Canada is a federal state in North America and member of the Commonwealth. The total area of 9,958,319 km2 of which Canada is 755,109 km2 water. Canada is the largest country in the Western Hemisphere and the second largest country in the world and is thus accounted for 7% of the total global area. Illustrates the enormous size of the country is the fact that Canada borders on both the Atlantic, Pacific and the Arctic Ocean. It is also almost as large as the whole of Europe (excluding Russia). From east to west is the greatest distance of 5514 kilometers and 4634 kilometers north to south. Canada is bordered to the south to twelve states of the United States and in the west to Alaska (8893 kilometers, including 2477 kilometers with Alaska). The total coastline of Canada is 243,791 kilometers. The largest province of Quebec in Canada is approximately 1,650,000 km2 and is the smallest province of Prince Edward Island in 5657 km2. Canada is a result of the oldest land masses in the world: the Canadian Shield, that a large part of the country, is 1 billion years old. It covers 5 million km2 around the Hudson Bay. In the north and west will change the continent Canada in an archipelago of large, mostly low islands are called the Arctic Archipelago. The largest islands are Baffin, Ellesmere, Victoria, Newfoundland and Vancouver. Over 40% of Canada is located north of the tree line (60 ° N.Br.) The Hudson Bay calls with his 1,220,000 km2 deep into the interior. The Canadian Rocky Mountains are the younger part of the Western Cordillera, a wide, mountainous strip, which runs from Mexico to Canada. The mountain was formed between 120 and 20 million years ago and includes some of the highest peaks of Canada, the 389 km2 large Columbia Icefield and glacier lakes. Canada has six time zones with a difference of four hours between the east and west coasts. From east to west knows the Newfoundland, Atlantic, Eastern, Hospital, Mountain and Pacific time zone. If it is noon in Western Europe, it is in British Columbia 16.00, 19.00 and 20.00 hours in Ontario in Nova Scotia.
The original inhabitants of Canada, the Indians and Inuit (Eskimo), which together 4% of the population. The Indians in Canada are roughly divided into two groups: farmers and hunters. The first group, the Iroquois tribe formed the largest, in particular lived in what is now southern Ontario and along the St. Lawrence River. They lived in villages and lived mainly on agriculture. The farmers came first in contact with the Europeans and in the course of time there was a degree of integration instead. The many strains on the vast prairies wandered lived from hunting. They were hunters and gatherers, nomadic real, which skirts measurement with the source of their existence: the bison herds. The bison gave the Indians everything they needed: its meat was their food and his skin was used for clothing and tents (or TEPEE TENTS Teepee's) where they lived. Currently approximately 300,000 people registered as Indian. They are spread over approximately 600 tribes, the so-called "First Nations", and living in about 2300 reserves. The division of the Indian population varies greatly by province. The majority of Indians live in the provinces of Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, British Columbia and the Yukon Territory. A small number, mainly in the north, still leads a nomadic existence as a hunter. The major Indian tribes are: Algonquin from Ontario, Quebec from Abenaquis and Iroquois, Micmac from New Brunswick, Kananaskis in Alberta and Coquitlam and Matsqui from British Columbia.
The first group mongolide residents of the north stuck in a relatively warm period from Asia over the Bering Strait. These nomads are also known as the pre-Dorset, and spread in a northerly direction on the Arctic archipelago in an easterly direction and in Greenland. They hunted and fished on seals in the Arctic Ocean. Ca. 1500 BC. it was colder in the north, so they were forced south to the mainland to withdraw. In this period developed the Pre-Dorset Dorset to the indigenous culture and began to kariboes hunting. The Dorset are not the direct ancestors of the Inuit. Those were the Thule, also a mongolide people, who around 1000 n. Chr. From Alaska to the weather became warmer polar region withdrew. They hunt marine mammals such as walruses, seals and whales. The Thule spread rapidly over northern Canada and attended the place of the Dorset, who now along the coast of Labrador to Newfoundland were drawn. In contrast to the Dorset they lived in relatively large settlements along the coast, while the Dorset lived in small family groups. In 1500 served to a colder period and the Thule adjusted to these new circumstances and went into smaller groups and were half nomadic life. These people called themselves as first Inuit. The Inuit chose the polar region as their habitat, and remained there despite the harsh climate to this day live. Today, almost all Inuit live in villages, most of which are located in places where military bases or layers, longer ago, trading posts and missions. Sun still take long trips to hunt seals, or to fish, but available through satellite, television, telephone and other telecommunications technologies on the most modern conveniences. The Inuit, that 'the people' means, included in 1991 49.255 souls, most of whom are in the Northwest Territories live in northern Quebec and Labrador. The Inuit are divided into seven groups, which are differentiated by subtle differences in culture and way of life: the Copper, Caribou, Iglulik, Mackenzie, Baffin, Labrador and Netselik. In 1996 the Inuit received permission from the federal government in 1999 to set up self in the new province of Nunavut to form, which literally 'our country' means. Both the Indians and the Inuit are under the care of a special government body, which has funds available for education, medical care and economic development.
