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Canada |
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Home Reference
Maps Appendixes
| Background: |
A land of vast distances and rich natural resources, Canada became a
self-governing dominion in 1867 while retaining ties to the British
crown. Economically and technologically the nation has developed in
parallel with the US, its neighbor to the south across an unfortified
border. Its paramount political problem continues to be the relationship
of the province of Quebec, with its French-speaking residents and unique
culture, to the remainder of the country. |
| Location: |
Northern North America, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean on the east,
North Pacific Ocean on the west, and the Arctic Ocean on the north,
north of the conterminous US |
| Geographic
coordinates: |
60 00 N, 95 00 W |
| Map
references: |
North
America |
| Area: |
total: 9,976,140 sq km
land: 9,220,970 sq km
water: 755,170 sq km |
| Area
- comparative: |
somewhat larger than the US |
| Land
boundaries: |
total: 8,893 km
border countries: US 8,893 km
(includes 2,477 km with Alaska) |
| Coastline: |
202,080 km |
| Maritime
claims: |
contiguous zone: 24 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM
continental shelf: 200 NM or to the edge of the continental
margin
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM |
| Climate: |
varies from temperate in south to subarctic and arctic in north |
| Terrain: |
mostly plains with mountains in west and lowlands in southeast |
| Elevation
extremes: |
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point:
Mount Logan 5,959 m |
| Natural
resources: |
iron ore, nickel, zinc, copper, gold, lead, molybdenum, potash, diamonds,
silver, fish, timber, wildlife, coal, petroleum, natural gas, hydropower
|
| Land
use: |
arable land: 4.94%
permanent crops: 0.02%
other: 95.04% (1998 est.) |
| Irrigated
land: |
7,200 sq km (1998 est.) |
| Natural
hazards: |
continuous permafrost in north is a serious obstacle to development;
cyclonic storms form east of the Rocky Mountains, a result of the mixing
of air masses from the Arctic, Pacific, and North American interior,
and produce most of the country's rain and snow east of the mountains
|
| Environment
- current issues: |
air pollution and resulting acid rain severely affecting lakes and damaging
forests; metal smelting, coal-burning utilities, and vehicle emissions
impacting on agricultural and forest productivity; ocean waters becoming
contaminated due to agricultural, industrial, mining, and forestry activities
|
| Environment
- international agreements: |
party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides,
Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulphur 85,
Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic
Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification,
Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Marine
Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical
Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified:
Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol,
Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation
|
| Geography
- note: |
second-largest country in world (after Russia); strategic location between
Russia and US via north polar route; approximately 85% of the population
is concentrated within 300 km of the US border
|
| Population: |
32,207,113 (July 2003 est.) |
| Age
structure: |
0-14 years: 18.5% (male 3,052,005; female 2,903,007)
15-64 years: 68.6% (male 11,099,907; female 10,984,903)
65 years and over: 12.9% (male 1,774,262; female 2,393,029) (2003
est.) |
| Median
age: |
total: 37.8 years
male: 36.9 years
female:
38.8 years (2002) |
| Population
growth rate: |
0.94% (2003 est.) |
| Birth
rate: |
10.99 births/1,000 population (2003 est.) |
| Death
rate: |
7.61 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.) |
| Net
migration rate: |
6.01 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.) |
| Sex
ratio: |
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years:
1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.74 male(s)/female
total population:
0.98 male(s)/female (2003 est.) |
| Infant
mortality rate: |
total: 4.88 deaths/1,000 live births
female:
4.39 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)
male: 5.36 deaths/1,000
live births |
| Life
expectancy at birth: |
total population: 79.83 years
male: 76.44 years
female: 83.38 years (2003 est.) |
| Total
fertility rate: |
1.61 children born/woman (2003 est.) |
| Nationality: |
noun: Canadian(s)
adjective: Canadian |
| Ethnic
groups: |
British Isles origin 28%, French origin 23%, other European 15%, Amerindian
2%, other, mostly Asian, African, Arab 6%, mixed background 26% |
| Religions: |
Roman Catholic 46%, Protestant 36%, other 18%
note: based
on the 1991 census |
| Languages: |
English 59.3% (official), French 23.2% (official), other 17.5% |
| Literacy: |
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total
population: 97% (1986 est.)
male: NA%
female:
NA%
|
| Economy
- overview: |
As an affluent, high-tech industrial society, Canada today closely resembles
the US in its market-oriented economic system, pattern of production,
and high living standards. Since World War II, the impressive growth
of the manufacturing, mining, and service sectors has transformed the
nation from a largely rural economy into one primarily industrial and
urban. The 1989 US-Canada Free Trade Agreement (FTA) and the 1994 North
American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) (which includes Mexico) touched
off a dramatic increase in trade and economic integration with the US.
