Canada is the world’s second largest country, surpassed only by the Russian Federation.

It has
an area of nearly ten million sq. km. It is washed by the Pacific Ocean in the west, by the Arctic Ocean in
the north, and by the Atlantic Ocean in the east. In the south Canada borders on the USA.

Canada has mountains, high plains and low plains. The Cordillera and Rocky Mountains run
parallel to the Pacific coast. East of the mountains are high plains. Mount Logan in the Yukon is Canada’s
tallest peak. The low plains lie in the region of the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence River.

Canada is a country of lakes. Besides the Great Lakes there are many other large ones ( In
general, there are about two million lakes in Canada, covering about 7,6% of the Canadian landmass).
Canada also has large rivers. The St. Lawrence River is Canada’s most important river, providing a
seaway for ships from Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean. The longest Canadian river is the Mackenzie,
which flows through the Nortwest Territories.

Canada has several climatic regions. Winter in Canada lasts from 4 to 5 months with heavy
snowfalls. Canada's lowest recorded temperature was -81.4 degrees Fahrenheit (-63 C) in 1947. There is
much rain in the east and west, but less in the centre.

Canada consists of 13 political divisions: 10 provinces and 3 territories. The territories are
Northwest Territories, Nunavut and Yukon. The current provinces and territories are: Alberta, British
Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Northwest Territories, Nova Scotia,
Nunavut, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Québec, Saskatchewan, Yukon.

The population of Canada is over 35 million people. The capital of Canada is Ottawa. Ottawa is
the seventh coldest capital in the world. Others that are colder include in order of coldest first are
Ulaan-Baatar in Mongolia, Astana in Kazakhastan, Moscow, Helsinki, Reykjavik in Iceland and Tallin in
Estonia. Canada’s largest cities are Toronto, Ontario, Vancouver, Edmonton, Montreal and others.

Canadians are the nation composed of 2 linguistic and cultural groups – French and English,
that’s why there are two official languages in the country – English and French. The main part of French
Canadians live in Quebec, the largest Canadian province.

Canada is a constitutional monarchy and a federal state with a democratic parliament. The
official head of the state is the Queen of England represented by the Governor-General. The Parliament
of Canada, in Ottawa, consists of the House of Commons, whose members are elected, and the Senate,
whose members are appointed.