Among the indigenous peoples of Canada includes the Metis, approximately 200,000 persons of mixed French-Indian descent. The Metis people arose when French-Canadian 'drivers des bois "(almost exclusively men) are settled on the prairies with Indian women. She lived as free people, had no king, commander or chief. They lived of the products from forests and sold or swapped for including clothes, guns and salt. By this way of life were the Metis a native nation 'than a typical European community, although a French-Creole language spoken (mistchiff = metis) and remained Catholic. A quotation from the famous Métis, Louis Riel, says enough about how the Metis feel like an authentic Canadian people: "What is it matter what part of our blood is European or indian? We are the Metis. Our people were born in the pariries.
Almost the entire current population of Canada is composed of immigrants and their descendants. Over 25% of British and Irish descent, approximately 24% of French origin, 4% German, Italian 3%, 2% Ukrainian, 1.4% Dutch. Approximately one quarter million Canadians are of Dutch origin and they live mainly in the provinces of Ontario and Quebec. Vancouver with 100,000 souls has the second largest Chinese community outside the Far East, just after that of San Francisco. The immigration policy of the government aims only so many immigrants to leave the country if there is economy. After 1945, Canada has about 4.6 million immigrants admitted, with the hottest 1957 (approximately 280,000) and 1992 (about 252,000). Since the seventies is the number of immigrants from Europe back, and at this moment, the majority from Asia. Most immigrants settled in the provinces of Ontario, Quebec, British Columbia and Alberta. The number of residents born in Canada fluctuates around 15%. Most immigrants settled in Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver.
The population of Canada in 2002 amounted to approximately 31,900,000. The population density is approximately 2.7 inhabitants per km2 (Netherlands, 440). Two-thirds of the vast country is virtually uninhabited. The annual population growth during the period 1980-1992 1.1% (2002, 0.96%). The Life expectancy at birth is 83.25 years for women and 76.30 for men. The population is very unevenly spread. The vast majority of the country, especially the north, is very sparsely populated. The average number of inhabitants is 1.3 people per km2, but Nunavut has a population of 0013 inhabitants per km2. The number of births per 1000 inhabitants is 11.9 (Netherlands 13.0) the number of 7.54 deaths per 1000 inhabitants.
The bulk of the population is concentrated in a relatively small strip along the southern border. Over 80% of Canadians live no longer than 200 kilometers from the border with the United States come from. The center of gravity lies in the area of the St. Lawrence and in the Great Lakes: here are seven of the fifteen major conurbations that Canada has. The urban population comprises about 80% of the total population. The center of gravity lies in the provinces of Ontario and Quebec, with successively 36% and 26% of the total population.
A special group of the approximately 600,000 Acadians. Acadia was the eastern part of former French Canada, colonized from 1604 and in 1713 partly attributed to the Peace of Utrecht. The territory was consistent with the current coastal provinces of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, and was the subject of ongoing conflicts between England and France, which Nova Scotia lost in the Peace of Utrecht. In 1755 about 18,000 French people refused to show faith in England, after which they were deported to other British colonies, especially to Louisiana in the United States. At the Peace of Paris in 1763, fell Acadia final in English hands. Today there are approximately 1 million live Acadians in Louisiana, 300,000 in the territory of the former Acadia and as in the rest of Canada.