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Canada
Flag Coat of arms
Motto:  Error: {{Lang}}: text has italic markup (help)  (Latin) "From Sea to Sea"
Anthem: "O Canada"Royal anthem: "God Save the Queen"
Capital	Ottawa
Largest city	Toronto
Official languages	English, French
Recognised regional languages	Inuktitut, Inuinnaqtun, Dëne Sųłiné, Cree, Gwich’in, Hän, Inuvialuktun, Slavey, Tłįchǫ Yatiì
Demonym(s)	Canadian
Government	Parliamentary democracy (federal constitutional monarchy)
• Monarch	Queen Elizabeth II
• Governor General	Michaëlle Jean
• Prime Minister	Stephen Harper
Establishment
• British North America Act	July 1 1867
• Statute of Westminster	December 11 1931
• Canada Act	April 17 1982
Area
• Total	9,984,670 km (3,855,100 sq mi) (2nd)
• Water (%)	8.92 (891,163 km²)
Population
• 2024 estimate	38,691,000 (36th)
• 2006 census	31,612,897
• Density	3.2/km (8.3/sq mi) (219th)
GDP (PPP)	2006 estimate
• Total	$1.165 trillion (11th)
• Per capita	$35,600 (10th)
GDP (nominal)	2006 estimate
• Total	$1.089 trillion (8th)
• Per capita	$32,614 (16th)
HDI (2006)	0.950 Error: Invalid HDI value (6th)
Currency	Canadian dollar ($) (CAD)
Time zone	UTC-3.5 to -8
• Summer (DST)	UTC-2.5 to -7
Calling code	1
ISO 3166 code	CA
Internet TLD	.ca
Canada portal

Canada (IPA: /kæn.ə.də/) is 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. It is the world's second largest country by total area, and shares land borders with the United States to the south and northwest.

The lands have been inhabited for millennia by aboriginal peoples. Beginning in the late 15th century, British and French expeditions explored and later settled the Atlantic coast. France ceded nearly all of its colonies in North America in 1763 after the Seven Years War. In 1867, with the union of three British North American colonies through Confederation, Canada became a federation. A gradual process of independence from the United Kingdom moved Canada towards statehood and culminated in the Canada Act 1982, severing the last vestiges of dependence on the British parliament.

A federation now comprising ten provinces and three territories, Canada is a parliamentary democracy and a constitutional monarchy with Queen Elizabeth II as its head of state. It is a bilingual and multicultural country, with both English and French as official languages at the federal level. Technologically advanced and industrialized, Canada maintains a diversified economy that is heavily reliant upon its abundant natural resources and upon trade—particularly with the United States, with which Canada has had a long and complex relationship.

Etymology

The name Canada comes from a St. Lawrence Iroquoian word meaning "village" or "settlement." In 1535, inhabitants of the present-day Quebec City region used the word to direct explorer Jacques Cartier toward the village of Stadacona. Cartier used the word 'Canada' to refer to not only that village, but the entire area subject to Donnacona, Chief at Stadacona. By 1545, European books and maps began referring to this region as Canada.

The French colony of Canada referred to the part of New France along the Saint Lawrence River and the northern shores of the Great Lakes. Later, it was split into two British colonies, called Upper Canada and Lower Canada until their union as the British Province of Canada in 1841. Upon Confederation in 1867, the name Canada was adopted for the entire country, and was frequently referred to as the Dominion of Canada until the 1950s. As Canada asserted its political autonomy from Britain, the federal government increasingly simply used Canada on legal state documents and treaties. The Canada Act 1982 refers only to "Canada" and, as such, it is currently the only legal (and bilingual) name. This was reflected in 1982 with the renaming of the national holiday from Dominion Day to Canada Day.

History

Aboriginal and Inuit tradition holds that the First Peoples inhabited parts of Canada since the dawn of time. Archaeological studies support a human presence in northern Yukon from 26,500 years ago, and in southern Ontario from 9,500 years ago. Europeans first arrived when the Vikings settled briefly at L'Anse aux Meadows circa AD 1000. The next Europeans to explore Canada's Atlantic coast included John Cabot in 1497 for England and Jacques Cartier in 1534 for France; seasonal Basque whalers and fishermen would subsequently exploit the region between the Grand Banks and Tadoussac for over a century .

French explorer Samuel de Champlain arrived in 1603 and established the first permanent European settlements at Port Royal in 1605 and Quebec City in 1608. These would become respectively the capitals of Acadia and Canada. Among French colonists of New France, Canadiens extensively settled the St. Lawrence River valley, Acadians settled the present-day Maritimes, while French fur traders and Catholic missionaries explored the Great Lakes, Hudson Bay and the Mississippi watershed to Louisiana. The French and Iroquois Wars broke out over control of the fur trade.

The English established fishing outposts in Newfoundland around 1610 and colonized the Thirteen Colonies to the south. A series of four Intercolonial Wars erupted between 1689 and 1763. Mainland Nova Scotia came under British rule with the Treaty of Utrecht (1713); the Treaty of Paris (1763) ceded Canada and most of New France to Britain following the Seven Years' War.

The Royal Proclamation (1763) carved the Province of Quebec out of New France and annexed Cape Breton Island to Nova Scotia. It also restricted the language and religious rights of French Canadians. In 1769, St. John's Island (now Prince Edward Island) became a separate colony. To avert conflict in Quebec, the Quebec Act of 1774 expanded Quebec's territory to the Great Lakes and Ohio Valley, and re-established the French language, Catholic faith, and French civil law in Quebec; it angered many residents of the Thirteen Colonies, helping to fuel the American Revolution. The Treaty of Paris (1783) recognized American independence and ceded territories south of the Great Lakes to the United States. Approximately 50,000 United Empire Loyalists fled the United States to Canada. New Brunswick was split from Nova Scotia as part of a reorganization Loyalist settlements in the Maritimes. To accommodate English-speaking Loyalists in Quebec, the Constitutional Act of 1791 divided the province into French-speaking Lower Canada and English-speaking Upper Canada, granting each their own elected Legislative Assembly.

Canada was a major front in the War of 1812 between the United States and British Empire. Its defence contributed to a sense of unity among British North Americans. Large-scale immigration to Canada began in 1815 from Britain and Ireland. The timber industry would also surpass the fur trade in importance in the early 1800s.

The desire for Responsible Government resulted in the aborted Rebellions of 1837. The Durham Report (1839) would subsequently recommend responsible government and the assimilation of French Canadians into British culture. The Act of Union (1840) merged The Canadas into a United Province of Canada. French and English Canadians worked together in the Assembly to reinstate French rights. Responsible government was established for all British North American provinces by 1849.

The signing of the Oregon Treaty by Britain and the United States in 1846 ended the Oregon boundary dispute, extending the border westward along the 49th parallel, and paving the way for British colonies on Vancouver Island (1849) and in British Columbia (1858). Canada launched a series of western exploratory expeditions to claim Rupert's Land and the Arctic region. The Canadian population grew rapidly because of high birth rates; British immigration was offset by emigration to the United States, especially by French Canadians moving to New England.

