Sovereign: Queen Elizabeth II (1952)

Governor-General: Michaëlle Jean (2005)

Prime Minister: Stephen Harper (2006)

Land area: 3,511,003 sq mi (9,093,507 sq km); total area: 3,855,102 sq mi (9,984,670 sq km)

Population (2006 est.): 33,098,932 (growth rate: 0.9%); birth rate: 10.8/1000; infant mortality rate: 4.7/1000; life expectancy: 80.2; density per sq mi: 9

Capital (2004 est.): Ottawa, Ontario, 1,142,700 (metro. area)

Largest cities (metropolitan areas) (2004 est.): Toronto, 5,203,600; Montreal, 3,606,700; Vancouver, 2,160,000; Calgary, 1,037,100; Edmonton, 1,101,600; Quebec, 710,700; Hamilton, 710,300; Winnipeg, 702,400; London, 459,700; Kitchener, 450,100

Monetary unit: Canadian dollar

Languages: English 59.3%, French 23.2% (both official); other 17.5%

Ethnicity/race: British Isles origin 28%, French origin 23%, other European 15%, indigenous Indian and Inuit 2%, other, mostly Asian, African, Arab 6%, mixed background 26%

Religions: Roman Catholic 43%, Protestant 23% (including United Church 10%, Anglican 7%, Baptist 2%, Lutheran 2%), other Christian 4%, Muslim 2%, none 16% (2001)

Literacy rate: 97% (1986 est.)

Economic summary: GDP/PPP (2005 est.): $1.08 trillion; per capita $32,900. Real growth rate: 2.9%. Inflation: 2.2%. Unemployment: 6.8%. Arable land: 5%. Agriculture: wheat, barley, oilseed, tobacco, fruits, vegetables; dairy products; forest products; fish. Labor force: 16.3 million (Dec. 2005); agriculture 2%, manufacturing 14%, construction 5%, services 75%, other 3% (2004). Industries: transportation equipment, chemicals, processed and unprocessed minerals, food products, wood and paper products, fish products, petroleum and natural gas. Natural resources: iron ore, nickel, zinc, copper, gold, lead, molybdenum, potash, diamonds, silver, fish, timber, wildlife, coal, petroleum, natural gas, hydropower. Exports: $364.8 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.): motor vehicles and parts, industrial machinery, aircraft, telecommunications equipment; chemicals, plastics, fertilizers; wood pulp, timber, crude petroleum, natural gas, electricity, aluminum. Imports: $317.7 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.): machinery and equipment, motor vehicles and parts, crude oil, chemicals, electricity, durable consumer goods. Major trading partners: U.S., Japan, UK, China, Mexico (2004).

Communications: Telephones: main lines in use: 19,950,900 (2003); mobile cellular: 13,221,800 (2003). Radio broadcast stations: AM 245, FM 582, shortwave 6 (2004). Television broadcast stations: 80 (plus many repeaters) (1997). Internet hosts: 3,210,081 (2003). Internet users: 16.11 million (2002).

Transportation: Railways: total: 48,683 km (2004). Highways: total: 1.408 million km; paved: 497,306 km (including 16,900 km of expressways); unpaved: 911,494 km (2002). Waterways: 631 km; note: Saint Lawrence Seaway of 3,769 km, including the Saint Lawrence River of 3,058 km, shared with United States (2003). Ports and harbors: Fraser River Port, Goderich, Montreal, Port Cartier, Quebec, Saint John's (Newfoundland), Sept Isles, Vancouver. Airports: 1,326 (2004 est.).

International disputes: managed maritime boundary disputes with the US at Dixon Entrance, Beaufort Sea, Strait of Juan de Fuca, and around the disputed Machias Seal Island and North Rock; working toward greater cooperation with US in monitoring people and commodities crossing the border; uncontested sovereignty dispute with Denmark over Hans Island in the Kennedy Channel between Ellesmere Island and Greenland.


 

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