Canada, second largest country in the world in area (after Russia), occupying roughly the northern two-fifths of the continent of North America.
FORM OF GOVERNMENT
federal multiparty parliamentary state with two legislative houses.
HEAD OF STATE
Queen of Canada (British Monarch): Elizabeth II, represented by Governor-General: Julie Payette
Capital: Ottawa
Official languages: English and French
MONETARY UNIT
Canadian dollar
POPULATION
38,219,000
Interesting facts: -Canada has the longest coastline in the world.
At 243,000 km along the shores of 52,455 islands, Canada boasts of the longest coastline in the world. If you want to have an idea of how long this is, it is estimated that at a pace of about 20 km a day, it would take a person 33 years to finish strolling Canada’s shorelines.
-There are millions of lakes in Canada
Canada has more lakes than the rest of the world combined. At last count, there may be as many as two million, with 563 of them larger than 100 square kilometres. Among its largest lakes are Lake Huron in Ontario, Great Bear Lake in the Northwestern Territories and Lake Superior also in Ontario. There are large lakes in Manitoba as well. You will find Lake Winnipegosis, Lake Manitoba and Lake Winnipeg here. Lake Winnipeg is Canada’s fifth and the world’s 11th largest lake.
-Largest and smallest provinces and territories
Quebec is the country’s largest province with a total land area of 1.5 million sq. km. Meanwhile, Prince Edward Island is the smallest at 5,660 sq. km. Among the territories, Nunavut is the largest, taking up one-fifth of Canada’s total land area (2 million sq.km). Despite having all this space, it is home to only about 38,000 people because of its harsh climate and remoteness.
-Largest source of freshwater in the world
With its millions of lakes and rivers, it’s not really surprising that Canada has earned this title. For instance, the Estuary and Gulf of St. Lawrence is one of the largest and deepest estuaries in the world. Its water comes from the Great Lakes (or the Laurentian Great Lakes), a series of interconnected freshwater lakes in the upper mid-east region of North America. It mixes with salt oceanic water as it widens into a large estuary (a water passage where the tide meets a river current) near Ile d’Orléans.
