canada
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Canada. Location. a country occupying most of northern North America , extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean . . Basic info. The world´s second largest country by total area - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
Location
• a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean.
Basic info
• The world´s second largest country by total area
• Area - Total 9,984,670 km² (2nd)
• Population - 2006 estimate32,623,490 (the density of 3.5 people per square
kilometre is among the lowest in the world)
• Population:
• Concentrated in a narrow belt close to the US border
• Most densely populated provinces are : Ontario, Quebec
• Capital: Ottawa
• Largest City: Toronto
Flag Coat of Arms
History
• First inhabitants came from Asia about 20,000 and 35,000 years ago over the Bering Strait (American Indians)
• Later they were joined by Eskimos who live in Arctic regions
• 10th century – Vikings from Norway
• John Cabot (Giovanni Gabotto – Italian seaman) discovered the coast of Canada in 1497 (he served the English King)
• First permanent settlers were French - in the 17th century
• The Seven Years´ War ended in the defeat of the French and in 1763 Canada became a British Colony
• 1867 – it became the Dominion of Canada
• it consisted of only four provinces: Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick
Canada today:10 provinces and 3 territories:
• the provinces are:
• 1. Alberta, 2. British Columbia, 3.Manitoba,4. New Brunswick, 5.Newfoundland and Labrador, 6. Nova Scotia, 7. Ontario, 8. Prince Edward Island, 9. Quebec, and 10. Saskatchewan.
• The territories are: the Northwest Territories, Nunavut, and
Yukon Territory. The provinces have a large degree of
autonomy from the federal government, the territories somewhat less.
Nunavut (April 1991)
Government
• Constitutional Monarchy, in practice a parliamentary democracy with a federal system
• Head – the Queen, in practice the Governor General - Michaëlle Jean
• Parliament – 2 houses Senate, House of Commons)
Appointed in 2005
• Head of Government:• Prime Minister (Stephen Harper – Feb. 2006)
Relief:
• W – mountainous – the Cordilleras• Centre – prairies – with rich, fertile soil,
suitable for wheat growing (agricultural area)
• E – lowlands
• The highest peak – Mt. Logan (6,050m) in Yukon
Rivers
• Principal rivers: The Mackenzie (flowing from the Great Slave Lake to the north)
• The St. Lawrence River (flows into the Atlantic)
• The Fraser River (flows into the Pacific)• In the N – rivers are ice-covered most of
the year
Lakes
• Northern part of the Great Lakes excluding Lake Michigan (on U.S. territory)
• (Ontario, Huron, Erie,Superior)• The Lake of the Woods• The Great Slave Lake• The Great Bear Lake
Largest towns
• Toronto• Montreal (3mil.)• Vancouver (over 1 mil.)• Ottawa• Quebec• Calgary
Languages
• English
• French (30 per cent) – most of them live in Quebec
Climate
• Extremely cold in the N - arctic• Warmer temperatures along the west
coast• Pacific Coast – moderate west coast
temperatures – mild summers, cool winters
• Cenre – short, mild summers, very cold winters
Economy
• To be continued…