Following several constitutional conferences, the British North America Act brought about Confederation creating "one Dominion under the name of Canada" on July 1, 1867 with four provinces: Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick. Canada assumed control of Rupert's Land and the North-Western Territory to form the Northwest Territories, where Métis' grievances ignited the Red River Rebellion and the creation of the province of Manitoba in July 1870. British Columbia and Vancouver Island (which had united in 1866) and the colony of Prince Edward Island joined Confederation in 1871 and 1873, respectively.

Prime Minister John A. Macdonald's Conservative Party established a National Policy of tariffs to protect nascent Canadian manufacturing industries. To open the West, the government sponsored construction of three trans-continental railways (most notably the Canadian Pacific Railway), opened the prairies to settlement with the Dominion Lands Act, and established the North West Mounted Police to assert its authority over this territory. In 1898, after the Klondike Gold Rush in the Northwest Territories, the Canadian government decided to create the Yukon territory as a separate territory in the region to better control the situation. Under Liberal Prime Minister Wilfrid Laurier, continental European immigrants settled the prairies, and Alberta and Saskatchewan became provinces in 1905.

Canada automatically entered the First World War in 1914 with Britain's declaration of war, sending volunteers to the Western Front. The Conscription Crisis of 1917 erupted when conservative Prime Minister Robert Borden brought in compulsory military service over the objection of French-speaking Quebecers. In 1919, Canada joined the League of Nations independently of Britain; in 1931 the Statute of Westminster affirmed Canada's independence.

The Great Depression of 1929 brought economic hardship to all of Canada. In response, the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF) in Alberta and Saskatchewan presaged a welfare state as pioneered by Tommy Douglas in the 1940s and 1950s. Canada declared war on Germany independently during World War II under Liberal Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King, three days after Britain. The first Canadian Army units arrived in Britain in December 1939. Canadian troops played important roles in the Battle of the Atlantic, the failed 1941 Dieppe Raid in France, the Allied invasion of Italy, the Battle of the Scheldt during the liberation of the Netherlands in 1944. The Canadian economy boomed as industry manufactured military materiel for Canada, Britain, China and the Soviet Union. Despite another Conscription Crisis in Quebec, Canada finished the war with one of the largest armed forces in the world..

In 1949, Newfoundland joined Confederation as Canada's 10th province. Post-war prosperity and economic expansion ignited a baby boom and attracted immigration from war-ravaged European countries.

Quebec underwent profound social and economic changes during the Quiet Revolution of the 1960s. Québécois nationalists began pressing for greater provincial autonomy. The separatist Parti Québécois first came to power in 1976. A referendum on sovereignty-association in 1980 was rejected by a solid majority of the population, and a second referendum in 1995 was rejected by a slimmer margin of just 50.6% to 49.4%. In 1997, the Canadian Supreme Court ruled unilateral secession by a province to be unconstitutional; Quebec's sovereignty movement has continued nonetheless.

Under successive Liberal governments of Lester B. Pearson and Pierre Trudeau, a new Canadian identity emerged. Canada adopted its current Maple Leaf Flag in 1965. In response to a more assertive French-speaking Quebec, the federal government became officially bilingual with the Official Languages Act of 1969. Non-discriminatory Immigration Acts were introduced in 1967 and 1976, and official multiculturalism in 1971; waves of non-European immigration have changed the face of the country. Social democratic programs such as Universal Health Care, the Canada Pension Plan, and Canada Student Loans were initiated in the 1960s and consolidated in the 1970s; provincial governments, particularly Quebec, fought these as incursions into their jurisdictions. Finally, Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau pushed through the patriation of the constitution from Britain, enshrining a Charter of Rights and Freedoms based on individual rights in the Constitution Act of 1982.

Economic integration with the United States has increased significantly since World War II. The Canada-United States Automotive Agreement (or Auto Pact) in 1965 and the Canada-United States Free Trade Agreement of 1987 were defining moments in integrating the two economies. Canadian nationalists continued to worry about their cultural autonomy as American television shows, movies and corporations became omnipresent. However, Canadians take special pride in their system of universal health care and their commitment to multiculturalism.

Government and politics

Canada is a constitutional monarchy with Elizabeth II, Queen of Canada, as head of state; the monarch of Canada also serves as head of state of fifteen other Commonwealth countries, putting Canada in a personal union relationship with those other states. The country is a parliamentary democracy with a federal system of parliamentary government and strong democratic traditions.

Canada's constitution consists of written text and unwritten traditions and conventions. The Constitution Act, 1867 (formerly the British North America Act) established governance based on Parliamentary precedent "similar in principle to that of the United Kingdom" and divided powers between the federal and provincial governments. The Constitution Act, 1982 added a Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, which guarantees basic rights and freedoms for Canadians that generally cannot be overridden by legislation of any level of government in Canada. However, a "notwithstanding clause", allows the federal parliament and the provincial legislatures to override certain sections of the Charter temporarily, for a period of five years.

The position of Prime Minister, Canada's head of government, belongs to the current leader of the political party that can obtain the confidence of a plurality in the House of Commons. Executive power is exercised by the Prime Minister and Cabinet ministers, all of whom are sworn into the Queen's Privy Council for Canada to become Ministers of the Crown and responsible to the elected House of Commons. The Prime Minister and Cabinet are formally appointed by the Governor General (who is the Monarch's representative in Canada). However, the Prime Minister chooses the Cabinet, and by convention, the Governor General respects the Prime Minister's choices. Cabinet ministers are traditionally drawn from elected members of the Prime Minister's party in the House of Commons. The Prime Minister exercises vast political power, especially in the appointment of government officials and civil servants. Michaëlle Jean has served as Governor General since September 27, 2005, and Stephen Harper, leader of the Conservative Party, has been Prime Minister since February 6, 2006.

The federal parliament is made up of the Queen and two houses: an elected House of Commons and an appointed Senate. Each member in the House of Commons is elected by simple plurality in a "riding" or electoral district; general elections are called by the Governor General when the Prime Minister so advises. While there is no minimum term for a Parliament, a new election must be called within five years of the last general election. Members of the Senate, whose seats are apportioned on a regional basis, are chosen by the Prime Minister and formally appointed by the Governor General, and serve until age 75.

Canada's four major political parties are the Conservative Party of Canada, the Liberal Party of Canada, the New Democratic Party (NDP), and the Bloc Québécois. The current government is formed by the Conservative Party of Canada. While the Green Party of Canada and other smaller parties do not have current representation in Parliament, the list of historical parties with elected representation is substantial.

Law

Canada's judiciary plays an important role in interpreting laws and has the power to strike down laws that violate the Constitution. The Supreme Court of Canada is the highest court and final arbiter and is led by the Right Honourable Madam Chief Justice Beverley McLachlin, P.C. Its nine members are appointed by the Governor General on the advice of the Prime Minister. All judges at the superior and appellate levels are appointed by the Governor General on the advice of the prime minister and minister of justice, after consultation with non-governmental legal bodies. The federal cabinet appoints justices to superior courts at the provincial and territorial levels. Judicial posts at the lower provincial and territorial levels are filled by their respective governments (see Court system of Canada for more detail).

