Geography

Canada is the world’s second largest country after Russia. It is slightly less than three-fifths as large as Russia, less than 1.3 times larger than Australia, slightly smaller than Europe, and more than 40 times larger than the United Kingdom. Canada shares over a 5,000 mile long border with the United States. Most Canadians live within 186 miles of the southern border. The national capital is Ottawa, Canada’s fourth largest city. Fertile agricultural plains in the south to Freezing tundra in the north. Spans half the distance from the north pole to the equator and it contains a total of 6 times zones. Canada has the largest latitude range of any country on the planet. There are over 2 million lakes in Canada. The world’s oldest known rocks at 4.28 billion years old can be found in Canada. The Gulf of St. Lawrence is one of the largest and deepest estuaries in the world. A little known island within the Canadian Arctic measures about four acres. The Canadian Shield is a hilly region of lakes and swamps.  The Boreal, in Canada, is the world’s second largest forest. Mount Logan in Yukon is Canada’s tallest mountain. It is 5,995 metres high (19,551 ft). The worlds smallest desert can be found in the Yukon. Canada’s Nunavut is the tallest vertical drop on earth. The waters of “Dead Sea of Canada,” are roughly five times saltier than the ocean. In Canada’s permafrost the soils are thin or absent and the vegetation is sparse.

Climate

Canada has a wide variety of climates. Temperatures fall below freezing throughout most of Canada during the winter. The lowest Canadian temperature ever recorded was −81 °F at Snag, Yukon, in 1947. The northern part of Canada especially is extremely cold. The northern summer lasts less than two months. Along the Arctic Circle, mean temperatures are below freezing for seven months per year. Lots of rain falls on the west coast and mountain areas. During the summer months temperatures can surpass 30 degrees Celsius regularly. It rarely snows around Vancouver, except in the mountains. It rains in Vancouver almost half the days in winter. Inland areas receive the most amount of snow. Near Toronto, the climate is continental. The Atlantic Maritime region experiences cyclonic storms. Newfoundland, in Canada, is the foggiest place in the world. Ontario and Quebec also have more rainfall than the interior plains. Canada’s North is dry with precipitation ranging from 10-20 cm a year. 5 oceans and seas touch Canadian shores. The Hudson Bay freezes over in winter. Canada’s permafrost is easily damaged by heavy equipment and by oil spills. Windsor is the thunderstorm capital of Canada.

People

38 million people live in Canada. Canada received many immigrants from the U.S. during and after the American Revolution. 40 percent of the Canadian population is of British descent. Another 20 percent are of other European background, 10 percent are of East or Southeast Asian origin, and some 3 percent are of aboriginal or Metis background. Inuit people live mostly in the Northwest Territories and Nunavut. The Inuit, who fish, hunt, and trap for a living, are directly affected by abuses of the ecology. At 11%, Winnipeg has the largest indigenous population percentage. Quebecers are descendants of 17th century French settlers. The official languages are English and French. Vancouver is 46% Asian. Most Canadians live within 186 miles of the southern border. Six Canadian cities have more than 1 million residents. There is one Canadian birth per minute. The median age in Canada is 41. 67% identify as Christian and 2% of the population are Hindu. The most populated province is Ontario. Slavery existed in Canada fom 1671 to 1843, mostly indigenous people were slaves. The Queen of Canada has been Elizabeth II since 1952.