CANADA                                                                          
GEOGRAPHY                                                                       
Total area: 9,976,140 km2; land area: 9,220,970 km2                             
                                                                                
Comparative area: slightly larger than US                                       
                                                                                
Land boundaries: 8,893 km with US (includes 2,477 km with Alaska)               
                                                                                
Coastline: 243,791 km                                                           
                                                                                
Maritime claims:                                                                
Continental shelf: 200 m (depth) or to depth of exploitation;                   
                                                                                
Exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm;                                                 
                                                                                
Territorial sea: 12 nm                                                          
                                                                                
Disputes: maritime boundary disputes with France (Saint Pierre and              
Miquelon) and US                                                                
                                                                                
Climate: varies from temperate in south to subarctic and arctic in              
north                                                                           
                                                                                
Terrain: mostly plains with mountains in west and lowlands in                   
southeast                                                                       
                                                                                
Natural resources: nickel, zinc, copper, gold, lead, molybdenum,                
potash, silver, fish, timber, wildlife, coal, crude oil, natural gas            
                                                                                
Land use: arable land 5%; permanent crops NEGL%; meadows and                    
pastures 3%; forest and woodland 35%; other 57%; includes NEGL%                 
irrigated                                                                       
                                                                                
Environment: 80% of population concentrated within 160 km of US                 
border; continuous permafrost in north a serious obstacle to development        
                                                                                
Note: second-largest country in world (after USSR); strategic                   
location between USSR and US via north polar route                              
                                                                                
PEOPLE                                                                          
Population: 26,835,036 (July 1991), growth rate 1.1% (1991)                     
                                                                                
Birth rate: 14 births/1,000 population (1991)                                   
                                                                                
Death rate: 7 deaths/1,000 population (1991)                                    
                                                                                
Net migration rate: 5 migrants/1,000 population (1991)                          
                                                                                
Infant mortality rate: 7 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)                        
                                                                                
Life expectancy at birth: 74 years male, 81 years female (1991)                 
                                                                                
Total fertility rate: 1.7 children born/woman (1991)                            
                                                                                
Nationality: noun--Canadian(s); adjective--Canadian                             
                                                                                
Ethnic divisions: British Isles origin 40%, French origin 27%,                  
other European 20%, indigenous Indian and Eskimo 1.5%                           
                                                                                
Religion: Roman Catholic 46%, United Church 16%, Anglican 10%                   
                                                                                
Language: English and French (both official)                                    
                                                                                
Literacy: 99% (male NA%, female NA%) age 15 and over can                        
read and write (1981 est.)                                                      
                                                                                
Labor force: 13,380,000; services 75%, manufacturing 14%,                       
agriculture 4%, construction 3%, other 4% (1988)                                
                                                                                
Organized labor: 30.6% of labor force; 39.6% of nonagricultural                 
paid workers                                                                    
                                                                                
GOVERNMENT                                                                      
Long-form name: none                                                            
                                                                                
Type: confederation with parliamentary democracy                                
                                                                                
Capital: Ottawa                                                                 
                                                                                
Administrative divisions: 10 provinces and 2 territories*; Alberta,             
British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland,                        
Northwest Territories*, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Prince Edward Island,             
Quebec, Saskatchewan, Yukon Territory*                                          
                                                                                
Independence: 1 July 1867 (from UK)                                             
                                                                                
Constitution: amended British North America Act 1867 patriated to               
Canada 17 April 1982; charter of rights and unwritten customs                   
                                                                                
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                                                 
                                                                                
National holiday: Canada Day, 1 July (1867)                                     
                                                                                
Executive branch: British monarch, governor general, prime                      
minister, deputy prime minister, Cabinet                                        
                                                                                
Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament (Parlement) consists of an             
upper house or Senate (Senat) and a lower house or House of Commons             
(Chambre des Communes)                                                          
                                                                                
Judicial branch: Supreme Court                                                  
                                                                                
Leaders:                                                                        
                                                                                
Chief of State--Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952),                     
represented by Governor General Raymond John HNATSHYN (since 29 January         
1990);                                                                          
                                                                                
Head of Government--Prime Minister (Martin) Brian MULRONEY (since               
4 September 1984); Deputy Prime Minister Donald Frank MAZANKOWSKI (since        
NA June 1986)                                                                   
                                                                                
Political parties and leaders:                                                  
Progressive Conservative, Brian MULRONEY;                                       
Liberal, Jean CHRETIEN;                                                         
New Democratic, Audrey McLAUGHLIN                                               
                                                                                
Suffrage: universal at age 18                                                   
                                                                                
Elections:                                                                      
                                                                                
House of Commons--last held 21 November 1988 (next to be                        
held by November 1993);                                                         
results--Progressive Conservative 43.0%, Liberal 32%,                           
New Democratic Party 20%, other 5%;                                             
seats--(295 total) Progressive Conservative 159, Liberal 80, New                
Democratic Party 44, independent 12                                             
                                                                                
Communists: 3,000                                                               
                                                                                
Member of: ACCT, AfDB, AG (observer), APEC, AsDB,                               
BIS, C, CCC, CDB, COCOM, CP, CSCE, EBRD, ECE, ECLAC, 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 (observer), ISO, ITU,               
LORCS, NATO, NEA, OAS, OECD, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNDOF, UNESCO, UNFICYP,           
UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIIMOG, UNTSO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO,                         
WTO                                                                             
                                                                                
Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Derek BURNEY; Chancery at                 
1746 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington DC 20036; telephone (202)              
785-1400; there are Canadian Consulates General in Atlanta, Boston,             
Buffalo, Chicago, Cleveland, Dallas, Detroit, Los Angeles, Minneapolis,         
New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco, and Seattle;                             
                                                                                
US--Ambassador Edward N. NEY; Embassy at 100 Wellington Street,                 
K1P 5T1, Ottawa (mailing address is P. O. Box 5000, Ogdensburg, NY              
13669-0430); telephone (613) 248-25256, 25106, 25271, and 25170; there          
are US Consulates General in 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        
                                                                                
ECONOMY                                                                         
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. In mid-1990, however, the       
long-simmering problems between English- and French-speaking areas              
became so acute that observers spoke openly of a possible split in the          
confederation; foreign investors were becoming edgy.                            
                                                                                
GDP: $516.7 billion, per capita $19,500; real growth rate 0.9%                  
(1990)                                                                          
                                                                                
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 4.8% (1990)                                   
                                                                                
Unemployment rate: 8.1% (1990)                                                  
                                                                                
Budget: revenues $105.8 billion; expenditures $131.6 billion,                   
including capital expenditures of $NA (FY90 est.)                               
                                                                                
Exports: $126.7 billion (f.o.b., 1990);                                         
                                                                                
commodities--newsprint, wood pulp, timber, grain, crude petroleum,              
machinery, natural gas, ferrous and nonferrous ores, motor vehicles             
and parts;                                                                      
                                                                                
partners--US, Japan, UK, FRG, other EC, USSR                                    
                                                                                
Imports: $116.3 billion (c.i.f., 1990);                                         
                                                                                
commodities--processed foods, beverages, crude petroleum,                       
chemicals, industrial machinery, motor vehicles and parts, durable              
consumer goods, electronic computers;                                           
                                                                                
partners--US, Japan, UK, FRG, other EC, Taiwan, South Korea, Mexico             
                                                                                
External debt: $247 billion (1987)                                              
                                                                                
Industrial production: growth rate - 2.7% (1990); accounts for 34%              
of GDP                                                                          
                                                                                
Electricity: 105,000,000 kW capacity; 500,000 million kWh produced,             
18,840 kWh per capita (1990)                                                    
                                                                                
Industries: processed and unprocessed minerals, food products,                  
wood and paper products, transportation equipment, chemicals, fish              
products, petroleum and natural gas                                             
                                                                                
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                                                  
                                                                                
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                              
                                                                                
Economic aid: donor--ODA and OOF commitments (1970-89), $7.2                    
billion                                                                         
                                                                                
Currency: Canadian dollar (plural--dollars); 1 Canadian dollar                  
(Can$) = 100 cents                                                              
                                                                                
Exchange rates: Canadian dollars (Can$) per US$1--1.1559                        
(January 1991), 1.1668 (1990), 1.1840 (1989), 1.2307 (1988), 1.3260             
(1987), 1.3895 (1986), 1.3655 (1985)                                            
                                                                                
Fiscal year: 1 April-31 March                                                   
                                                                                
COMMUNICATIONS                                                                  
Railroads: 93,544 km total; two major transcontinental freight                  
railway systems--Canadian National (government owned) and Canadian              
Pacific Railway; passenger service--VIA (government operated)                   
                                                                                
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                     
                                                                                
Pipelines: oil, 23,564 km total crude and refined; natural gas,                 
74,980 km                                                                       
                                                                                
Ports: Halifax, Montreal, Quebec, Saint John (New Brunswick),                   
Saint John's (Newfoundland), Toronto, Vancouver                                 
                                                                                
Merchant marine: 75 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 532,062                  
GRT/727,118 DWT; includes 1 passenger, 5 short-sea passenger, 2                 
passenger-cargo, 13 cargo, 2 railcar carrier, 1 refrigerated cargo, 8           
roll-on/roll-off, 1 container, 27 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL)         
tanker, 6 chemical tanker, 1 specialized tanker, 8 bulk; note--does not         
include ships used exclusively in the Great Lakes                               
                                                                                
Civil air: 636 major transport aircraft; Air Canada is the major                
carrier                                                                         
                                                                                
Airports: 1,397 total, 1,154 usable; 443 with permanent-surface                 
runways; 4 with runways over 3,659 m; 30 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 328        
with runways 1,220-2,439 m                                                      
                                                                                
Telecommunications: excellent service provided by modern media;                 
18.0 million telephones; 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                                                                         
                                                                                
DEFENSE FORCES                                                                  
Branches: Canadian Armed Forces (including Mobile Command,                      
Maritime Command, Air Command, Communications Command, Canadian Forces          
Europe, Training Commands), Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP)                
                                                                                
Manpower availability: males 15-49, 7,243,909; 6,297,520 fit for                
military service; 188,996 reach military age (17) annually                      
                                                                                
Defense expenditures: $11.3 billion, 2% of GDP (FY90)                           
                                                                                