Common law prevails everywhere except in Quebec, where civil law predominates. Criminal law is solely a federal responsibility and is uniform throughout Canada. Law enforcement, including criminal courts, is a provincial responsibility, but in rural areas of all provinces except Ontario and Quebec, policing is contracted to the federal Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP).

Foreign relations and military

Canada and the United States share the world's longest undefended border, co-operate on military campaigns and exercises, and are each other's largest trading partners. Canada has nevertheless maintained an independent foreign policy, most notably maintaining full relations with Cuba and declining participation in the Iraq War. Canada also maintains historic ties to the United Kingdom and France and to other former British and French colonies through Canada's membership in the Commonwealth of Nations and La Francophonie (French-Speaking Countries).

Canada currently employs a professional, volunteer military force of about 64,000 regular and 26,000 reserve personnel. The unified Canadian Forces (CF) comprise the army, navy, and air force. Major CF equipment deployed includes 1,400 armoured fighting vehicles, 34 combat vessels, and 861 aircraft.

Strong attachment to the British Empire and Commonwealth in English Canada led to major participation in British military efforts in the Second Boer War, the First World War, and the Second World War. Since then, Canada has been an advocate for multilateralism, making efforts to resolve global issues in collaboration with other nations. Canada joined the United Nations in 1945 and became a founding member of NATO in 1949. During the Cold War, Canada was a major contributor to UN forces in the Korean War, and founded the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) in cooperation with the United States to defend against aerial attacks from the Soviet Union.

Canada has played a leading role in UN peacekeeping efforts. During the Suez Crisis of 1956, Lester B. Pearson eased tensions by proposing the inception of the United Nations Peacekeeping Force. Canada has since served in 50 peacekeeping missions, including every UN peacekeeping effort until 1989 and has since maintained forces in international missions in the former Yugoslavia and elsewhere.

Canada joined the Organization of American States (OAS) in 1990 and hosted the OAS General Assembly in Windsor in June 2000, and the third Summit of the Americas in Quebec City in April 2001. Canada seeks to expand its ties to Pacific Rim economies through membership in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum (APEC).

Since 2001, Canada has had troops deployed in Afghanistan as part of the US stabilization force and the UN-authorized, NATO-commanded International Security Assistance Force. Canada's Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) has participated in three major relief efforts in the past two years; the two-hundred member team has been deployed in relief operations after the December 2004 tsunami in South Asia, the Hurricane Katrina in September 2005 and the Kashmir earthquake in October 2005.

In February 2007, Canada, Italy, Britain, Norway, and Russia announced their funding commitments to launch a $1.5 billion project to help develop vaccines they said could save millions of lives in poor nations, and called on others to join them. In August 2007, Canadian sovereignty in Arctic waters was challenged following a Russian expedition which planted a Russian flag at the seabed at the North Pole. Canada has considered that area to be sovereign territory since 1925.

Provinces and territories

Canada is a federation composed of ten provinces and three territories; in turn, these may be grouped into numerous regions. Western Canada consists of British Columbia and three Prairie provinces (Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba). Eastern Canada consists of Central Canada (Quebec and Ontario) and Atlantic Canada (comprised of the three Maritime provinces of New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Nova Scotia; and Newfoundland and Labrador). Three territories (Yukon, Northwest Territories, and Nunavut) comprise Northern Canada. Provinces have a large degree of autonomy from the federal government, territories somewhat less. Each has its own provincial or territorial symbols.

The provinces are responsible for most of Canada's social programs (such as health care, education, and welfare) and together collect more revenue than the federal government, an almost unique structure among federations in the world. Using its spending powers, the federal government can initiate national policies in provincial areas, such as the Canada Health Act; the provinces can opt out of these, but rarely do so in practice. Equalization payments are made by the federal government to ensure that reasonably uniform standards of services and taxation are kept between the richer and poorer provinces.

All provinces have unicameral, elected legislatures headed by a Premier selected in the same way as the Prime Minister of Canada. Each province also has a Lieutenant-Governor representing the Queen, analogous to the Governor General of Canada, appointed on the recommendation of the Prime Minister of Canada, though with increasing levels of consultation with provincial governments in recent years.

Geography and climate

Canada occupies a major northern portion of North America, sharing land borders with the contiguous United States to the south and with the US state of Alaska to the northwest, stretching from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west; to the north lies the Arctic Ocean. By total area (including its waters), Canada is the second largest country in the world, after Russia, and largest on the continent. By land area it ranks fourth, after Russia, China, and the United States. Since 1925, Canada has claimed the portion of the Arctic between 60°W and 141°W longitude, but this claim is not universally recognized. The northernmost settlement in Canada and in the world is Canadian Forces Station (CFS) Alert on the northern tip of Ellesmere Island—latitude 82.5°N—just 817 kilometres (450 nautical miles) from the North Pole. Canada has the longest coastline in the world: 243,000 kilometres.

The population density, Template:Pop density km2 to sq mi, is among the lowest in the world. The most densely populated part of the country is the Quebec City-Windsor Corridor along the Great Lakes and Saint Lawrence River in the southeast. To the north of this region is the broad Canadian Shield, an area of rock scoured clean by the last ice age, thinly soiled, rich in minerals, and dotted with lakes and rivers. Canada by far has more lakes than any other country and has a large amount of the world's freshwater.

In eastern Canada, the Saint Lawrence River widens into the Gulf of Saint Lawrence, the world's largest estuary, that contains the island of Newfoundland. South of the Gulf, the Canadian Maritimes protrude eastward along the Appalachian Mountain range from northern New England and the Gaspé Peninsula of Quebec. New Brunswick and Nova Scotia are divided by the Bay of Fundy, which experiences the world's largest tidal variations. Ontario and Hudson Bay dominate central Canada. West of Ontario, the broad, flat Canadian Prairies spread toward the Rocky Mountains, which separate them from British Columbia.

In western Canada, the Mackenzie River flows from the Great Slave Lake to the Arctic Ocean. A tributary of a tributary of the Mackenzie is the South Nahanni River, which is home to Virginia Falls, a waterfall about twice as high as Niagara Falls.

Northern Canadian vegetation tapers from coniferous forests to tundra and finally to Arctic barrens in the far north. The northern Canadian mainland is ringed with a vast archipelago containing some of the world's largest islands.

Average winter and summer high temperatures across Canada vary depending on the location. Winters can be harsh in many regions of the country, particularly in the interior and Prairie provinces which experience a continental climate, where daily average temperatures are near −15 °C (5 °F) but can drop below −40 °C (−40 °F) with severe wind chills. In non-coastal regions, snow can cover the ground almost six months of the year, (more in the north). Coastal British Columbia is an exception and enjoys a temperate climate with a mild and rainy winter.

On the east and west coast average high temperatures are generally in the low 20s °C (70s °F), while between the coasts the average summer high temperature ranges from 25 to 30 °C (75 to 85 °F) with occasional extreme heat in some interior locations exceeding 40 °C (104 °F). For a more complete description of climate across Canada see Environment Canada's Website.

