Canada

Canada
Flag Coat of arms
Motto: A Mari Usque Ad Mare (Latin for "From Sea to Sea")
Anthem: O Canada Royal anthem: God Save the Queen
Capital	Ottawa 45°24′N 75°40′W
Largest city	Toronto
Official languages	English, French
Government	Parliamentary democracy and federal constitutional monarchy
- Monarch	Queen Elizabeth II
- Governor General	Michaëlle Jean
- Prime Minister	Stephen Harper
Establishment
- British North America Act	July 1, 1867
- Statute of    Westminster	December 11, 1931
- Canada Act	April 17, 1982
Area
- Total	9,984,670 km² (2nd) 3,854,085 sq mi
- Water (%)	8.92 (891,163 km²)
Population
- 2007 estimate	32,853,800 (36th)
- 2006 census	31,612,897
- Density	3.2 /km² (219th) 8.3 /sq mi
GDP (PPP)	2005 estimate
- Total	$1.105 trillion (11th)
- Per capita	$34,273 (7th)
GDP (nominal)	2005 estimate
- Total	$1.132 trillion (8th)
- Per capita	$35,133 (16th)
HDI (2004)	0.950 (high) (6th)
Currency	Canadian dollar ($) (CAD)
Internet TLD	.ca
Calling code	+1
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Canada is the world's second-largest country by total area, occupying most of northern North America. Extending from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, Canada shares land borders with the United States to the northwest and south.

Inhabited first by aboriginal peoples, Canada was founded as a union of British colonies (some of which were formerly French colonies). Canada gained independence from the United Kingdom in an incremental process that began in 1867 and ended in 1982; it remains a Commonwealth Realm.

Canada is a federal constitutional monarchy with parliamentary democracy. Comprising ten provinces and three territories, Canada is a bilingual and multicultural country, with both English and French as official languages at the federal level. A technologically advanced and industrialized nation, Canada maintains a diversified economy that is heavily reliant upon its abundant natural resources and upon trade — particularly with the United States, with which Canada has had a long and complex relationship.

Origin and history of the name

The name Canada comes from a word in the language of the St. Lawrence Iroquoians meaning "village" or "settlement." In 1535, inhabitants of the present-day Quebec City region used the word to direct explorer Jacques Cartier towards the village of Stadacona. Cartier used the word 'Canada' to refer to not only that village, but the entire area subject to Donnacona, Chief at Stadacona. By 1545, European books and maps began referring to this region as Canada.

The French colony of Canada referred to the part of New France along the Saint Lawrence River and the northern shores of the Great Lakes. Later, it was split into two British colonies, called Upper Canada and Lower Canada until their union as the British Province of Canada in 1841. Upon Confederation in 1867, the name Canada was officially adopted for the new dominion, which was referred to as the Dominion of Canada until the 1950s. As Canada increasingly acquired political authority and autonomy from Britain, the federal government increasingly simply used Canada on state documents and treaties. The Canada Act 1982 refers only to "Canada" and, as such, it is currently the only legal (and bilingual) name. This was reflected again in 1982 with the renaming of the national holiday from Dominion Day to Canada Day.

History

Aboriginal tradition holds that the First Peoples inhabited parts of Canada since the dawn of time. Archaeological studies support a human presence in northern Yukon to 26,500 years ago, and in southern Ontario to 9,500 years ago. Europeans first arrived when the Vikings settled briefly at L'Anse aux Meadows circa AD 1000.

The next Europeans to explore Canada's Atlantic coast included John Cabot in 1497 for England and Jacques Cartier in 1534 for France. French explorer Samuel de Champlain arrived in 1603 and established the first permanent European settlements at Port Royal in 1605 and Quebec City in 1608