th polar route; nearly
90% of the population is concentrated within 161 km of the US/Canada
border

@Canada:People

Population: 30,337,334 (July 1997 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 20% (male 3,101,968; female 2,957,927)
15-64 years: 68% (male 10,333,085; female 10,201,996)
65 years and over: 12% (male 1,583,643; female 2,158,715) (July 1997
est.)

Population growth rate: 1.13% (1997 est.)

Birth rate: 12.4 births/1,000 population (1997 est.)

Death rate: 7.23 deaths/1,000 population (1997 est.)

Net migration rate: 6.1 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1997 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.73 male(s)/female
total population : 0.98 male(s)/female (1997 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 5.7 deaths/1,000 live births (1997 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 78.96 years
male: 75.61 years
female: 82.48 years (1997 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.66 children born/woman (1997 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Canadian(s)
adjective: Canadian

Ethnic groups: British Isles origin 40%, French origin 27%, other
European 20%, Amerindian 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:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 97% (1986 est.)
male : NA%
female: NA%

@Canada:Government

Country name:
conventional long form : none
conventional short form: Canada

Data code: CA

Government type: confederation with parliamentary democracy

National 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*
note: the Northwest Territories will be split in two as of April 1999;
the eastern section will be renamed Nunavut, the west is as yet
unnamed

Independence: 1 July 1867 (from UK)

National holiday: Canada Day, 1 July (1867)

Constitution: 17 April 1982 (Constitution Act); originally, the
machinery of the government was set up in the British North America
Act of 1867; 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
jurisdicti