Economy

Canada is one of the world's wealthiest nations with a high per capita income, a member of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and Group of Eight (G8). Canada is a free market economy with slightly more government intervention than the United States, but much less than most European nations. Canada has traditionally had a lower per capita gross domestic product (GDP) than its southern neighbour (whereas wealth has been more equally divided), but higher than the large western European economies. Since the early 1990's, the Canadian economy has been growing rapidly with low unemployment and large government surpluses on the federal level. Today Canada closely resembles the US in its market-oriented economic system, pattern of production, and high living standards. While as of October 2007, Canada's national unemployment rate of 5.9% is its lowest in 33 years. Provincial unemployment rates vary from a low of 3.6% in Alberta to a high of 14.6% in Newfoundland and Labrador.

In the past century, the growth of the manufacturing, mining, and service sectors has transformed the nation from a largely rural economy into one primarily industrial and urban. As with other first world nations, the Canadian economy is dominated by the service industry, which employs about three quarters of Canadians. However, Canada is unusual among developed countries in the importance of the primary sector, with the logging and oil industries being two of Canada's most important.

Canada is one of the few developed nations that is a net exporter of energy. Atlantic Canada has vast offshore deposits of natural gas and large oil and gas resources are centred in Alberta. The vast Athabasca Tar Sands give Canada the world's second largest reserves of oil behind Saudi Arabia. In Quebec, British Columbia, Newfoundland & Labrador, Ontario and Manitoba, hydroelectric power is a cheap and clean source of renewable energy.

Canada is one of the world's most important suppliers of agricultural products, with the Canadian Prairies one of the most important suppliers of wheat, canola and other grains. Canada is the world's largest producer of zinc and uranium and a world leader in many other natural resources such as gold, nickel, aluminum, and lead; many, if not most, towns in the northern part of the country, where agriculture is difficult, exist because of a nearby mine or source of timber. Canada also has a sizeable manufacturing sector centred in southern Ontario and Quebec, with automobiles and aeronautics representing particularly important industries.

Canada is highly dependent on international trade, especially trade with the United States. The 1989 Canada-US Free Trade Agreement (FTA) and 1994 North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) (which included Mexico) touched off a dramatic increase in trade and economic integration with the US Since 2001, Canada has successfully avoided economic recession and has maintained the best overall economic performance in the G8. Since the mid 1990s, Canada's federal government has posted annual budgetary surpluses and has steadily paid down the national debt.

Demographics

Canada's 2006 census counted 31,612,897, an increase of 5.4% since 2001. Population growth is from immigration and, to a lesser extent, natural growth. About three-quarters of Canada's population lives within 150 kilometres (90 mi) of the US border. A similar proportion live in urban areas concentrated in the Quebec City-Windsor Corridor (notably: the Greater Golden Horseshoe anchored around Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, and their environs), the BC Lower Mainland (Vancouver and environs), and the Calgary-Edmonton Corridor in Alberta.

According to the 2001 census, it has 34 ethnic groups with at least one hundred thousand members each, with 83% of the total population claiming they are white. The largest ethnic group is English (20.2%), followed by French (15.8%), Scottish (14.0%), Irish (12.9%), German (9.3%), Italian (4.3%), Chinese (3.7%), Ukrainian (3.6%), and First Nations (3.4%); 40% of respondents identified their ethnicity as "Canadian." Canada's aboriginal population is growing almost twice as fast as the Canadian average. In 2001, 13.4% of the population belonged to non-aboriginal visible minorities.

In 2001, 49% of the Vancouver population and 42.8% of Toronto's population were visible minorities. In March 2005, Statistics Canada projected that people of non-European origins will constitute a majority in both Toronto and Vancouver by 2012. According to Statistics Canada's forecasts, the number of visible minorities in Canada is expected to double by 2017. Roughly one out of every five people in Canada could be a member of a visible minority by 2017.

Canada has the highest per capita immigration rate in the world, driven by economic policy and family reunification; Canada also accepts large numbers of refugees. Newcomers settle mostly in the major urban areas of Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal. By the 1990s and 2000s, almost all of Canada’s immigrants came from Asia.

Canadians practice a wide variety of religions. According to 2001 census, 77.1% of Canadians identified as being Christians; of this, Catholics make up the largest group (43.6% of Canadians). The largest Protestant denomination is the United Church of Canada; about 16.5% of Canadians declare no religious affiliation, and the remaining 6.3% were affiliated with religions other than Christianity, of which the largest is Islam numbering 1.9%, followed by Judaism: 1.1%.

Canadian provinces and territories are responsible for education. Each system is similar while reflecting regional history, culture and geography. The mandatory school age ranges between 5–7 to 16–18 years, contributing to an adult literacy rate that is 99%. Postsecondary education is also administered by provincial and territorial governments, who provide most of the funding; the federal government administers additional research grants, student loans and scholarships. In 2002, 43% of Canadians aged between 25 and 64 had post-secondary education; for those aged 25 to 34 the post-secondary attainment reaches 51%.

Culture

Canadian culture has historically been influenced by British, French, and Aboriginal cultures and traditions. It has also been influenced by American culture because of its proximity and migration between the two countries. American media and entertainment are popular if not dominant in Canada; conversely, many Canadian cultural products and entertainers are successful in the US and worldwide. Many cultural products are marketed toward a unified "North American" or global market.

The creation and preservation of distinctly Canadian culture are supported by federal government programs, laws and institutions such as the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), the National Film Board of Canada (NFB), and the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC).

Canada is a geographically vast and ethnically diverse country. There are cultural variations and distinctions from province to province and region to region. Canadian culture has also been greatly influenced by immigration from all over the world. Many Canadians value multiculturalism, and see Canadian culture as being inherently multicultural. Multicultural heritage is enshrined in Section 27 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

National symbols are influenced by natural, historical, and First Nations sources. Particularly, the use of the maple leaf as a Canadian symbol dates back to the early 18th century and is depicted on its current and previous flags, the penny, and on the coat of arms. Other prominent symbols include the beaver, Canada goose, common loon, the Crown, and the RCMP.

Canada's official national sports are ice hockey (winter) and lacrosse (summer). Hockey is a national pastime and the most popular spectator sport in the country. It is the most popular sport Canadians play, with 1.65 million active participants in 2004. Canada's six largest metropolitan areas - Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Ottawa, Calgary, and Edmonton - have franchises in the National Hockey League (NHL), and there are more Canadian players in the league than from all other countries combined. After hockey, other popular spectator sports include curling and football; the latter is played professionally in the Canadian Football League (CFL). Golf, baseball, skiing, soccer, volleyball, and basketball are widely played at youth and amateur levels, but professional leagues and franchises are not as widespread.

Canada has hosted several high-profile international sporting events, including the 1976 Summer Olympics, the 1988 Winter Olympics, and the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup. Canada will be the host country for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver and Whistler, British Columbia.

