Canada. Presentation

kanata meaning “a village” or “a settlement”. By 1545, the

European books and maps began to call this region Canada.

Beginning in the late fifteenth century, British and French expeditions explored and

later settled the Atlantic coast. France ceded nearly all of its colonies in North America in 1763 after the Seven Years War. In 1867, with the union of three British North American colonies through Confederation, Canada became a federal dominion. A gradual process of independence from the United Kingdom moved Canada towards statehood and culminated in the Canada Act 1982, severing the last vestiges of dependence on the British parliament.

from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the

west and northward into the Arctic Ocean. It is the world's second largest country by total area (including its waters), and shares land borders with the United States to the south and northwest. Canada has about one-tenth the population of the U.S.
thern North America, washed by the Atlantic Ocean in the east, by the Pacific Ocean in the west and by the Arctic Ocean in the north. It is the world’s second largest country by total area after Russia.

Leaf, and l'Unifolié (French for the one-leafed), is a red

flag with a white square in its centre, depicting an 11- pointed red maple leaf. It was officially adopted in Canada to replace the British Union Flag. The flag made its first appearance on February 15th, 1965; the date is now celebrated annually as National Flag of Canada Day. The maple leaf and the maple tree are the national flora symbols of Canada.

of Arms of Canada or, formally, as the Arms of

His/Her Majesty in Right of Canada, appeared on November 21st , 1921. The motto of Canada is A Mari Usque Ad Mare (Latin). It means From Sea to Sea in English. ‘O Canada’ is the national anthem of the country, while ‘God Save the Queen’ is the royal one. The national anthem exists both in English and in French

Monarch is the head of the state, who is represented

by the Governor-General at the federal level and by the Governors at the state levels. Canada is also a parliamentary democracy as it has a parliament and strong democratic traditions.

Legislative Power: the federal Parliament, which is made up of

the Queen, the Senate (the upper house) and the House of Commons (the lower house). The members of the Senate are not elected in Canada. The seat of the Parliament is the Parliament House, which is situated on the Parliament Hill in Ottawa.

Council which is appointed by the British Monarch. It is

made up of Ministers of the Crown, all of whom are responsible to the elected House of Commons. The Cabinet is headed by the Prime Minister, who holds the position of the head of the government and chooses the ministers from the MPs.  The Judiciary Power: the Supreme Coart of Canada as the highest court and superior courts at the provincial and territorial levels. In Canada, elections are held once in five years. There are four political parties: the Conservative Party of Canada, the Liberal Party of Canada, the New Democratic Party (NDP) and the Bloc Québécois.

capital of the country in 1857 by the British Queen

Victoria’s decree.

the land borders with the United States in the south

and with the US state of Alaska in the northwest. It stretches within five time zones: from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west; to the north lies the Arctic Ocean. The central part of Canada is called the Canadian Shield. By total area (including its waters), Canada is the second largest country in the world, after Russia, and the largest on the American continent. Canada has the longest coastline in the world: 243,000 kilometres.

climate varies throughout the country, ranging from temperate in the

south to sub arctic and arctic in the southeast. Generally, Canada is known for its cold winters and short warm summers. The northern most regions of Canada experiences harsh climatic conditions and therefore most of the country's population is concentrated within a few 100 km of the southern border with a milder climate.

a rather sparse population of 28 million people with the

east-central part of the country being the most populated area. The country has 10 provinces and 2 territories with Ottawa as its capital city. The major cities of Canada are Montreal, Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Toronto, Halifax and Winnipeg.
Most parts of Canada are still in wilderness covered by forests and lakes and hence make for an ideal spot for fishing and hunting. The west- central parts of the country mostly consists of prairie land with large grain farms.

groups. 83% of the total population are white.
The largest

ethnic groups are Canadians of British origin (44%) and Canadians of French origin (28%). 25% are the other Canadian Europeans (of Scottish, Irish, German, Italian, etc. origin). The Aboriginal peoples, the Indians and Eskimos, are called the First Nations (3%). 40% of the population identify themselves as Canadians.

and French. They have an equal status in the federal

courts, the Parliament and in all the federal institutions. The public has the right to receive the federal government services in either English or French. The official language minorities are guaranteed their own schools in all the provinces and territories. English and French are the mother tongues of 60% and 23% of the population respectively. They are the languages most spoken in the country. 98.5% of the Canadians speak English or French: 67.5% speak English only, 13% speak French only, and 18% speak both.

provinces, where English is the majority language, remains high. The

Charter of the French Language in Quebec makes French the official language in this province. Although 85% of the French-speaking Canadians live in Quebec, there are a lot of people, who speak French in Ontario, Alberta and some other provinces. Ontario has the largest French-speaking population outside Quebec. French is used as a language of instruction, in courts and for other government services in addition to English.

of natural resources which includes zinc, copper, gold, lead, iron

ore, nickel, silver, diamonds, molybdenum, potash, coal, petroleum, timber, natural gas, hydro power and fish. The natural resources contribute greatly to the country's economy.
Canada's vast wilderness offers habitat to a variety of wildlife which includes bears, beavers, moose, lynx and cougars among other animals. Several bird species in Canada consist of Canada geese, great blue heron and the bald eagles. Sea life includes whales, dolphins, salmon and sharks among several other species of fish.

and insects. Canada is known for its mammals such as

the American bison, the arctic hare, the badger, the beaver, the black bear, the bobcat, the coyote, the grizzly bear, the red fox and many others.

the ruby-throated hummingbird and the whooping crane.

herbs and other flora. There are many forests, woods and

national parks in Canada. The largest national park in the world – Wood Buffalo – is also in Canada.

cities. The most important among them is the capital of

the country, Ottawa. It is situated on the picturesque bank of the Ottawa River. The name of the city comes from the Indian word meaning “trade” because, for a very long time, Ottawa has been a large trading centre. The suburbs of the city house different industrial factories: electronic enterprises, food processing factories, paper mills and others. Ottawa is called a city of bridges. There are more than 20 bridges in the city. Ottawa is famous for its walks, along which about a million of tulips bloom in spring.

of the Governor General), the National Museum of Canada (collections

representing the Indian and Eskimo cultures), the Public Archives of Canada, the Royal Canadian War Museum, the Royal Canadian Mint, Ottawa University (with classes for English- and Frenchspeaking students).

financial, commercial and industrial centre; the largest French-speaking city in

the world after Paris; Mount Royal Park, James Street (known as “Wall Street of Canada”), Notre Dame de Montreal (the most famous church, its name resembles “Notre Dame de Paris”), the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts; the residential areas are divided into French-speaking and English-speaking neighbourhoods

large port, an international airport, an industrial and manufacturing centre,

an artistic and musical centre with the Art Gallery of Toronto, the Royal Conservatory of Music, the Royal Ontario Museum; a student centre with the University of Toronto, Ryerson Institute of Technology, York University.

of Alberta.

the Provincial Institute of Technology and Art, Mount Royal College,

the Allied Arts Centre, the Philharmonic Orchestra, the Jubilee Auditorium

the largest city in the province of British Columbia, noted

for its large Oriental population and, due to this, colourful folk festivals, including the annual Vancouver Festival of the Arts.