1993 Edition

Area

total area: 9,976,140 km2 land area: 9,220,970 km2 comparative area: slightly larger than US

Climate

varies from temperate in south to subarctic and arctic in north

Coastline

243,791 km

Environment

80% of population concentrated within 160 km of US border; continuous permafrost in north a serious obstacle to development

International disputes

maritime boundary disputes with the US; Saint Pierre and Miquelon is focus of maritime boundary dispute between Canada and France

Irrigated land

8,400 km2 (1989 est.)

Land boundaries

total 8,893 km, US 8,893 km (includes 2,477 km with Alaska)

Land use

arable land: 5% permanent crops: 0% meadows and pastures: 3% forest and woodland: 35% other: 57%

Location

Northern North America, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean and North Pacific Ocean north of the US

Map references

Arctic Region, North America, Standard Time Zones of the World

Maritime claims

continental shelf: 200 m depth or to depth of exploitation exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm territorial sea: 12 nm

Natural resources

nickel, zinc, copper, gold, lead, molybdenum, potash, silver, fish, timber, wildlife, coal, petroleum, natural gas

Note

second-largest country in world (after Russia); strategic location between Russia and US via north polar route

Terrain

mostly plains with mountains in west and lowlands in southeast

Birth rate

14.48 births/1,000 population (1993 est.)

Death rate

7.35 deaths/1,000 population (1993 est.)

Ethnic divisions

British Isles origin 40%, French origin 27%, other European 20%, indigenous Indian and Eskimo 1.5%

Infant mortality rate

7 deaths/1,000 live births (1993 est.)

Labor force

13.38 million by occupation: services 75%, manufacturing 14%, agriculture 4%, construction 3%, other 4% (1988)

Languages

English (official), French (official)

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 77.98 years male: 74.54 years female: 81.6 years (1993 est.)

Literacy

age 15 and over can read and write (1981) total population: 99% male: NA% female: NA%

Nationality

noun: Canadian(s) adjective: Canadian

Net migration rate

5.68 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1993 est.)

Population

27,769,993 (July 1993 est.)

Population growth rate

1.28% (1993 est.)

Religions

Roman Catholic 46%, United Church 16%, Anglican 10%, other 28%

Total fertility rate

1.84 children born/woman (1993 est.)

Administrative divisions

10 provinces and 2 territories*; Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New, Brunswick, Newfoundland, Northwest Territories*, Nova Scotia, Ontario,, Prince Edward Island, Quebec,

Capital

Ottawa

Chief of State

Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Raymond John HNATYSHYN (since 29 January 1990)

Constitution

amended British North America Act 1867 patriated to Canada 17 April 1982; charter of rights and unwritten customs

Digraph

CA

Diplomatic representation in US

chief of mission: Ambassador John DE CHASTELAIN chancery: 501 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20001 telephone: (202) 682-1740

Executive branch

British monarch, governor general, prime minister, deputy prime minister, Cabinet

FAX

(202) 682-7726 consulates general: Atlanta, Boston, Buffalo, Chicago, Cleveland, Dallas, Detroit, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco, and Seattle

(613) 238-5720 consulates general: Calgary, Halifax, Montreal, Quebec, Toronto, and Vancouver

Flag

three vertical bands of red (hoist side), white (double width, square), and red with a red maple leaf centered in the white band

Head of Government

Prime Minister Kim CAMBELL was chosen to replace Brian MULRONEY on 13 June 1993

House of Commons

last held 21 November 1988 (next to be held by November 1993); results - Progressive Conservative Party 43%, Liberal Party 32%, New Democratic Party 20%, other 5%; seats - (295 total) Progressive Conservative Party 159, Liberal Party 80, New Democratic Party 44, Bloc Quebecois 9, independents 3

Judicial branch

Supreme Court

Legal system

based on English common law, except in Quebec, where civil law system based on French law prevails; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations

Legislative branch

bicameral Parliament (Parlement) consists of an upper house or Senate (Senat) and a lower house or House of Commons (Chambre des Communes)

Member of

ACCT, AfDB, AG (observer), APEC, AsDB, Australia Group, BIS, C, CCC, CDB (non-regional), COCOM, CP, CSCE, EBRD, ECE, ECLAC, ESA (cooperating state), FAO, G-7, G-8, G-10, GATT, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LORCS, MINURSO, MTCR, NACC, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS, OECD, ONUSAL, PCA, UN, UNAVEM II, UNCTAD, UNDOF, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNOMOZ, UNOSOM, UNPROFOR, UNTAC, UNTSO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WMO, WIPO, WTO, ZC

Names

conventional long form: none conventional short form: Canada

National holiday

Canada Day, 1 July (1867)

Political parties and leaders

Progressive Conservative Party, Brian MULRONEY; Liberal Party, Jean CHRETIEN; New Democratic Party, Audrey McLAUGHLIN; Reform Party, Preston MANNING; Bloc Quebecois, Lucien BOUCHARD