Language

Canada's two official languages are English and French. Official Bilingualism in Canada is law, defined in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, the Official Languages Act, and Official Language Regulations; it is applied by the Commissioner of Official Languages. English and French have equal status in federal courts, Parliament, and in all federal institutions. The public has the right, where there is sufficient demand, to receive federal government services in either English or French, and official language minorities are guaranteed their own schools in all provinces and territories.

English and French are the mother tongues of 59.7% and 23.2% of the population respectively, and the languages most spoken at home by 68.3% and 22.3% of the population respectively. 98.5% of Canadians speak English or French (English only: 67.5%, French only: 13.3%, both: 17.7%). English and French Official Language Communities, defined by First Official Language Spoken, constitute 73.0% and 23.6% of the population.

Although 85% of French-speaking Canadians live in Quebec, there are substantial Francophone populations in Ontario, Alberta and southern Manitoba, with an Acadian population in the northern and southeastern parts of New Brunswick constituting 35% of that province's population as well as concentrations in Southwestern Nova Scotia and on Cape Breton Island. Ontario has the largest French population outside Quebec. The Charter of the French Language in Quebec makes French the official language in Quebec, and New Brunswick is the only province to have a statement of official bilingualism in the constitution. Other provinces have no official language(s) as such, but French is used as a language of instruction, in courts, and other government services in addition to English. Manitoba, Ontario and Quebec allow for both English and French to be spoken in the provincial legislatures, and laws are enacted in both languages. In Ontario, French has some legal status but is not fully co-official. Several aboriginal languages have official status in Northwest Territories. Inuktitut is the majority language in Nunavut, and one of three official languages in the territory.

Non-official languages are important in Canada, with 5,202,245 people listing one as a first language. Some significant non-official first languages include Chinese (853,745 first-language speakers), Italian (469,485), German (438,080), and Punjabi (271,220).

International rankings

See also

Template:Canadian topics

Notes

1. Statistics Canada. "Canada's population estimates 2007-09-27". Retrieved 2007-09-27.
2. ^ Central Intelligence Agency (2006-05-16). "The World Factbook: Canada". Central Intelligence Agency. Retrieved 2007-05-06. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
3. Trigger, Bruce G. (1978). "Saint-Lawrence Iroquoians". Handbook of North American Indians Volume 15. Washington: Smithsonian Institution. pp. pp. 357–361. OCLC 58762737. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help); Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
4. Jacques Cartier (1545). "Relation originale de Jacques Cartier". Tross (1863 edition). Retrieved 2007-02-23.
5. Cinq-Mars, J. (2001). "On the significance of modified mammoth bones from eastern Beringia" (PDF). The World of Elephants - International Congress, Rome. Retrieved 2006-05-14.
6. Wright, J.V (2001-09-27). "A History of the Native People of Canada: Early and Middle Archaic Complexes". Canadian Museum of Civilization Corporation. Retrieved 2006-05-14. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
7. "John Cabot =". Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Encyclopædia Britannica.
8. "Cartier, Jacques". World book Encyclopedia. World Book, Inc. ISBN 071660101X. {{cite encyclopedia}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
9. "Basques". The Canadian Encyclopedia. Historica. 2007.
10. "Wars on Our Soil, earliest times to 1885". Retrieved 2006-08-21.
11. Moore, Christopher (1994). The Loyalist: Revolution Exile Settlement. Toronto: McClelland & Stewart. ISBN 0-7710-6093-9.
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13. Farthing, John (1957). Freedom Wears a Crown. Toronto: Kingswood House. ASIN B0007JC4G2.
14. ^ Stacey, C.P. (1948). History of the Canadian Army in the Second World War. Queen's Printer.
15. Harold Troper (2000-03). "History of Immigration to Toronto Since the Second World War: From Toronto 'the Good' to Toronto 'the World in a City'". Ontario Institute for Studies in Education. Retrieved 2006-05-19. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
16. ^ Dickinson, John Alexander (2003). A Short History of Quebec (3rd edition ed.). Montreal: McGill-Queen's University Press. ISBN 0-7735-2450-9. {{cite book}}: |edition= has extra text (help); Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
17. Granatstein, J.L. (1997). Yankee Go Home: Canadians and Anti-Americanism. Toronto: HarperCollins. ISBN 0-00-638541-9.
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19. Heritage Canada (2005-04-21). "The Queen and Canada: 53 Years of Growing Together". Heritage Canada. Retrieved 2006-05-14. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
20. Governor General of Canada (2005-12-06). "Role and Responsibilities of the Governor General". Governor General of Canada. Retrieved 2006-05-14. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
21. Department of Justice. "Constitution Acts 1867 to 1982". Department of Justice, Canada. Retrieved 2006-05-14.
22. Assistant Deputy Minister (Public Affairs). "The National Defence family". Department of National Defence. Retrieved 2006-05-14.
23. Assistant Deputy Minister (Public Affairs). "Canadian Forces Equipment". Department of National Defence. Retrieved 2006-05-14.
24. Government of Canada (2005). Canada's international policy statement : a role of pride and influence in the world (PDF). Ottawa: Government of Canada. ISBN 0-662-68608-X.
25. Cooper, Andrew Fenton (1993). Relocating Middle Powers: Australia and Canada in a Changing World Order. Vancouver: UBC Press. ISBN 0-7748-0450-5. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
26. Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (2006). "Lester B. Pearson". CBC.ca. Retrieved 2006-05-22.
27. Morton, Desmond (1999). A Military History of Canada. Toronto: McClelland & Stewart. pp. pg. 258. ISBN 0-7710-6514-0. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help)
28. "Rich Nations Launch Vaccine Pact". Reuters. February 10, 2007.
29. Blomfield, Adrian (2007-08-03). "Russia claims North Pole with Arctic flag stunt". Telegraph. Retrieved 2007-09-10.
30. World Factbook: Area Country Comparison Table
31. National Resources Canada (2004-04-06). "Territorial Evolution, 1927". National Resources Canada. Retrieved 2006-05-14. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
32. National Defence Canada (2006-08-15). "Canadian Forces Station (CFS) Alert". National Defence Canada. Retrieved 2006-10-03.
33. Natural Resources Canada (2006-12-19). "CoastWeb: Facts about Canada's coastline". Natural Resources Canada. Retrieved 2007-07-13. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); line feed character in |title= at position 10 (help)
34. WorldAtlas.com (2006-02). "Countries of the World (by lowest population density)". WorldAtlas.com. Retrieved 2006-05-16. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
35. railwaypeople.com (2006). "Quebec - Windsor Corridor Jet Train, Canada". railwaypeople.com. Retrieved 2006-10-03.
36. The Atlas of Canada (2004-04-02). "Drainage patterns". National Resources Canada. Retrieved 2006-05-18. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
37. Encarta (2006). "Canada". Microsoft Corporation. Retrieved 2006-06-12.
38. Natural Resources Canada (2004-04-05). "Significant Canadian Facts". Natural Resources Canada. Retrieved 2006-05-16. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
39. The Weather Network. "Statistics, Regina SK". The Weather Network. Retrieved 2006-05-18.
40. The Weather Network. "Statistics: Vancouver Int'l, BC". The Weather Network. Retrieved 2006-05-18.
41. The Weather Network. "Statistics: Toronto Pearson Int'l". The Weather Network. Retrieved 2006-05-18.
42. Environment Canada (2004-02-25). "Canadian Climate Normals or Averages 1971–2000". Environment Canada. Retrieved 2006-05-18. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
43. The Heritage Foundation (2006). "Index of Economic Freedome". The Heritage Foundation. Retrieved 2006-10-03.
44. Britton, John NH (1996). Canada and the Global Economy: The geography of Structural and Technological Change. Montreal: McGill-Queen's University Press. pp. pp. 6–7. ISBN 0-7735-0927-5. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help)
45. Shaw, Daniel J (2002-10-24). "Canada's Productivity and Standard of Living: Past, Present and Future". Government of Canada. Retrieved 2006-10-02.
46. Statistics Canada (2006-08-04). "Latest release from Labour Force Survey". Statistics Canada. Retrieved 2006-08-04. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
47. "Employment by Industry". Statistics Canada. 2007-01-04.
48. Clarke, Tony; Campbell, Bruce; Laxer, Gordon (2006-03-10). "US oil addiction could make us sick". Parkland Institute. Retrieved 2006-05-18. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
49. The Canadian Encyclopedia (2006). "Agriculture and Food: Export markets". Historical Foundation of Canada. Retrieved 2006-05-18.
50. The Canadian Encyclopedia (2006). "Canadian Mining". Historica Foundation of Canada. Retrieved 2006-05-18.
51. Chretien, Jean (2003-12-04). "Notes for an Address by Prime Minister Jean Chrétien on the Occasion of the Commonwealth Business Forum". Privy Council Office, Government of Canada. Retrieved 2006-08-07.
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53. Statistics Canada (2007-03-13). "2006 Community Profiles". Statistics Canada. Retrieved 2007-04-18. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
54. Beauchesne, Eric (2007-03-13). "We are 31,612,897". National Post. Retrieved 2007-03-13. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
55. Hillmer, Norman (2005-01-25). "Canada World View - Issue 24". Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada. Retrieved 2006-10-03.
56. Statistics Canada (2001). "Urban-rural population as a proportion of total population, Canada, provinces, territories and health regions". Statistics Canada. Retrieved 2006-10-03.
57. Ethnic diversity of Canada
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59. Statistics Canada (2001-01-21). "Visible minority population, by province and territory (2001 Census)". Statistics Canada. Retrieved 2007-05-04. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
60. Canadian People - Learn About Canada's People
61. Visible majority by 2017
62. Benjamin Dolin and Margaret Young, Law and Government Division (2004-10-31). "Canada's Immigration Program". Library of Parliament. Retrieved 2006-11-29. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
63. Inflow of foreign-born population by country of birth, by year
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65. ^ Council of Ministers of Canada. "General Overview of Education in Canada". Education@Canada. Retrieved 2006-05-22.
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67. Blackwell, John D. (2005). "Culture High and Low". International Council for Canadian Studies World Wide Web Service. Retrieved 2006-03-15.
68. National Film Board of Canada (2005). "Mandate of the National Film Board". Retrieved 2006-03-15.
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79. "Canadian Heritage". Canadian Heritage.
80. larger number indicates sustainability

