Canada

Canada a land of diversity. Fact file Area 9,970,610 sq. Km Comparative area second-largest country after Russia , slightly larger than the USA. Population 28,9 million people Climate varies from temperate in the South to subarctic and arctic in the North Terrain mostly plains with mountains in the West and lowlands in the Southeast Official languages

English and French Form of government constitutional monarchy Capital Ottawa Largest cities Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Ottawa, Edmonton, Calgary, Quebec, Winnipeg. National holiday Canada Day 1 July National symbols maple leaf and beaver National anthem O, Canada Flag a red, 11-pointed maple leaf centered on a white field at each side there

is a broad, vertical red stripe since 1965 Money basic unit Canadian dollar Can Canada is bounded by three oceans, the Atlantic in the east, the Pacific in the west and the Arctic in the north. Russia is Canada s neighbour across the Arctic Ocean. Canada has borders on four of five Great

Lakes Huron, Superior, Erie, Ontario and the St. Lawrence River. Canada has the longest coastline in the world. Canada s territory is diverse mountains in the West Rocky, Coastal and Mackenzie mountains , plains in the interior and hills in the East. Its territory also contains prairies, badlands, sand dunes, boreal forests, rain forests, tundra,

parkland and land access to the North Pole Climate Canada is situated in the North and it gives the country a generally cold climate. It s a huge country, bigger than the USA or Brazil. There are many climatic variations in this huge country. The climate varies greatly from region to region as well as from season to season.

It varies from temperate in the South to arctic in the North. Most of Canada has four distinct seasons, especially in the regions lying along the US border. In summer the temperature nay rise up to 35?C and in winter it may fall to -25?C. Spring and fall temperatures are more moderate. Central Canada and the Atlantic provinces have a lot of snow during the winter.

The province of Alberta is often called Sunny Alberta , as it is the Province with the greatest amount of sunshine. Population Canada is the world s second-largest country, but it ranks 28th in population size. Canada has a population of about 30 million. It s a nation of people who came from somewhere else. People have immigrated to Canada from all over the world.

The two largest groups are people of British and French origin British 40 , French 27 . About 20 of Canadians are of European origin. Among the larger ethnic groups are the German, Italian, Ukrainian, Dutch, and Polish. The Asian population is increasing - immigrants from China,

India, Taiwan about 10 . Most newcomers settle in the cities. Each of these cities has a different immigrant profile people from French-speaking countries are most likely to settle in Montreal, those from Latin America in Toronto, and those from the Pacific Rim in either Toronto or Vancouver. Indigenous peoples make up about 3 per cent.

Canada s main cities Most Canadians live in cities, and most of the cities are close to southern border. About one third of population lives in the three largest cities of Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Ottawa. The largest urban centers of Canada are found mostly in the southern parts of Ontario and Quebec. Ottawa, Ontario, the centre of the Ottawa-Hull metropolitan area is the national capital and

an emerging centre of high-technology research. Quebec is a major manufacturing and commercials centre, the world s largest French-speaking city outside France. Toronto is the capital of the province of Ontario and the second largest city in Canada. It s Lake Ontario port. Toronto is the country s leading financial and manufacturing centre and one of the most ethnically varied cities in the world its local government provides services in 70

languages. Hamilton in the province of Ontario is a steel and industrial centre, agricultural market. Windsor is an automobile centre of Canada it s a busy point of entry from the United States. Vancouver is beautiful, rapidly growing commercial, transportation, and forest-products manufacturing centre, Canada s chief Pacific port, manufacturing centre. Edmonton, the capital of province of Alberta, is petroleum and farming centre of

Canada. University of Alberta is situated here. Languages in Canada Canada has 2 official languages English and French. Since 1969 Canadians have had the right to communicate with the government in either French or English. The majority speak English. Over two thirds of all Canadian people speak mainly English at home, less than one fourth of the population speak mainly

French. About one sixth of all Canadian people speak other languages. The most widely used unofficial languages in Canada are Italian, German, Chinese and Portuguese. The people who speak mainly English are called Anglophones and the people who speak mainly French are called Francophones. The indigenous peoples use their traditional languages at home and they

may speak other languages as well. Most of French-speaking Canadians live in Quebec. They prefer to be called Quebecois, not Francophones. Canadian English is much more similar to American English than to the English spoken in England and other parts of the United Kingdom. The French spoken in Canada is also quite different from that taught in our classrooms.

French-speakers in Canada use hundreds of English words mixed with their French. Sports Sport has always played an important role in the life of Canadians. This country is mostly associated with winter sports, hockey first of all. But not only hockey skiing downhill or cross-country is very popular in Canada. A relatively new sport that has attracted a large following in

Canada is ringette. It is played mostly by women and is similar to hockey. Biathlon, football, baseball are also popular in Canada. Canada wins Olympic medals in a variety of sports, such as rowing, track and field athletics, and, most notably, figure skating. Ordinary Canadians are participating in sporting leagues, fitness classes, and individual exercise. One third of all Canadians are active in some form of sport or exercise.

During long winters, many Canadians enjoy skiing, snowshoeing, skating, curling and tobogganing. Among popular summer sports activities are swimming, canoeing, fishing, golf, baseball, basketball, tennis. Canada has hosted almost every major international sports competition the Summer and Winter Olympics, Commonwealth Games, Pan-American Games and World University Games. Canada is among the initiators of the movement to improve

opportunities for athletes with disabilities and it is against doping in sport. Education in Canada There s no federal ministry of education in Canada. Each province and territory of Canada has its own school system. Each provincial system, is similar to the others, but it also reflects its specific regional concerns and historical and cultural heritage. The school systems of most provinces have 12 grades 11 grades

in Quebec and 13 grades in Ontario . There are over 70 universities and colleges in Canada. Large universities were established in the 19th century. The oldest is McGill University. There are English-language universities the University of Alberta, the University of British Columbia, the University of Toronto and French- language universities

Laval University, the University of Montreal . There are some universities which teach both in English and French the University of Ottawa . The universities with the highest reputation are McGill, Queen s, UBC, Toronto, Waterloo, Montreal and Alberta. The university year in Canada is usually 8 months long. It normally starts in September and ends at the end of

April, sometimes at the beginning of May. The standard of living in Canada is one of the highest in the world. Most Canadians are well housed, fed, and clothed. They also enjoy an advanced, efficient health care system that is universally available to all citizens and landed immigrants immigrants who are allowed permanent residence in the country regardless of their location, income, or social standing. Canadian eating habits change as they become more and more concerned

about better health. They eat less meat and more fruits, vegetables, pasta. The range of foods and drinks now includes dishes from Ethiopia, Thailand, Latin American, and variety of Chinese regions. There are a lot of places to visit during your stay in Canada - different festivals, exhibitions, theatres, museums.

Montreal is well-known for its jazz festival, and Toronto and Winnipeg for their folk music festivals and theatrical performances. There are professional theatres in both English- and French speaking communities. Among influential theatres are the National Arts Centre, Theatre Toronto, Theatre du Noveau

Monde. There are several very popular summer festivals in Canada, such as Stratford Shakespeare Festival the Shaw Festival at Niagara-on-the-lake. Local traditions are preserved in a wide variety of events. Including the Highland games on Cape Breton Island the Sherbrooke Festival de Cantons, celebrating French

Canadian culture and cuisine, Caribana in Toronto. The Canadian film industry is gaining international recognition. There are several popular film festivals in Canada the Toronto International Film Festival, Montreal World Film Festival, and Vancouver International Film Festival.