Part III

CANADA

FACT FILE

Name origin: Canada comes from an Indian word kanata, meaning 'a village' or 'a settlement.'

Official name of the country: Canada

Nationality: Canadian(s)

Type of state: constitutional monarchy

Capital: Ottawa

Flag: the red maple leaf on a white field with two red stripes on the sides

Total area: 9, 984, 670 km

Comparative area: the second largest country after the Russian Federation

Population: 33, 574, 000

Official languages: English and French

Ethnic groups: 80.0% European (English, French, Scottish, Irish, German, Russian, others), 4.0% South Asian, 3.9% Chinese, 3.8% Native Indians, 3.3% other Asians, 2.5% African Canadians, 2.5% others.

Independence from Britain: 1931

National holiday: Canada Day (the first of July)

Head of state: a British monarch – Queen Elizabeth II (symbolic)

Head of government: Prime Minister

Executive branch: the Governor-General, Prime Minister, Cabinet

Legislative branch - Parliament: the Queen, the Senate and the House of Commons

Canada's 10 Provinces: Newfoundland and Labrador, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, British Columbia.

Canada's 3 territories: Nunavut, Yukon Territory and Northwest Territories

Largest city: Toronto

Longest river: the Mackenzie River (4, 241 km long)

Highest mountain: Mount Logan (5, 959 metres high)

Climate: most of northern Canada - subarctic or arctic climate, the south – a variety of climate

Natural resources: oil, natural gas, coal, copper, nickel, iron, ore

Currency: Canadian dollar