References

External links

Government

• Official website of the Government of Canada
• Official website of the Prime Minister of Canada
• Official website of the Governor General of Canada
• Official website of the Canadian Forces
• Official Government of Canada online Atlas of Canada
• Permanent Mission of Canada to the United Nations

Crown corporations

• Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
• Canada Post
• Canadian Tourism Commission

Other

• Culture.ca - Canada's Cultural Gateway
• Culturescope.ca - Canadian Cultural Observatory
• Canadian Studies: A Guide to the Sources
• Statistics Canada with Canada's population clock
• The Canadian Atlas Online
• Canada at The World Factbook
• UN Human Development Program: Country Fact Sheet: Canada, Statistics - Country Sheet: Canada
• Template:Wikitravelpar

Geographic locale

v t e Countries and dependencies of North America Sovereign states Entire Antigua and Barbuda The Bahamas Barbados Belize Canada Costa Rica Cuba Dominica Dominican Republic El Salvador Grenada Guatemala Haiti Honduras Jamaica Mexico Nicaragua Panama Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Trinidad and Tobago United States In part Colombia San Andrés and Providencia France Guadeloupe Martinique Caribbean Netherlands Bonaire Saba Sint Eustatius Venezuela Nueva Esparta Federal Dependencies Dependencies Denmark Greenland France Clipperton Island St. Barthélemy St. Martin St. Pierre and Miquelon Netherlands Aruba Curaçao Sint Maarten United Kingdom Anguilla Bermuda British Virgin Islands Cayman Islands Montserrat Turks and Caicos Islands United States Puerto Rico United States Virgin Islands North America portal Template:Countries of Northern America

