Country Facts - Canada

The People

Nationality
Canadian

Ethnic Composition

British Isles	28%
French Origin	23%
Other European	15%
Amerindian	2%
Other: mostly Asian, African, Arab	6%
Mixed Background	26%

Religious Composition

Roman Catholic	46%
Protestant	36%
Other	18%

Languages Spoken

English 59.3% (official), French 23.2% (official), other 17.5%

Education and Literacy

For those aged 15 and over literacy is 97 percent. Primary and secondary public education is subsidized by the government and is compulsory until the age of 16.

Labor Force

Total: 16.4 million (2001)
By occupation:

Services	74%
Manufacturing	15%
Construction	5%
Agriculture	3%
Other	3%

(2000)

Geography

Land Mass Total

3,851,809 sq mi (9,976,140 sq km)

Land

3,560,236 sq mi (9,220,970 sq km)

Water

291,572 sq mi (755,170 sq km)

Land Boundaries

Total: 5,525 mi (8,893 km)

Border countries: United States 5,525 mi (8,893 km), (includes 1,539 mi (2,477 km) with Alaska)

Coastline

151,484 mi (243,791 km)

Maritime claim

Contiguous zone: 24 nm
Continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Territorial sea: 12 nm

Climate/Weather

Varies from temperate in south to sub Arctic and arctic in north.

Terrain

Mostly plains with mountains in west and lowlands in southeast.

Elevation extremes

Lowest: Atlantic Ocean 0 ft (0 m)
Highest: Mount Logan 19,550 ft (5,959 m)

Natural Resources

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

Land use

Arable land	5%
Permanent crops	0%
Other	95%

(1998)

Natural hazards

Continuous permafrost in north is a serious obstacle to development; cyclonic storms form east of the Rocky Mountains, a result of the mixing of air masses from the Arctic, Pacific, and North American interior, and produce most of the country's rain and snow.

Environment - current issues

Air pollution and resulting acid rain severely affecting lakes and damaging forests; metal smelting, coal-burning utilities, and vehicle emissions impacting on agricultural and forest productivity; ocean waters becoming contaminated due to agricultural, industrial, mining, and forestry activities.

Geography Note

Second-largest country in world (after Russia); strategic location between Russia and U.S. via north polar route; nearly 90 percent of the population is concentrated within 160 km of the U.S./Canada border.

Demographics

Population

31,902,268 (July 2002)

Age structure

0-14 years:	18.7%	Male: 3,059,023	Female: 2,910,203
15-64 years:	68.4%	Male: 10,975,701	Female: 10,857,869
65 years and over:	12.9%	Male: 1,743,654	Female: 2,355,818

Growth Rate

0.96% (2002)

Life Expectancy

79.69 years (2002)
female: 83.25 years
male: 76.3 years

GDP Per Capita

Purchasing power parity
US$27,700 (2001)

Infant Mortality

4.95 deaths/1,000 live births (2002)

Sex ratio

At birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
Under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.74 male(s)/female
Total population: 0.98 male(s)/female

Net migration rate

6.07 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002)

Economy & Trade

Canada is an affluent, high-tech industrial society, Canada today closely resembles the US in its market-oriented economic system, pattern of production, and high living standards. 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. The 1989 US-Canada Free Trade Agreement (FTA) and 1994 North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) (which includes Mexico) touched off a dramatic increase in trade and economic integration with the US. As a result of the close cross-border relationship, the economic downturn in the United States in 2001 had a negative impact on the Canadian economy. Real growth averaged nearly 3 percent during 1993-2000, but declined in 2001. Unemployment went up, with contraction in the manufacturing and natural resource sectors. Nevertheless, with its great natural resources, skilled labor force, and modern capital plant Canada enjoyed solid economic prospects for 2002. The economy had robust growth in the first half of the year but this was offset by a slowdown in the last quarter. For all of 2002, the Canadian economy created over half a million jobs, setting a new record. Unemployment, unfortunately, still reached almost percent -- respectable for the E.U., but pale in comparison to Canada's southern neighbor. As has been true for centuries, the Canadian economy depends heavily of the ability of the Americans to beat back malaise.
However, two additional shadows loom, the first being the continuing constitutional impasse between English- and French-speaking areas, which has been raising the possibility of a split in the federation. Another long-term concern is the flow south to the U.S. of professionals lured by higher pay, lower taxes, and the immense high-tech infrastructure. The grass -- and the cash -- is a lot greener on the other side even with the downturn in the American markets.

