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Canada is the northernmost country in North America. The capital is the city of Ottawa in the province of Ontario.
Canada is the world's second largest country in terms of land area, but has a very low population density with approximately 30 million inhabitants. While a modern and technologically advanced country, it is energy self-sufficient and one of the few developed countries with an economy having a heavy reliance on its abundance of natural resources.
The United Nations voted Canada as the best country to live in for nine straight years.
Canada is surrounded by three oceans: the Pacific on the west coast, the Arctic on the north coast, and the Atlantic on the east coast. The southern border is shared with the United States and is the longest undefended border in the world.
Canada was formed by three original ethnic groups: the Natives who were living there for the previous 10,000 years or so, the French who were the first Europeans to settle there, and the British who defeated the French and captured the colony. In 1763, France surrendered its Canadian lands to the British by the Treaty of Paris, and wholesale British colonization began after the American Revolution beginning with the arrival of pro-British Americans known as "United Empire Loyalists" from the former "13 Colonies".
Canada's history is one of the least bloody of any nation's. The English and French have compromised throughout Canada's history. The British questioned whether to assimilate the French or let be; the French were allowed to be. In 1774 the Quebec Act was passed recognizing French civil laws (later, the adoption of the Napoleonic Code) and guaranteeing religious and linguistic freedoms. However, during the 19th century, a period of British chauvinism against the French, First Nations, and immigrants obtained which was not fully laid to rest until Pierre Trudeau's multiculturalism initiative in the 1970s.
A large minority in Quebec favour various degrees of sovereignty or independence for the province. There was a brief period of violence from 1968 to 1970, when the separatist Front de liberation du Quebec, or FLQ, committed acts of terrorism for their cause: apart from this period, the question has remained within the realm of civil discourse. To this day the question of Quebec's sovereignty remains open. However, recent polls in Quebec indicate that both sovereignists and federalist partisans have largely lost their interest in the question, seeing more pressing matters at hand, and relations between modern English and French Quebecers, especially in Montreal, demonstrate a spirit of mutual tolerance.
The Quebec Act also divided Canada into Upper Canada, the domain of English Canadians and present-day Ontario; and Lower Canada, the domain of French Canadians and present-day Quebec. In the 1860s, in the wake of the American Civil War, the British were concerned with American reprisal for their lukewarm support of the North, and pushed to implement a defensive grouping of their colonies to the north of the United States. Though these fears ultimately proved foundless, on July 1, 1867, Canada's birthday (now celebrated as Canada Day), several of Britain's North American colonies became provinces of Canada at Confederation: Quebec, Ontario, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick. The prairies and the Arctic, at that time possessions of the Hudson's Bay Company, were integrated as Rupert's Land in 1869. The Metis people of this region formed a provisional government in 1868, led by Louis Riel. This government negotiated with the Canadian government, resulting in the creation of Manitoba in 1870, with laws protecting the interests of French-speakers.
British Columbia voted to join Canada in 1871, Prince Edward Island in 1873. In 1905 the remaining southern portion of Rupert's Land was divided into the provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan. The last province to join was Newfoundland and Labrador in 1949. Before joining Canada, Newfoundland had been an independent dominion; at the time it joined, Newfoundland was essentially bankrupt. In 1999, a large part of the Northwest Territories became the separate region of Nunavut, a sparsely populated territory inhabited mostly by Inuit.
Canada is a constitutional monarchy, with the head of state being the monarch, currently Queen Elizabeth II. The monarch's representative in Canada is the Governor-General, who fills the role of approving bills, and other state functions. For the most part, the monarch (through her liaison, the Governor-General) is a figurehead, and what little real power she has is reserved for times of crisis. The text of Canada's constitution can be found here: Constitution of Canada.
The Governor-General is appointed by the Prime Minister, who is the leader of the political party that holds the most seats in the House of Commons. The legislative branch of government consists of both the elected House of Commons, and the appointed Senate.
The Canadian national anthem is O Canada, which has official lyrics in both French and English. Prior to this, the national anthem was The Maple Leaf Forever.
Canadian self-image
In 1999 the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) held a competition whose goal was to compose the conclusion to the phrase: "As Canadian as ..." The winning entry reflects the ambivalence, self-questioning and ultimate pragmatism of Canadians. It read "... possible under the circumstances."
Robertson Davies, one of Canada's best known novelists, once commented about his homeland: "Some countries you love. Some countries you hate. Canada is a country you worry about."
Pierre Berton, a Canadian journalist and novelist, once alluded to Canada's voyageur roots with this famous : A Canadian is someone who knows how to make love in a canoe without tipping it.
If someone challenges you that there are no famous Canadians, it might be worth mentioning that Mary Pickford, the movie icon known as "America's Sweetheart" was born and raised in Canada where she began her acting career.
Links relating to Canada
The Prime Ministers of Canada.
The Governors-General of Canada
Canadian provinces and territories
See also: poutine, loonie and toonie, This Hour Has 22 Minutes, eh.
From the CIA World Factbook 2000, plus some editing and updates. Not completely Wikified.