International membership, relationships and history

Template:Canada ties v t e Members of the Commonwealth of Nations Sovereign states (members) Antigua and Barbuda Australia Bahamas Bangladesh Barbados Belize Botswana Brunei Cameroon Canada Cyprus Dominica Eswatini (Swaziland) Fiji Gabon Gambia Ghana Grenada Guyana India Jamaica Kenya Kiribati Lesotho Malawi Malaysia Maldives Malta Mauritius Mozambique Namibia Nauru New Zealand Nigeria Pakistan Papua New Guinea Rwanda Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Samoa Seychelles Sierra Leone Singapore Solomon Islands South Africa Sri Lanka Tanzania Togo Tonga Trinidad and Tobago Tuvalu Uganda United Kingdom Vanuatu Zambia Associated states Cook Islands Niue Dependent territories Australia Ashmore and Cartier Islands Australian Antarctic Territory Christmas Island Cocos (Keeling) Islands Coral Sea Islands Heard Island and McDonald Islands Norfolk Island New Zealand Ross Dependency Tokelau United Kingdom Akrotiri and Dhekelia Anguilla Bermuda British Antarctic Territory British Indian Ocean Territory British Virgin Islands Cayman Islands Falkland Islands Gibraltar Guernsey Isle of Man Jersey Montserrat Pitcairn Islands Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands Turks and Caicos Islands Source: Commonwealth Secretariat – Member Countries v t e Former British Empire and Current British Overseas Territories Legend Former territory Current territory *Current Commonwealth realm Current member of the Commonwealth of Nations Europe Akrotiri and Dhekelia since 1960 (before as part of Cyprus) Corsica 1794–1796 Cyprus 1878–1960 Gibraltar since 1713 Heligoland 1807–1890 Ionian Islands 1809–1864 Ireland 1542–1800 (integrated into the UK) Free State 1921–1931 Malta Protectorate 1800–1813 Colony 1813–1964 Minorca 1708–1757, 1763–1782 and 1798–1802 Africa Ascension Island since 1815 Basutoland (Lesotho) 1868–1966 Bechuanaland (Botswana) 1884–1966 Cameroons 1919–1961 Cape Colony 1795–1803 Cape of Good Hope 1806–1910 Central Africa 1891–1907 East Africa 1895–1920 Egypt 1882–1922 The Gambia 1816–1965 Gold Coast (Ghana) 1874–1957 Kenya 1920–1963 Lagos 1862–1906 Madeira 1807–1808 Mauritius 1810–1968 Natal 1856–1910 Niger Coast 1884–1900 Nigeria 1914–1960 Northern Nigeria 1900–1914 Northern Rhodesia 1924–1964 Nyasaland 1891–1964 Orange River 1900–1910 Saint Helena since 1658 Seychelles 1903–1976 Sierra Leone 1792–1961 Somaliland 1884–1960 South Africa 1910–1931 South-West Africa 1915–1931 Southern Rhodesia 1923–1965 and 1979–1980 Southern Nigeria 1900–1914 Swaziland 1893–1968 Sudan 1899–1956 Tanganyika 1922–1961 Transvaal 1900–1910 Tristan da Cunha since 1816 Uganda 1890–1962 Zanzibar 1890–1963 Zululand 1887–1897 Now Namibia League of Nations mandate. British Cameroons is now part of Cameroon, while Tanganyika is part of Tanzania. Self-governing Southern Rhodesia unilaterally declared independence in 1965 (as Rhodesia) and continued as an unrecognised state until the 1979 Lancaster House Agreement. After recognised independence in 1980, Zimbabwe was a member of the Commonwealth until it withdrew in 2003. Now Zambia Asia Aden Colony 1839–1967 Afghanistan 1839–1842 Protectorate 1879–1919 Bencoolen 1685–1824 Banka and Billiton 1812–1824 Bengal 1757–1947 Bhutan (protectorate) 1907–1949 Borneo 1874–1963 British Indian Ocean Territory since 1965 (before as part of Mauritius and Seychelles) Burma 1824–1948 Brunei 1888–1984 Ceylon 1795–1948 Cyprus 1878–1960 Hong Kong 1841–1997 India 1858–1947 Java 1811–1816 Kuwait 1918–1961 Labuan 1848–1946 Malaya 1819–1826 Federated States 1895–1946 Unfederated States 1885–1946 Union 1946–1948 Federation 1948–1957 Maldives 1796–1965 Manila and Cavite 1762–1764 Mesopotamia 1920–1932 Muscat and Oman 1891–1971 North Borneo 1882–1963 Crown Colony 1946–1963 Padang 1781–1784 and 1795–1819 Palestine 1923–1948 Penang 1786–1946 Pulo Condore 1702–1705 Sarawak 1841–1946 Crown Colony 1946–1963 Singapore 1946–1963 South Vietnam 1945–1946 Straits Settlements 1826–1946 Transjordan 1921–1946 Trucial States 1892–1971 Weihai 1898–1930 Now India, Pakistan and Bangladesh League of Nations mandate. Iraq's mandate was not enacted and replaced by the Anglo-Iraqi Treaty Legitimacy of territorial establishment disputed North America Anguilla since 1650 *Antigua 1632–1860 *Antigua and Barbuda 1860–1981 *Bahamas 1670–1973 Barbados 1624–1966 Bay Islands 1643–1860 *Belize 1871–1981 Bermuda since 1619 British Arctic Territories 16th c.–1880 British Columbia 1858–1866 1866–1871 Cape Breton Island 1754–1820 Dominica 1763–1978 East Florida 1763–1783 *Grenada 1762–1974 *Canada Lower 1791–1841 Upper 1791–1841 Province 1841–1867 Dominion 1867–1931 Carolina 1663–1712 Cayman Islands since 1670 Columbia District/Oregon Country 1818–1846 Connecticut 1636–1776 Delaware 1701–1776 East Jersey 1674–1702 Georgia 1733–1776 *Jamaica 1655–1962 Leeward Islands 1671–1816, 1833–1960 MassachusettsBay 1629–1691 Province, 1691–1776 Maryland 1632–1776 Montserrat since 1632 Mosquito Coast 1655–1860 Nevis 1628–1983 New Albion 1579 New Brunswick 1784–1867 New England 1686–1689 New Hampshire 1680–1776 New Haven 1637–1662 New Jersey 1665–1674 and 1702–1776 New York 1664–1776 Newfoundland 1907–1949 Newfoundland and Labrador 1583–1907 North Carolina 1712–1776 North-Western Territory 1859–1870 Nova Scotia 1713–1867 Paulet affair 1843 Prince Edward Island 1763–1873 Pennsylvania 1681–1776 Plymouth 1620–1691 Quebec 1763–1791* Queen Charlotte Islands 1853–1863 Rhode Island 1636–1776 Rupert's Land 1670–1870 Saint Croix 1625–1650 Saint Kitts 1623–1983 *Saint Kitts and Nevis 1882–1983 *Saint Lucia 1605–1979 *Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1627–1979 Saybrook 1635–1644 South Carolina 1712–1776 Stickeen 1862–1863 Trinidad and Tobago 1889–1962 Turks and Caicos Islands since 1799 Vancouver Island 1849–1866 Virgin Islands since 1666 Virginia 1607–1776 West Florida 1763–1783 West Indies Federation 1958–1962 Associated States 1967–1983 West Jersey 1674–1702 Windward Islands 1833–1960 v t e Oceania 18th and 19th centuries 20th century New South Wales 1788–1901 Van Diemen's Land/Tasmania 1803–1901 Auckland Islands 1807–1863 New Hebrides 1824–1980 Queensland 1824–1901 Swan River/Western Australia 1829–1901 South Australia 1836–1901 Pitcairn Islands since 1838 New Zealand 1841–1907 North Australia 1846–1847 Victoria 1851–1901 Fiji 1874–1970 Western Pacific Territories 1877–1976 Papua 1884–1902 Rarotonga/Cook Islands 1888–1901 Union Islands 1889–1948 Gilbert and Ellice Islands 1892–1979 *Solomon Islands 1893–1978 Tonga 1900–1970 Niue 1900–1974 *Australia 1901–1942 *New Zealand 1907–1947 Samoa 1914–1962 Nauru 1919–1942 and 1945–1968 Now part of the Realm of New Zealand Now Vanuatu Now Kiribati and *Tuvalu South America Providence Island 1631–1641 Willoughbyland 1651–1667 Saint Andrew and Providence Islands 1670–1688 Guiana 1831–1966 Falkland Islands since 1833 South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands since 1908 Now a department