As a result of the close cross-border relationship, the economic sluggishness
in the United States in 2001-02 had a negative impact on the Canadian
economy. Real growth averaged nearly 3% during 1993-2000, but declined
in 2001, with moderate recovery in 2002. Unemployment is up, with contraction
in the manufacturing and natural resource sectors. Nevertheless, given
its great natural resources, skilled labor force, and modern capital
plant Canada enjoys solid economic prospects. Two shadows loom, the
first being the continuing constitutional impasse between English- and
French-speaking areas, which has been raising the specter of a split
in the federation. Another long-term concern is the flow south to the
US of professionals lured by higher pay, lower taxes, and the immense
high-tech infrastructure. A key strength in the economy is the substantial
trade surplus. |
| GDP: |
purchasing power parity - $923 billion (2002 est.) |
| GDP
- real growth rate: |
3.4% (2002 est.) |
| GDP
- per capita: |
purchasing power parity - $29,400 (2002 est.) |
| GDP
- composition by sector: |
agriculture: 2.3%
industry: 26.5%
services:
71.2% (2001 est.) |
| Population
below poverty line: |
NA% |
| Household
income or consumption by percentage share: |
lowest 10%: 2.8%
highest 10%: 23.8% (1994) |
| Distribution
of family income - Gini index: |
31.5 (1994) |
| Inflation
rate (consumer prices): |
2.2% (2002 est.) |
| Labor
force: |
16.4 million (2001 est.) |
| Labor
force - by occupation: |
services 74%, manufacturing 15%, construction 5%, agriculture 3%, other
3% (2000) |
| Unemployment
rate: |
7.6% (2002 est.) |
| Budget: |
revenues: $178.6 billion
expenditures: $161.4
billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY00/01 est.) |
| Industries: |
transportation equipment, chemicals, processed and unprocessed minerals,
food products; wood and paper products; fish products, petroleum and
natural gas |
| Industrial
production growth rate: |
2.2% (2002 est.) |
| Electricity
- production: |
566.3 billion kWh (2001) |
| Electricity
- production by source: |
fossil fuel: 28%
hydro: 57.9%
other:
1.2% (2001)
nuclear: 12.9% |
| Electricity
- consumption: |
504.4 billion kWh (2001) |
| Electricity
- exports: |
38.4 billion kWh (2001) |
| Electricity
- imports: |
16.11 billion kWh (2001) |
| Oil
- production: |
2.738 million bbl/day (2001 est.) |
| Oil
- consumption: |
1.703 million bbl/day (2001 est.) |
| Oil
- exports: |
2.008 million bbl/day (2001) |
| Oil
- imports: |
1.145 million bbl/day (2001) |
| Oil
- proved reserves: |
5.112 billion bbl (January 2002 est.) |
| Natural
gas - proved reserves: |
1.691 trillion cu m (January 2002 est.) |
| Agriculture
- products: |
wheat, barley, oilseed, tobacco, fruits, vegetables; dairy products;
forest products; fish |
| Exports: |
$260.5 billion f.o.b. (2002 est.) |
| Exports
- commodities: |
motor vehicles and parts, industrial machinery, aircraft, telecommunications
equipment; chemicals, plastics, fertilizers; wood pulp, timber, crude
petroleum, natural gas, electricity, aluminum |
| Exports
- partners: |
US 84.6%, Japan 2.2%, UK 1.6%, other EU 2.2% (2000) |
| Imports: |
$229 billion f.o.b. (2002 est.) |
| Imports
- commodities: |
machinery and equipment, motor vehicles and parts, crude oil, chemicals,
electricity, durable consumer goods |
| Imports
- partners: |
US 72.7%, UK 3.4%, other EU 3.2%, Japan 3.0% (2000) |
| Debt
- external: |
$NA |
| Economic
aid - donor: |
ODA, $1.3 billion (1999) |
| Currency: |
Canadian dollar (CAD) |
| Currency
code: |
CAD |
| Exchange
rates: |
Canadian dollars per US dollar - 1.5693 (2002), 1.5488 (2001), 1.4851
(2000), 1.4857 (1999), 1.4835 (1998) |
| Fiscal
year: |
1 April - 31 March
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