Country of vast distances and endowed with rich natural resources, Canada is the world's second-largest country next to the Russian Federation. Canada became a self-governing country in 1867 while retaining ties to the British crown. Economically and technologically the nation has developed at par with the US
Location
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Northern North America, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean on the east, North Pacific Ocean on the west, and the Arctic Ocean on the north, north of the US
Land boundaries
:
 Shares its boundaries with the US
total: 8,893 km
border countries: US 8,893 km (includes 2,477 km with Alaska)
Coastline
:
 202,080 km
Climate
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Due to its vastness varies from temperate in south to subarctic and arctic in north.
There are many climatic variations in this huge country, ranging from the permanently frozen icecaps north to the British Columbia's west coast. The most populous regions, which are the country's south along the U.S. border, enjoy four distinct seasons. Here daytime summer temperatures can rise to 35ºC and higher, while lows of -25ºC are usual in winter. More moderate temperatures are the norm in spring and fall.
Capital : Ottawa, in the province of Ontario.
 
Canada is divided into 10 provinces and 3 territories, each with its own provincial flag and its own capital city (in brackets) :
Alberta (Edmonton)
Nova Scotia (Halifax)
British Columbia (Victoria)
Nunavut (Iqaluit)
Manitoba (Winnipeg)
Ontario (Toronto)
New Brunswick (Fredericton)
Prince Edward Island (Charlottetown)
Newfoundland (St. John's)
Quebec (Quebec City)
Northwest Territories (Yellowknife)
Saskatchewan (Regina)
Yukon Territory (Whitehorse)    
Population
As of 1996, Canada's population was over 30 million.
Leading Cities   
As of July 1, 1996, the main Canadian cities are Toronto (4.44 million), Montreal (3.36 million), Vancouver (1.89 million), Ottawa-Hull, the National Capital Region (1.03 million).
Standard of Living
Using GDP per capita as the yardstick Canada is ranked 6th next only to US,Switzerland, Luxembourg, Germany, and Japan. And it rank improves if we consider factors like medical,life expectancy, education that enhance the "quality of life."
Health Care and Social Security
Except from Dental Services,Basic health care, is free at the point of delivery for those over 65 and social aid recipients . Prescription drugs in most cases isdispensed free of charge. Canada also has an extensive social security network, including an old age pension, a family allowance, unemployment insurance and welfare.
Languages
English and French are the country's two official languages, though the province of New Brunswick is the only officially bilingual area in the country.
Ethnic Origin
In 1996, about 19% of the population reported "Canadian" as their single ethnic origin, with 17% reporting British Isles-only ancestry and 9% French-only ancestry. About 10% reported a combination of British Isles, French, or Canadian origin, with another 16% reporting an ancestry of either British Isles, French or Canadian in combination with some other origin. Some 28% reported origins other than the British Isles, French or Canadian.
Education
The educational system is not uniform in all provinces and differs from province to province. It includes six to eight years of elementary school, four or five years of secondary school and three or four years at the university undergraduate level.
Sports
Canada's most popular sports include swimming, ice hockey, cross-country and alpine skiing, baseball, tennis, basketball and golf. National Sports of Canada are Ice hockey and lacrosse.
Economy - Overview
Like the US,Canada is categorized as a rich high technology indusrial nation, a market oriented economy and similar systems of production with high living standards.
Post World War II, a nation which had a rural economy developed itself into an urban and industrial one.This was largely due to an impressive growth of the mining, manufacturing and service sectors .The 1989 US-Canada Free Trade Agreement (FTA) and the 1994 North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) (which includes Mexico) triggered off a dramatic increase in trade and economic integration with the US. Nevertheless, given its great natural resources, skilled labor force, and modern capital plant Canada enjoys solid economic prospects Trade accounts for approximately a third of GDP. Canada enjoys a substantial trade surplus with its principal trading partner, the United States, which absorbs more than 85% of Canadian exports. Almost 90% of the population lives within 160 kilometers of the US border.