of Colombia Occupied by Argentina during the Falklands War of April–June 1982. Antarctica and the South Atlantic Saint Helena since 1658 Ascension Island since 1815 Tristan da Cunha since 1816 Falkland Islands since 1833 Australian Antarctic Territory (transferred to the Commonwealth of Australia) 1841–1933 Ross Dependency (transferred to the Realm of New Zealand) 1841–1947 British Antarctic Territory since 1908 South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands since 1908 Since 2009 part of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha; Ascension Island (1922–) and Tristan da Cunha (1938–) were previously dependencies of Saint Helena. Claimed in 1908; territory formed 1962; overlaps portions of Argentine and Chilean claims, borders not enforced but claim not renounced under the Antarctic Treaty. Claimed in 1908; territory formed 1985 Historical flags of the British Empire Anglosphere culture Category Portal v t e Commonwealth realms and dominions Current Antigua and Barbuda (monarchy) Australia (monarchy) Bahamas (monarchy) Belize (monarchy) Canada (monarchy) Grenada (monarchy) Jamaica (monarchy) Realm of New Zealand Cook Islands New Zealand Niue Papua New Guinea (monarchy) Saint Kitts and Nevis (monarchy) Saint Lucia (monarchy) Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (monarchy) Solomon Islands (monarchy) Tuvalu (monarchy) United Kingdom (monarchy) Former Barbados (monarchy) Ceylon (monarchy) Fiji (monarchy) The Gambia (monarchy) Ghana (monarchy) Guyana (monarchy) India Ireland (monarchy) Kenya (monarchy) Malawi (monarchy) Malta (monarchy) Mauritius (monarchy) Newfoundland Nigeria (monarchy) Pakistan (monarchy) Rhodesia (monarchy) Sierra Leone (monarchy) South Africa (monarchy) Tanganyika (monarchy) Trinidad and Tobago (monarchy) Uganda (monarchy) Annexed by Canada in 1949 Rhodesia unilaterally declared independence in 1965, but this was not recognised internationally. Declared itself a republic in 1970. v t e Group of Eight (G8) and Group of Eight + Five (G8+5) G8 members Canada France Germany Italy Japan Russia (suspended) United Kingdom United States Representative European Union G8+5 Brazil China India Mexico South Africa See also G6 G7 G7+1 G4 (Europe) G4 (UN) v t e Monarchies Monarch Imperial, royal and noble ranks List of current sovereign monarchs List of current non-sovereign monarchs List of monarchy referendums Type Absolute Constitutional Diarchy Elective Federal Hereditary Non-sovereign Personal union Regency Topics Abdication Abolition of monarchy Aristocracy Criticism of monarchy Democratization Decolonization Dynasty Government Head of state Legitimacy (political) Oligarchy Order of succession Republicanism Self-proclaimed monarchy Sovereignty Titles Chhatrapati Emperor King Queen regnant Prince regnant Raja khan Tsar Sultan Shah Pharaoh Current Africa Eswatini Lesotho Morocco list Asia Bahrain Bhutan Brunei Cambodia Japan Jordan Kuwait Malaysia Oman Qatar Saudi Arabia Thailand United Arab Emirates list Europe Andorra Belgium Denmark Liechtenstein Luxembourg Monaco Netherlands Norway Spain Sweden Vatican City (Holy See) Oceania Tonga Commonwealth realms Antigua and Barbuda Australia Bahamas Belize Canada Grenada Jamaica New Zealand Cook Islands Niue Papua New Guinea Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Solomon Islands Tuvalu United Kingdom Former Africa Adamawa Ankole Aussa Barotseland Bagirmi Bornu Burundi Central Africa Dahomey Egypt Ethiopia Ghana Gomma Gumma Kaffa Kongo Libya Luba Madagascar Mali Maore Maravi Mwali Ndzuwani Ngazidja Rwanda Shilluk Islands of Refreshment Tunisia Wituland Wassoulou Yeke Zanzibar Zimbabwe and other Americas Araucanía Aztec Brazil Haiti Inca Mexico Miskito Suriname Talamanca Trinidad Thirteen Colonies Asia Afghanistan Asir Bengal Bukhara Burma Cebu Chehab China Dapitan Hejaz Indonesia Iran (Qajar) Iraq Jabal Shammar Kathiri Khiva Korea Kumul Kurdistan Laos Maguindanao Mahra Maldives Manchukuo Mongolia Najran Nepal Qu'aiti Ryukyu Sarawak Shan Sikkim Sri Lanka Sip Song Chau Tai Sulu Syria Tibet Taiwan Upper Asir Upper Yafa Vietnam Yemen Emirates of South Arabia South Arabia Europe Albania Aragon Asturias Austria Austria-Hungary Bavaria Bosnia Brittany Bulgaria Catalonia Crimea Cilicia Corsica Cyprus Finland France Galicia Georgia Germany Greece Granada Hanover Hungary Iceland Imereti Ireland Italy Kartli-Kakheti Lithuania Majorca Man Moldavia Montenegro Navarre Neuchâtel Ottoman Empire Papal States Piedmont-Sardinia Poland–Lithuania Portugal Prussia Romania Russia Samos Saxony Savoy Scotland Serbia Tavolara Two Sicilies Tuscany United Baltic Duchy Yugoslavia Valencia Württemberg Oceania Abemama Bora Bora Easter Island Kingdom of Fiji Hawaii Huahine Mangareva Niuē-Fekai Nuku Hiva Raiatea Rapa Iti Rarotonga Rimatara Rurutu Tahuata Tahiti Commonwealth realms Barbados Ceylon (Sri Lanka) Fiji The Gambia Ghana Guyana India (British Raj, princely states) Irish Free State / Ireland Kenya Malawi Malta Mauritius Nigeria Pakistan Rhodesia Sierra Leone South Africa Tanganyika Trinidad and Tobago Uganda v t e Organisation internationale de la Francophonie Members Members Albania Andorra Armenia Belgium Benin Bulgaria Burundi Cambodia Cameroon Canada Cape Verde Central African Republic Chad Comoros Cyprus Democratic Republic of the Congo Republic of the Congo Djibouti Dominica Egypt Equatorial Guinea France Gabon Ghana Greece Guinea-Bissau Haiti Ivory Coast Laos Lebanon Luxembourg North Macedonia Madagascar Mauritania Mauritius Moldova Monaco Morocco Qatar Romania Rwanda Saint Lucia São Tomé and Príncipe Senegal Seychelles Switzerland Togo Tunisia Vanuatu Vietnam National/regional members French Community of Belgium New Brunswick Quebec Associate members Kosovo New Caledonia Qatar Serbia United Arab Emirates Observers Angola Argentina Austria Bosnia and Herzegovina Chile Costa Rica Croatia Czechia Dominican Republic Estonia French Polynesia Gambia Georgia Hungary Ireland Latvia Lithuania Louisiana Malta Mexico Montenegro Mozambique Nova Scotia Ontario Poland Saarland Slovakia Slovenia South Korea Thailand Ukraine Uruguay Suspended members Burkina Faso Guinea Mali Niger Organization Assemblée parlementaire de la Francophonie Agence de Coopération Culturelle et Technique Agence universitaire de la Francophonie Culture French language UN French Language Day International Francophonie Day Jeux de la Francophonie Prix des cinq continents de la francophonie AFFOI TV5Monde LGBT rights Related Francophone economy Senghor University Category v t e North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) Canada Mexico United States

Template:Link FA Template:Link FA Template:Link FA Template:Link FA Template:Link FA Template:Link FA

• Canada
• 1867 establishments
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• English-speaking countries and territories
• Former British colonies
• French-speaking countries
• G8 nations
• Liberal democracies
• Members of the Commonwealth of Nations