Canada
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Canada is a country in North America. It is the northern half of North America.
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[edit] Geography
Canada is the second largest country in the world in area, after Russia, and has the longest coastline of any country in the world, being next to the Pacific, Arctic, and Atlantic Oceans.
Around 32 million people live in Canada's ten provinces and three territories.
See: list of Canadian provinces and territories.
Canada covers six time zones, from the west coast to the prairies, central Canada, and the Atlantic provinces; in the north there are three territories, stretching between Alaska and Greenland. The five Great Lakes are shared between Canada and the United States, and make up 16% of the Earth's fresh water. The world's longest city street (Yonge Street in Toronto) is in Canada.
[edit] Brief history
Native people lived in what is now Canada for thousands of years before the first Europeans arrived. They are known as the First Nations and the Inuit people. The Métis have part First Nations and part European backgrounds.
The Vikings were the first Europeans known to land in Canada, in what is now Newfoundland. They did not stay there long, however. In the early 16th century, Europeans started exploring Canada's eastern coast, beginning with John Cabot for England in 1497, and later Jacques Cartier in 1534 from France. Alexander Mackenzie later reached the Pacific coast over land, where captains Cook and Vancouver went by sea.
Parts of Canada were settled by France, and parts by England and Scotland. The French usually had permission from the native peoples to live in their country. In 1605, Port Royal was built in Acadie (today called Nova Scotia) by the French, led by Samuel de Champlain, and in 1608, he started settling Quebec. British took control of the French areas after a battle on the Plains of Abraham near Quebec City in 1759. On July 1, 1867, Canada became a country, even though it still had the same king as before. It included the provinces of Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia. Sir John A. MacDonald was the first prime minister. Manitoba, the Yukon, and the Northwest Territories became part of Canada in 1870. British Columbia joined in 1871, and Prince Edward Island in 1873.
There were two Red River Rebellions, in 1869-70 and 1885, both led by Louis Riel. He fought for more rights for the Métis people. A railroad across the country, finished in 1885, made it easier for Canadians to move to the west. Many Europeans came to the prairies, so that Alberta and Saskatchewan became provinces in 1905.
Canadian soldiers fought in World War I, because they were still part of the British Empire. More Canadians died in this war than any other war. Canada became better known as a country after its success in capturing Vimy Ridge from the Germans in France in 1917. Women were given the right to vote by the end of the war, partly because of the help they gave making weapons while the men fought in Europe. Canadians also fought in World War II. Dieppe was a terrible raid in 1942, where most of the soldiers were killed, wounded, or taken prisoner. Canadians were important in 1944 at Normandy, and they liberated (set free) the Netherlands.
In 1949, Newfoundland and Labrador became the 10th province of Canada. In 1956, Canadian Lester Pearson, who later became prime minister, helped end the Suez Crisis. As a result, he won the Nobel Peace Prize. In 1965, Pearson helped Canada get a new flag, the Maple Leaf. Before that, Canadians had used the Red Ensign. In 1982, Canada created a new constitution, including a new Charter of Rights and Freedoms. This took the place of the 1867 BNA Act, that Great Britain had helped create.
Many French Canadians today wish to form their own country, separate from the rest of Canada. The province of Quebec held a referendum (vote) in 1980, but only about 40% wanted to separate. Another referendum was held in 1995, with almost 50% voting in favor of leaving Canada.
Today, about 25% of Canadians speak French as their first language. Many people can speak both French and English. Although most French Canadians live in the province of Quebec, there are French-speaking communities and people all across Canada. For example, 40% of the people in the province of New Brunswick and 20% of those in Manitoba have a strong French background, as do people in Ontario, mainly along its border with Quebec.
In 1999, Nunavut was created as Canada's third territory, out of the eastern Northwest Territories, in an agreement with the Inuit people. Toronto, Ontario 5,304,100; Montreal, Quebec 3,635,700; Vancouver, British Columbia 2,208,300; Ottawa, Ontario 1,148,800; Calgary, Alberta 1,060,300; Edmonton, Alberta 1,016,000; Quebec City, Quebec 717,600; Hamilton, Ontario 714,900; Winnipeg, Manitoba 706,900; London, Ontario 464,300; Kitchener, Ontario 458,600; St. Catharines, Ontario 396,900; Halifax, Nova Scotia 380,800; Oshawa, Ontario 340,300; Victoria, British Columbia 334,700; Windsor, Ontario 332,300; Saskatoon, Saskatchewan 235,800; Regina, Saskatchewan 199,000; St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador 182,500;
[edit] Recent times
A large number of immigrants from almost every part of the world come to live in Canada. Canada has a greater mix of people with different backgrounds than almost anywhere on Earth, after Australia. One example is the Governor General of Canada, Michaëlle Jean, who came to Canada as a young child with her family from Haiti in 1968.
Ottawa is the capital of Canada. The current (elected) head of government, the prime minister, is Stephen Harper, who replaced Paul Martin Jr. in January of 2006. Each province and territory elects a premier to lead its government.
[edit] Cities

Here are the biggest Canadian cities:
City Name | Number of people in 2005 |
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Toronto, Ontario | 5,304,100 |
Montreal, Quebec | 3,635,700 |
Vancouver, British Columbia | 2,208,300 |
Ottawa, Ontario | 1,148,800 |
Calgary, Alberta | 1,060,300 |
Edmonton, Alberta | 1,016,000 |
Quebec City, Quebec | 717,600 |
Hamilton, Ontario | 714,900 |
Winnipeg, Manitoba | 706,900 |
London, Ontario | 464,300 |
Kitchener, Ontario | 458,600 |
St. Catharines, Ontario | 396,900 |
Halifax, Nova Scotia | 380,800 |
Oshawa, Ontario | 340,300 |
Victoria, British Columbia | 334,700 |
Windsor, Ontario | 332,300 |
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan | 235,800 |
Regina, Saskatchewan | 199,000 |
St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador | 182,500 |
Sherbrooke, Quebec | 163,700 |
[edit] Climate and its influence
Many people from other parts of the world think of Canada as a very cold and snowy place. While it is true that most of Canada's land is very far north (almost to the North Pole), most Canadians live in the southern parts, where the weather is much milder. Over 90% of the people live within 100 miles (160 km) of the U.S. border. In some cities the temperature can get very cold in the winter; however, most of Canada can get quite hot in the summer, often over 30 degrees Celsius. On the Pacific coast, there is a lot of rain but very little snow.
Canadians are known to play winter sports such as ice hockey and skiing, while they also enjoy numerous summer activities.Canada has the highest mountain range in the whole world.
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Canada
Countries and territories of North America |
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Independent: Antigua and Barbuda | Bahamas | Barbados | Belize | Canada | Costa Rica | Cuba | Dominica | Dominican Republic | El Salvador | Grenada | Guatemala | Haiti | Honduras | Jamaica | Mexico | Nicaragua | Panama | Saint Kitts and Nevis | Saint Lucia | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | Trinidad and Tobago | United States |
Governed by other countries: Anguilla | Aruba | Bermuda | British Virgin Islands | Cayman Islands | Greenland | Guadeloupe | Martinique | Montserrat | Navassa Island | Netherlands Antilles | Puerto Rico | Saint-Pierre and Miquelon | Turks and Caicos Islands | U.S. Virgin Islands |
G8 |
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Canada · France · Germany · Japan · Italy · United Kingdom · Russia · United States |