Unemployment

7.2% (2001)

Inflation Rate

2.8% (2001)

Industries

Transportation equipment, chemicals, processed and unprocessed minerals, food products; wood and paper products; fish products, petroleum and natural gas.

Exports

US$273.8 billion (f.o.b., 2001)

Imports

US$238.3 billion (f.o.b., 2001)

Total Trade

Purchasing power parity
GDP US$875 billion (2001)

Top Export Partners

U.S. 86%, Japan 3%, U.K., Germany, South Korea, Netherlands, China (1999)

Top Import Partners

U.S. 74%, EU 9%, Japan 3% (2000)

Top Exports

Motor vehicles and parts, industrial machinery, aircraft, telecommunications equipment; chemicals, plastics, fertilizers; wood pulp, timber, crude petroleum, natural gas, electricity, aluminum

Top Imports

Machinery and equipment, crude oil, chemicals, motor vehicles and parts, durable consumer goods, electricity.

Debt - external

US$1.9 billion (2000)

Economic aid

Donor: ODA, $1.3 billion (1999)

Fiscal Year:

April 1 to March 31

Business Workweek

	Monday - Friday	Saturday - Sunday
Offices	9a.m. to 5p.m. or 6p.m.	Closed
Retail	Monday to Wednesday 9:30a.m. to 6p.m. Thursday to Friday 9:30a.m. to 9p.m.	Saturday 9:30a.m. to 9p.m. Retail stores used to be closed on Sundays but since early 1992 more and more are open seven days a week.
Banks	Monday to Wednesday 10a.m. to 3:30p.m. Friday 10a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Some banks are open for longer hours and on Thursday. Automated banking machines are commonplace for after-hours banking.	Closed
Government	9a.m. to 5p.m.	Closed

Holidays

Official Holidays

Holidays	2003	2004	2005
New Year's Day	January 1	January 1	January 1
Good Friday	April 18	April 9	March 25
Easter Saturday	April 19	April 10	March 26
Easter¹	April 20	April 11	March 27
Easter Monday	April 21	April 12	March 28
Victoria Day²	May 19	May 24	May 23
Canada Day³	July 1	July 1	July 1
Civic and Provincial Holiday*¹	August 4	August 2	August 1
Labor Day*²	September 1	September 6	September 5
Thanksgiving Day*³	October 13	October 11	October 10
Remembrance Day	November 11	November 11	November 11
Christmas Day**¹	December 25	December 25	December 25
Boxing Day	December 26	December 26	December 26

¹	Easter, a Christian holiday celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ, is the first Sunday after the full moon and the vernal equinox (fixed in the Gregorian calendar at March 21), and often observed with Good Friday and Easter Monday. In the West, Easter is predicted using the Gregorian calendar, while Eastern Orthodox Christians use the much older Julian calendar, and celebrate 13 days later.
²	Set at May 24, the commemoration takes place Monday, May 24 or the Monday preceding May 24.
³	When these days fall on a weekend, the next working day is considered a holiday.
*¹	First Monday in August.
*²	First Monday in September.
*³	Second Monday in October.
**¹	Christmas celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ. In A.D.320, Pope Julius I fixed the date at December 25 based on the Gregorian calendar. The Orthodox church calculates Christmas using the Julian calendar and celebrates 13 days later on January 7.

Note: Each province has its own set of holidays.

Country information used by permission of World Trade Press