references: North America
Area:
total area: 9,976,140 sq km
land area: 9,220,970 sq km
comparative area: slightly larger than US
Land boundaries: total: 8,893 km border country: US 8,893 km (includes 2,477 km with Alaska)
Coastline: 243,791 km
Maritime claims:
continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin
exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 12 nm
International disputes: maritime boundary disputes with the US;
Saint Pierre and Miquelon is focus of maritime boundary dispute
between Canada and France
Climate: varies from temperate in south to subarctic and arctic in
north
Terrain: mostly plains with mountains in west and lowlands in
southeast
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mount Logan 5,950 m
Natural resources: nickel, zinc, copper, gold, lead, molybdenum,
potash, silver, fish, timber, wildlife, coal, petroleum, natural gas
Land use:
arable land: 9%
permanent crops: 0%
meadows and pastures: 3%
forest and woodland: 45%
other: 43%
Irrigated land: 8,400 sq km (1989 est.)
Environment:
current issues: air pollution and resulting acid rain severely
affecting lakes and damaging forests; metal smelting, coal-burning
utilities, and vehicle emissions impacting on agricultural and
forest productivity; ocean waters becoming contaminated due to
agricultural, industrial, mining, and forestry activities
natural hazards: continuous permafrost in north is a serious
obstacle to development; cyclonic storms form east of the Rocky
Mountains, a result of the mixing of air masses from the Arctic,
Pacific, and North American interior, and produce most of the
country's rain and snow
international agreements: party to - Air Pollution, Air
Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulphur 85, Antarctic
Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered
Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Marine
Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution,
Tropical Timber 83, Wetlands, Whaling; signed, but not ratified -
Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds,
Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Law of the Sea, Tropical Timber 94
Geographic note: second-largest country in world (after Russia); strategic location between Russia and US via north polar route; nearly 90% of the population is concentrated within 161 km of the US/Canada border
People———
Population: 28,820,671 (July 1996 est.)
Age structure:
0–14 years: 21% (male 3,032,458; female 2,889,603)
15–64 years: 67% (male 9,663,955; female 9,660,648)
65 years and over: 12% (male 1,501,542; female 2,072,465) (July 1996
est.)
Population growth rate: 1.06% (1996 est.)
Birth rate: 13.33 births/1,000 population (1996 est.)
Death rate: 7.17 deaths/1,000 population (1996 est.)
Net migration rate: 4.47 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1996 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15–64 years: 1 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.72 male(s)/female
all ages: 0.97 male(s)/female (1996 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 6.1 deaths/1,000 live births (1996 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 79.07 years male: 75.67 years female: 82.65 years (1996 est.)
Total fertility rate: 1.81 children born/woman (1996 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Canadian(s)
adjective: Canadian
Ethnic divisions: British Isles origin 40%, French origin 27%,
other European 20%, indigenous Indian and Eskimo 1.5%, other, mostly
Asian 11.5%
Religions: Roman Catholic 45%, United Church 12%, Anglican 8%,
other 35% (1991)
Languages: English (official), French (official)
Literacy: age 15 and over can read and write (1986 est.)
total population: 97%
male: NA%
female: NA%
Government—————
Name of country: conventional long form: none conventional short form: Canada
Data code: CA
Type of government: confederation with parliamentary democracy
Capital: Ottawa
Administrative divisions: 10 provinces and 2 territories*;
