ary disputes with France (St. Pierre and Miquelon)
and US

Climate: varies from temperate in south to subarctic and arctic in north

Terrain: mostly plains with mountains in west and lowlands in southeast

Natural resources: nickel, zinc, copper, gold, lead, molybdenum, potash,
silver, fish, timber, wildlife, coal, crude oil, natural gas

Land use: 5% arable land; NEGL% permanent crops; 3% meadows and pastures;
35% forest and woodland; 57% other; includes NEGL% irrigated

Environment: 80% of population concentrated within 160 km of US border;
continuous permafrost in north a serious obstacle to development

Note: second-largest country in world (after USSR); strategic
location between USSR and US via north polar route

- People
Population: 26,538,229 (July 1990), growth rate 1.1% (1990)

Birth rate: 14 births/1,000 population (1990)

Death rate: 7 deaths/1,000 population (1990)

Net migration rate: 5 migrants/1,000 population (1990)

Infant mortality rate: 7 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)

Life expectancy at birth: 74 years male, 81 years female (1990)

Total fertility rate: 1.7 children born/woman (1990)

Nationality: noun--Canadian(s); adjective--Canadian

Ethnic divisions: 40% British Isles origin, 27% French origin, 20% other
European, 1.5% indigenous Indian and Eskimo

Religion: 46% Roman Catholic, 16% United Church, 10% Anglican

Language: English and French (both official)

Literacy: 99%

Labor force: 13,380,000; services 75%, manufacturing 14%, agriculture 4%,
construction 3%, other 4% (1988)

Organized labor: 30.6% of labor force; 39.6% of nonagricultural paid
workers

- Government
Long-form name: none

Type: confederation with parliamentary democracy

Capital: Ottawa

Administrative divisions: 10 provinces and 2 territories*; Alberta,
British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland,
Northwest Territories*, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Prince Edward Island,
Quebec, Saskatchewan, Yukon Territory*

Independence: 1 July 1867 (from UK)

Constitution: amended British North America Act 1867 patriated to
Canada 17 April 1982; charter of rights and unwritten customs

Legal system: based on English common law, except in Quebec, where civil
law system based on French law prevails; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction,
with reservations

National holiday: Canada Day, 1 July (1867)

Executive branch: British monarch, governor general, prime minister,
deputy prime minister, Cabinet