GEOGRAPHY OF CANADA
Facts about Canada
Canada map
Where is Canada?
Canada is the second largest country in the world with only Russia being larger. With an estimated three million lakes in Canada, there is more surface area of water in Canada than any other country.
Population of Canada
The population of Canada is 34,834,831 (Jul 2014 estimate). It is the 38th largest population in the world. Canada is a very large country with a relatively low population. In fact there are only six countries in the world with a lower population density.
Land area
Canada covers an area of 9,984,670 sq km. It is roughly the same size as China and the United States. It is three times the size of India and five times the size of Mexico. It is forty times the size of the UK and one hundred times the size of South Korea.
Languages of Canada
National Flag of Canada
The national flag of Canada came into being in 1964 and it comprises a red, eleven pointed maple leaf on a red field with a white square in the centre of the field. To help promote the flag, the flags that fly above the parliament are given away free of charge to anyone that asks, although there is a 48 year waiting list for one.
Canada has two official languages, those being English, (59%), and French (22%). In addition to these, the next most widely spoken languages are Punjabi, Italian, Spanish, German, Cantonese, Tagalog and Arabic, all of which are spoken by 1-2% of the population.
Capital city of Canada
The capital city of Canada is Ottawa, which has a population 1,236,000 people living in the metropolitan area. This makes it the 4th largest city in Canada.
National day
Canada celebrates Canada Day every year on the 1st July. It recognises the date that three British colonies were united to form the country of Canada.
Ottawa
Time zone
Being such a large country, it comes as no surprise that Canada has six time zones. The decision on whether to have daylight savings time is delegated down to the provincial governments so there is also a great variety in whether places choose to follow daylight saving or not.
Currency
In Canada, the Canadian Dollar is used for currency.
Climate
Canada's large size gives it a wide variety of landscapes from the temperate in the south to the positively Arctic in the North. Canada has the northernmost settlement in the world. Landlocked places tend to have warm, continental summers and the temperatures can reach 40 degrees celsius in the summer. In the winter, it has got as low as -65 degrees celsius.
Images of Canada.
Famed for its natural beauty, Canada attracts 17 million tourists from overseas every year.
Maps of Canada.
A physical map of Canada showing the mountains, the rivers, the lakes and the lowlands of Canada.
Facts about Canada
Toronto
Toronto is the fastest growing major city as measured by the last census. It grew by 470,000 people between 2006 and 2011.
Top 10 largest cities in Canada*
1 Toronto 5,583,064
2 Montreal 3,824,221
3 Vancouver 2,313,238
4 Ottawa 1,326,324
5 Calgary 1,214,839
6 Edmonton 1,159,869
7 Quebec 765,706
8 Winnipeg 730,018
9 Hamilton 721,053
10 Kitchener 477,160
*as measured by the metropolitan areas around each city as measured by the 2011 census.
Natural resources in Canada
The image of the gold rush appears quaint in a folksy sort of way and yet gold mining still represents 1% of Canada's exports. Canada's largest mined products are:
1 Potash $6.1 billion
2 Gold $5.9 billion
3 Iron Ore $5.3 billion
4 Coal $4.6 billion
5 Copper $4.6 billion
6 Nickel $3.4 billion
7 Diamonds $2.0 billion
8 Sand and gravel $1.8 billion
9 Stone $1.6 billion
10 Cement $1.5 billion
Source:Natural Resources Canada
Mining in Canada
Rich in natural resources, Canada's economy has grown as it develops its minerals and oil.
Family life in canada
The average family unit in Canada has 1.59 children.
Life expectancy is high. The 14th highest in the world. Life expectancy
for men is 79.1 years
for women is 84.4 years
Source CIA factbook
Shopping in Toronto
Service industries in Canada
The service industries, as in many modern economies, accounts for 78% of what the country produces. The largest segment here is retail, employing 12% of the people in work. The next largest sectors are business services (accountants and lawyers etc...) and financial services (banks).
Source: Wikipedia
A bay and gable home can typically
be found in the older suburbs of Toronto.
Urban or Rural?
82% of the population are considered urban living in the towns and cities.
Long trains helping transport goods all over the country
Transport in Canada
Due to the large distances involved, Canada has the world's 5th longest road network, the 5th longest rail netowrk and the world's 7th largest air travel market. Car ownership is often essential in rural areas and Canada, enjoying a high standard of living, has the 7th highest car ownership per 100 people in the world.
Source: Economist
Videos for school - Canada
The Canadian National anthem.
Fascinating facts about Canada