Saskatchewan, Yukon Territory*, Independence

1 July 1867 (from UK)

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Type

confederation with parliamentary democracy

US diplomatic representation

chief of mission: Ambassador-designate Governor James J. BLANCHARD embassy: 100 Wellington Street, K1P 5T1, Ottawa mailing address: P. O. Box 5000, Ogdensburg, NY 13669-0430 telephone: (613) 238-5335 or (613) 238-4470

Agriculture

accounts for about 3% of GDP; one of the world's major producers and exporters of grain (wheat and barley); key source of US agricultural imports; large forest resources cover 35% of total land area; commercial fisheries provide annual catch of 1.5 million metric tons, of which 75% is exported

Budget

revenues $111.8 billion; expenditures $138.3 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY90 est.)

Currency

1 Canadian dollar (Can$) = 100 cents

Economic aid

donor - ODA and OOF commitments (1970-89), $7.2 billion

Electricity

109,340,000 kW capacity; 493,000 million kWh produced, 17,900 kWh per capita (1992)

Exchange rates

Canadian dollars (Can$) per US$1 - 1.2776 (January 1993), 1.2087 (1992), 1.1457 (1991), 1.1668 (1990), 1.1840 (1989), 1.2307 (1988)

Exports

$124.0 billion (f.o.b., 1991) commodities: newsprint, wood pulp, timber, crude petroleum, machinery, natural gas, aluminum, motor vehicles and parts; telecommunications equipment partners: US, Japan, UK, Germany, South Korea, Netherlands, China

External debt

$247 billion (1987)

Fiscal year

1 April - 31 March

Illicit drugs

illicit producer of cannabis for the domestic drug market; use of hydroponics technology permits growers to plant large quantities of high-quality marijuana indoors; growing role as a transit point for heroin and cocaine entering the US market

Imports

$118 billion (c.i.f., 1991) commodities: crude oil, chemicals, motor vehicles and parts, durable consumer goods, electronic computers; telecommunications equipment and parts partners: US, Japan, UK, Germany, France, Mexico, Taiwan, South Korea

Industrial production

growth rate 1% (1992); accounts for 34% of GDP

Industries

processed and unprocessed minerals, food products, wood and paper products, transportation equipment, chemicals, fish products, petroleum and natural gas

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

1.5% (1992)

National product

GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $537.1 billion (1992)

National product per capita

$19,600 (1992)

National product real growth rate

0.9% (1992)

Overview

As an affluent, high-tech industrial society, Canada today closely resembles the US in per capita output, market-oriented economic system, and pattern of production. Since World War II the impressive growth of the manufacturing, mining, and service sectors has transformed the nation from a largely rural economy into one primarily industrial and urban. In the 1980s, Canada registered one of the highest rates of real growth among the OECD nations, averaging about 3.2%. With its great natural resources, skilled labor force, and modern capital plant, Canada has excellent economic prospects. However, the continuing constitutional impasse between English- and French-speaking areas has observers discussing a possible split in the confederation; foregn investors have become edgy.

Unemployment rate

11.5% (December 1992)

Airports

total: 1,420 useable: 1,142 with permanent-surface runways: 457 with runways over 3,659 m: 4 with runways 2,440-3,659 m: 30 with runways 1,220-2,439 m: 330

Highways

884,272 km total; 712,936 km surfaced (250,023 km paved), 171,336 km earth

Inland waterways

3,000 km, including Saint Lawrence Seaway

Merchant marine

63 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 454,582 GRT/646,329 DWT; includes 1 passenger, 3 short-sea passenger, 2 passenger-cargo, 8 cargo, 2 railcar carrier, 1 refrigerated cargo, 7 roll-on/roll-off, 1 container, 24 oil tanker, 4 chemical tanker, 1 specialized tanker, 9 bulk; note - does not include ships used exclusively in the Great Lakes

Pipelines

crude and refined oil 23,564 km; natural gas 74,980 km

Ports

Halifax, Montreal, Quebec, Saint John (New Brunswick), Saint John's (Newfoundland), Toronto, Vancouver

Railroads

146,444 km total; two major transcontinental freight railway systems - Canadian National (government owned) and Canadian Pacific Railway; passenger service - VIA (government operated); 158 km is electrified

Telecommunications

excellent service provided by modern media; 18.0 million telephones; broadcast stations - 900 AM, 29 FM, 53 (1,400 repeaters) TV; 5 coaxial submarine cables; over 300 earth stations operating in INTELSAT (including 4 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Pacific Ocean) and domestic systems

Branches

Canadian Armed Forces (including Land Forces Command, Maritime Command, Air Command, Communications Command, Training Command), Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP)

Defense expenditures

exchange rate conversion - $11.3 billion, 2% of GDP (FY92/93)

Manpower availability

males age 15-49 7,444,767; fit for military service 6,440,927; reach military age (17) annually 191,884 (1993 est.)