canada is a country located in the northern part of North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic to the Pacific and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering 9.98 million square kilometres (3.85 million square miles), making it the world's second-largest country by total area, and the fourth-largest country by land area. Canada's southern border with the United States is the world's longest bi-national land border, stretching 8,891 kilometres. The majority of the country has a cold or severely cold winter climate, but southern areas are warm in summer. Canada is sparsely populated, the majority of its land territory being dominated by forest and tundra and the Rocky Mountains. It is highly urbanized with 82 percent of the 37 million people concentrated in large and medium-sized cities, most near the southern border. Its capital is Ottawa, and its three largest metropolitan areas are Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver.
Various indigenous peoples have inhabited what is now Canada for thousands of years prior to European colonization. Beginning in the 16th century, the British and French  established colonies in what would become Canada. Canada achieved independence gradually beginning with responsible government in the 1830s and culminating with the patriation of the Constitution from Britain in 1982.

Canada is a federal parliamentary democracy and a constitutional monarchy, with Queen Elizabeth II being the head of state. The country is officially bilingual (English & French) at the federal level. It is one of the world's most ethnically diverse and multicultural nations, the product of large-scale immigration from many other countries. Its advanced economy is the tenth-largest in the world, relying chiefly upon its abundant natural resources and well-developed international trade networks. Canada's long and complex relationship with the United States has had a significant impact on its economy and culture.
Canada is a developed country and has the fifteenth-highest nominal per capita income globally as well as the tenth-highest ranking in the Human Development Index. It ranks among the highest in international measurements of government transparency, civil liberties, quality of life, economic freedom, and education.

Did You Know…
"Canada has a longer coastline than any other country, at 243,042 kilometres.
"It takes the average driver more than seven days to drive across Canada, from Vancouver to Halifax.
"It takes about 7 hours to fly across the country.
"More than 80% of Canadians live within 200 kilometres of the American border.
"Native Canadians are descendants of Canada's original immigrants who probably arrived from Siberia during the last ice age and have lived in what is now Canada for thousands of years.
"It is believed that the name Canada is derived from the word Kanata, which in the language of the Huron-Iroquois Native Canadians means village or settlement.    
"Canada has over 2,000,000 lakes (563 greater than 100 km2), more than any other country, containing much of the world's fresh water.

Sources for the above information: Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canada) and Oxford Seminars Students' Manual, Section Q, "All about Canada," pp. 396-400, (www.oxfordseminars.ca).