Canada
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Country Profile Photography History Geography Culture Interesting Facts See Also References |
Country Profile
Photography (*)
St. Margarets Bay - Nova Scotia |
Fog over Saint John River - New Brunswick |
Mont-Tremblant National Park - Quebec |
Melting Ice - Mont-Tremblant National Park |
Port of Vancouver - British Columbia |
Multicoloured Forest - Quebec |
Early Fall - Quebec |
Peggys Cove - Nova Scocia |
Sparkling Pine Tree - Quebec |
History
Archaeologists have shown that human presence in Canada dates back to 26,500 years ago. The first Europeans who arrived were the Vikings, settling briefly at L'Anse aux Meadows at around 1000 AD.
Among the next Europeans to explore Canada was John Cabon in 1497 for England, Jacques Cartier in 1534 for France, and Samuel de Champlain from France who established settlements at Port Royal in 1605 and Quebec City in 1608. The French then colonized the St. Lawrence River valley, the present-day Maritimes, the Great Lakes, Hudson Bay and the Mississippi to Louisiana. During that time, the English have settled in Newfoundland and the Thirteen Colonies to the south.
In 1763, the Treaty of Paris was signed, ceding all of New France to Britain, and calling the remaining French territory Province of Quebec. This followed the Seven Year's War that involved major European powers of that era and their colonies.
In 1783, following the independence of the United States, about 50,000 Loyalists fled to Canada. The Province of Quebec was then divided in English-Speaking Upper Canada, and French-speaking Lower Canada.
These two territories merged into a United Province of Canada following the Rebellions of 1837 and the Act of Union in 1840.
On July 1st 1867 the Confederation was brought, creating the country of Canada. It had originally four provinces, Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. In 1949 Newfoundland was the 10th province to join the Confederation.
The Official Languages Act made Canada become officially bilingual in response to a more assertive French-speaking Quebec.
Economic integration of Canada with the United States increased during the end of the 20th century. Separatist desires in the French-speaking Quebec are a major matter. Today, Canadians take pride in their commitment to multiculturalism and their system of universal health care allowed by the social democratic programs.
Geography
Canada is the second largest country in the world. It occupies most of the northern part of North America. It shares land borders with the United States to the south and the northwest. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east, the Pacific Ocean to the west, and the Arctic Ocean to the north.
The Canadian Rockies are located to the west, consisting most of the province of British Colombia and the territory of Yukon. Ice and tundra are major in the Arctic, whereas flat and fertile Prairies, in the center of the country, make agriculture possible. The St. Lawrence River to the east, fed by the Great Lakes, hosts most of Canada's population.
The largest ethnic group is English with 20.2%, followed by French with 15.8%. Canada is very ethnically diverse, having 34 ethnic groups with at least one hundred thousand members. Toronto is the most populous metropolitan area, followed by Montreal and Vancouver. Indigenous people make up less than 2% of Canada's population.
Culture
Historically, Canadian culture has been influenced by British, French and Aboriginal traditions. Today, the United States culture influences Canada highly because of its proximity, especially in entertainment and the media.
Official bilingualism in Canada is law. Quebec is a mainly French-speaking province, where Montreal, its biggest city, is know for its European reputation. Although 9 provinces of Canada are predominantly English, there are substantial Francophone communities in Ontario, Southern Manitoba and New Brunswick.
16% of Canada's population have a first language other than English or French, making non-official languages important in the country. Other cultures inspire Canada's entertainment and cuisine.
Lacrosse is summer's official national sports, whereas hockey is by far winter's most popular sport. Six metropolitan areas have teams in the National Hockey League. Other widespread sports are curling, football, baseball and golf.
Canada has many music icons that are known worldwide. Céline Dion, Nelly Furtado and Brian Adams are amongst the many signing talents that are internationally famous.
Interesting Facts
- Canada got its name from an Iroquoian word meaning village. Explorer Jacques Cartier used this word to refer to the whole area of the St. Lawrence River that he explored after the Iroquoians used "Canada" to direct him to one of their settlements.
- The Canadian Forces Station Alert, located on the northern tip of Ellesmere Island, the northernmost settlement in the World.
- The Horseshoe Falls located in Canada is the largest component of Niagara Falls, which is on of the world's most voluminous waterfalls.
- Nearly 90% of Canadians live within 200 km of the border with the United States.
See Also
Australia
Brazil
Canada
China
References
Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (www.wikipedia.org).
BBC News - Country Profile: Canada (news.bbc.co.uk).
Canada facts on National Geographic (www3.nationalgeographic.com).
World Flag Database (www.flags.net).
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* All photographs have been taken by Dr Anto Youssef. For specific informations about a picture, please write to: anto.y@studiodentaire.com. |