Destination - Canada
The North American continent is one of the most exciting places on Earth to live. There are a host of opportunities to be exploited in this large part of the world. Rich in Culture, history and with a terrific environment Canada make a great place to settle and to make a living.
British people have traditionally been welcomed in Canada and warmed to the Canadian people who's history is closely linked to that of the UK a traditional ally and trading partner with Canada for many centuries.
Most of the people in Canada are ethnically British or French, but other people from other European countries are also present and indigenous peoples are the majority in the north. Most Canadians live in cities, and most of the cities are close to the southern border. The largest urban areas are in Québec and Ontario provinces, or central Canada , where some two-thirds of the population lives.
French and English are the official languages, though English is more widely spoken than French. Canada sees many people immigrating to its land, though this group still remains a minority. The people of Canada are mostly literate and maintain a high standard of living.
Arts, Culture and Music of Canada
Canada has a variety of artistic cultures. The interest of the people in dance and music gets clearly reflected in symphony orchestras, opera companies, classical and modern dance groups, and live theater, which are quite common in Canada . The musicians of Canada have made a mark not just in their country but also across the globe. The same goes for the writers who have also gained worldwide recognition, the painters, the sculptors, filmmakers, and architects
Climate
There are many climatic variations in this huge country, ranging from the permanently frozen icecaps north of the 70th parallel to the luxuriant vegetation of British Columbia 's west coast. Canada 's most populous regions, which lie in the country's south along the U.S. border, enjoy four distinct seasons. Here daytime summer temperatures can rise to 35 degrees C and higher, while lows of -25 degrees C are not uncommon in winter. More moderate temperatures are the norm in spring and fall.
Population
Population increase is a fundamental driving force of change. It automatically increases human consumption of natural resources and releases of pollution, unless consumption patterns change to reduce per capita impacts. Historically, rates of consumption and pollution have been rising faster than population, both in Canada and globally.
The world passed a historic landmark this fall, when the global population crossed the six billion mark, a doubling since the late 1950s. The rate of population increase is slowing, but is still at about 78 million new inhabitants of Earth every year. Current UN estimates are that we will hit 7 billion in only 13 more years, 8 billion in 28 years and 9 billion by just after mid-century.
Although Canada 's population is growing slowly, our growth rate is higher than that in most industrialized countries. Our population growth is concentrated in areas with considerable environmental stresses, particularly around Toronto and Vancouver . Global population growth has global impacts that are felt in Canada , including pressures on the environment and demand for products that we export.
|
Year |
Population (000's) |
1861 |
3,230 |
1871 |
3,689 |
1881 |
4,325 |
1891 |
4,833 |
1901 |
5,371 |
1911 |
7,207 |
1921 |
8,788 |
1931 |
10,377 |
1941 |
11,507 |
1951 |
13,648 |
1956 |
16,081 |
1961 |
18,238 |
1966 |
20,015 |
1971 |
21,568 |
1976 |
23,550 |
1981 |
24,820 |
1986 |
26,101 |
1991 |
28,031 |
1994 |
29,036.0 |
1995 |
29,353.9 |
1996 |
29,672 |
1997 |
30,011.0 |
1998 |
30,301.2 |
2001 |
31,050.7 |
2006 |
32,248.6 |
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CLIMATE
Climate and weather in Canada
Canada 's climate is not as cold all year around as some may believe. In winter, temperatures fall below freezing point throughout most of Canada . But the south-western coast has a relatively mild climate. Along the Arctic Circle , mean temperatures are below freezing for seven months a year.
During the summer months the southern provinces often experience high levels of humidity and temperatures that can surpass 30 degrees Celsius regularly.
Western and south-eastern Canada experience high rainfall, but the Prairies are dry with 250 mm to 500 mm of rain every year.
Geography
The 31 million residents of Canada enjoy one of the world's most developed economies and best quality of life. There are numerous superlatives associated with this prosperous, large, and beautiful nation - here are but a few...
Longest Coastline
Canada 's coastline is the world's longest at 243,792 km or 151,485 miles (including the coastline of the country's 52,455 islands.)
2nd Largest Country in Area
Canada 's land area is 9,970,610 km 2 (3,849,672 mi 2 ). Of this area, 9,215,430 km 2 (3,558,096 mi 2 ) is land and 755,180 km 2 (291,577 mi 2 ) is fresh water. Russia is the world's largest country.
Tallest Structure
Toronto , Ontario 's CN Tower , which is ranked as one of the seven wonders of the modern world by the American Society of Civil Engineers, is the world's tallest self-supporting structure at 1,815 feet.
Most Degrees of Latitude
From Canada's northernmost point, Cape Columbia , Nunavut at 83°7' North, to the southernmost point, Middle Island , Ontario at 41°41' North, Canada spreads across 41°26' of latitude .
World's Longest Undefended and Open Border
The 8,893 km (5,526 miles) border between the U.S. and Canada , which includes 2,477 km (1,539 miles) with Alaska , is the world's longest undefended border.
Largest Shopping Mall
At 5.3 million square feet (492,000 m 2 ), West Edmonton Mall is the world's largest shopping mall.
HISTORY
After 1900, as Canada became more industrialized and urbanized, it turned its attention increasingly to improving the social and economic conditions of its poorest citizens. In 1927, an Old Age Pensions Act was introduced. Thirteen years later, Parliament passed an Unemployment Insurance Act . Within four more years it also added a Family Allowances Act .
In 1967, all federal parties supported the National Medical Care Insurance Act (Medicare), which was further strengthened in 1984 to ensure comprehensive care, and other benefits to all citizens and those awaiting naturalization. These advances and harsh postwar conditions in other homelands made Canada even more attractive to emigrants in Britain and western Europe.
Several waves of Britons arrived in the late 1940s and throughout the 1950s. First there were thousands of war brides, often with infant children. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, tens of thousands of young Americans, avoiding the Vietnam War or in search of alternate or communal lifestyles, migrated north to Canada .
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These newcomers had few problems assimilating into mainstream Canadian life, for they spoke English, were well educated and thereby highly employable. Not so fortunate were those in eastern Europe, the Caribbean, the Middle East or East Asia who sought to emigrate to Canada . A major obstacle for Chinese, Indian and Pakistani nationals was removed when a Citizenship Act was passed in 1947. Preference was still given to British subjects, but the head tax on Asians was finally eliminated, as were other constraints. Perhaps even more important for the future of immigration in Canada was the United Nations' Universal Declaration of Human Rights of 1948 (drafted by a Canadian, John Humphreys) because it formalized a breakdown of barriers to immigration in the world's democracies
Legal system
Canada 's bijural legal system, which draws on both English common law and French civil law, is nearly unique among Western democracies. Only two jurisdictions in North America provide for civil law: the state of Louisiana and the province of Quebec . Bijuralism is a reflection of Louisiana 's and Quebec 's similar colonial history.
More information see www.canada.ca/gov |
