Canada, the world’s second largest country is occupied by most of the North America. The capital of Canada is Ottawa. English and French are the languages which are generally spoken by the people of Canada. This country was formed as a federal dominion of four provinces.
The country shares its borders with the United States to the south and the northwest and also had a long and lasting relationship with that country.
Etymology:
The name Canada is derived from the word “Kanata” which actually means the “village” or “settlement”. In 1841 the French colony of Canada was splitted into the British colonies namely Upper Canada and Lower Canada. The country was known as the “Dominion of Canada” upto1950.
History of Canada:
When there are no written documents to describe the history of Canada then the rock art and other types of arts are the only means to describe it well. The first persons residing in Canada are the Europeans.
In 1605 and 1608 the Port Royal and the Quebec City were established by the Samuel De Champlain which ultimately becomes the capitals of Acadia and Canada. Acadians settled at the Maritimes and Canadians settled at the St. Lawrence River while the fur traders at the Great lakes. After that due to the fur trade war was broken out between the French and the Iroquois.
In 1610 the English established the fishing outposts and the thirteen colonies to the south. In the war of 1812 between the United States and the British Empire, Canada was the main front. In 1840 the Canadas were converted into the United province of Canada by the act of union due to which the French and the Canadians worked together.
The Oregon treaty was signed by the Britain and the United States in 1846. The constitution Act came into consideration on July 1, 1867 with four provinces namely Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick.
In 1919 the Canada joined the league of nations and in 1931 the country got independence by the Statue of Westminster. In 1939 when the country independently declared a war on the Germany then at that time the first Canadian army units came into existence.
Due to the energy crisis and economic decline the federal government has to adopt the price control. In 1986 under the influence of Mulroney Canada improved the relations with the United States as a result of which Acid treaty was signed. After the resignation of the prime minister Mulroney in 1993, The Kim Campbell takes the oath as the first Woman prime minister of Canada.
In 1990 the Oka Crisis took place in Canada and the country has to suffer from high unemployment. At last the Quebec government has decided to call the French speaking people as Quebecois.
Politics and government:
Queen Elizabeth-II is the head as well as the prime minister of the state. The democracy in the country is the parliamentary democracy which consists of the federal system of the parliamentary government. The leader of opposition is the one who becomes second after the elections and presently the Stephane Dion is the leader of opposition.
The Queen and the two houses namely House of Commons and the Senate comprises the federal government. Members of the House of Commons are elected by the electoral district and of the Senate by the Prime Minister.
The judiciary plays a vital role in passing and violating the laws. The highest court in the country is the Supreme Court and all the members are appointed by the Governor General.
Geography:
As Canada is the second largest country and shares its borders with the United States to the south, Atlantic ocean to the east, Pacific ocean to the west and the Artic Ocean to the north so it claims 40degree W longitude and 82.5 degree N latitude.
The St. Lawrence River is the largest river of Canada while the Hudson Bay and Ontario occupies the central Canada.
Currency:
Canadian Dollars are basically used in Canada.
Economy:
Canada is the member of the organization for Economic co-operation and development and Group of Eight and was known s the world’s wealthiest nations with high per capita income. Nowadays Canada is competing with the U.S. in the market.
The logging and oil are the two important companies of Canada which also plays a vital role in its economic growth. Canada is also very popular for the exports of the energy like natural gas, oil and hydroelectric power. Gold, nickel, wheat, canola are some of the agricultural products supplied by the country.
Demographics:
About 3 million people are residing in Canada and most of them are Christians and Catholics. Due to the presence of large number of Christians people follow the religion Islam. Refugees are also accepted by the country.
Culture:
The national symbol called the maple leaf is imprinted on the flag and on the coat of the arms and the other symbols like beaver, Canada goose, crown, inukchuk are also very popular.
Ice hockey is the national sport of Canada and the country has the largest number of franchises in the National Hockey League. The sports which are popular in the country other than hockey are baseball, golf, skiing, volleyball, basketball. The 2010 Winter Olympics are also hosted by Canada itself.
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