Canada: Land of the Niagara Falls

Canada is a sparsely populated but picturesque country situated in the northern hemisphere. Although it is second only to Russia in size, however it has only one-fifth of its population. Canada is technologically and industrially advanced and has many dynamic cities like Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, and Vancouver to name a few. The CN Tower in Toronto is the world’s highest tower building. Apart from this Canada also shares the breathtaking Niagara Falls in Ontario with the US, a neighbour which is its largest trade partner and with which it has a complex relationship.

Canada Profile: Overview of Facts and Figures:

· National Name: Canada
· Capital: Ottawa (Ontario state)
· Total area: 9,984,670 sq km
· Population: 33,679,263 (2008)
· Currency: Canadian dollar
· Languages: English 59.3%, French 23.2% (both official); other 17.5%
· Ethnicity/ Races: British Isles origin 28%, French origin 23%, other European 15%, indigenous Indian and Inuit 2%, other, mostly Asian, African, Arab 6%, mixed background 26%
· Religion: Roman Catholic 43%, Protestant 23% (including United Church 10%, Anglican 7%, Baptist 2%, Lutheran 2%), other Christian 4%, Muslim 2%, none 16% (2001)
· GDP (Per Capita): $ 35,600 (2006)
· Life Expectancy: Male- 78 Yrs, Female- 82 Yrs (2008)
· Literacy: 99% (2003 est.)

Geoghraphy and Climate of Canada:
Canada is situated between the Atlantic Ocean on its East and the Pacific Ocean in the west, while the Arctic Ocean lies to its west. It is bordered by the United States to its south and its northwest. It also has the longest coastline in the world. Situated near the Arctic the northern region of Canada is frozen for most part of the year and people generally stay within 200 kms from the coast. Canada also has many active volcanoes like Mount Meager, Mt Garibaldi and Mt Cayley. The Newfoundland region on Eastern Canada is the world’s largest fishing region; Nova Scotia has long been sustained by Atlantic fishing.

Culture and Economy of Canada:
Canada is a multi-cultural and bilingual country with English and French as Official Languages owing to a large percentage of French Canadians. Substantial number of French-Canadians or Francophone population lives in Ontario, Alberta and Southern Manitoba. Canadian culture is also influenced by the aborigines as reflected from the totem pole and Inukshuk symbols.

Being a snow bound country Ice Hockey is the national sport as well as the national pastime, apart from the summer sport of Lacrosse. Canada has also won many medals at many world-sporting events like the Olympics that it hosted in 1976 and will host the winter Olympics in 2010 in Vancouver.

Canada has one of the world’s highest Per Capita Income and is also member of the OECD and G-8. Its economic uniqueness lies in the fact that although it has a well developed Service and Manufacturing industry but at the same time Canada also has a vibrant primary sector with logging, oil and fishing being the major industries.

Tourism, Vacations and Attractions in Canada:
Canada is surely a haven for foreign tourists as it offers number of travel destinations like snow-capped peaks, beautiful lakes, national parks and scenic waterfalls. The Niagara Falls on the Niagara river are by far the most visited tourist hotspots of Canada. Apart from this other attractions for both the budget and the affluent tourist include:

· Banff National Park
· Calgary
· Halifax
· Montreal
· Ottawa
· Quebec City
· St John's
· Toronto
· Vancouver
· Vancouver Island
· Whistler

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