Canada (from Sea to Sea)

The Origin of the Name
Canada’s name comes from the Huron-Iroquois word kanata , which means “village” or “settlement”.
The first French settlers used the Indian name for the colony but the official name was “New France”.
The first use of “Canada” as an official name came in 1791 when the Province of Quebec was divided into the colonies of Upper and Lower Canada.
When the area came under the British rule in 1897, the new country was called the Dominion of Canada or simply Canada

Canada is the second largest country in the world. It occupies the northern part of North America and a number of islands. It’s total area is about 10 mln.km². It stretches from the Great Lakes in the south to the Arctic Circle in the north.
Geographical
position

Geographical position
Canada is bordered in the north by the Arctic Ocean, in the east by the Atlantic Ocean, in the south by the USA and in the west by the Pacific Ocean and Alaska .

Newfoundland (St. John’s)
Prince Edward Island ( Charlottetown)
Nova Scotia (Halifax)
New Brunswick (Fredricton)
Quebec (Quebec City)
Ontario (Toronto)
Manitoba (Winnipeg)
Saskatchewan (Regina)
Alberta (Edmonton)
British Columbia (Victoria)
Northwest Territories (Yellowknife)
Yukon (Whitehorse)
Nunavut (Iqaluit)
Provinces and Territories
Canada is a federation of 10 provinces and 3 territories.

The main mountains of Canada are the Rockies.
There are also mountains which run parallel to Canada’s east coast, in Labrador and Baffin Land. The highest peak is in the Yukon territory. It is Mount Logan.

The Niagara Falls are one of the most splendid sights in the world.

Canada is a country of lakes. Canada shares with the USA four of the five Great lakes - Lake Superior, Huron, Erie, and Ontario (The fifth Great Lake- Michigan lies on the territory of the USA ).
Lake Superior
Lake Michigan
Lake Huron
Lake Erie
Lake Ontario

FIAG
The maple leaf is the official emblem of Canada. The official ceremony inaugurating the new Canadian flag was held on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on February 15, 1965. The national flag consists of a white field, flanked by a red vertical field on either end, with a red maple leaf on the white field.

National Anthem

The Coat of Arms
Early settlers are represented by the three royal lions of England, the royal lion of Scotland, the harp of Ireland and the fleur-de-lis of France.
The lion of England holds the British flag.
The unicorn of Scotland holds the flag of Royal France.
The bottom has the fleur-de-lis (France), the shamrock (Ireland), the thistle (Scotland), and the rose (England).
The motto of Canada is A Mari
Usque Ad Mare (From Sea to Sea)

Symbols of Canada
The beaver attained official status as an emblem of Canada March 24, 1975 .
The maple leaf began to serve as a Canadian symbol as early as 1700 .
The colour of the maple leaves on the arms of Canada was changed from green to red in 1957.

The languages
The official languages of Canada are English and French.

The population of Canada is over 33 mln. people. Most of the inhabitants are of British and French origin. Indigenous people make up 3 per cent of the population. They include North American Indians, Metis and Inuit.
Population

In 1999 Canada’s Inuit were given their own territory called Nunavut.(Nunavut is the Inuit word for “ our land.”) It is huge but extremely cold. About 29,500 Inuit live in Nunavut today. Only 6,200 Inuit live in Iqaluit, the capital of Nunavut.
The inukshuk is the most famous symbol of the Inuit. These marks were used to help travellers and hunters not to get lost. You can see an inukshuk on the flag of Nunavut.

Canada is a federal state within the Commonwealth of Nations.
Formally the head of the state is the Queen of the UK. Although the Queen holds this high position, she doesn’t rule. She serves as a symbol of British tradition. Her representative in Canada is the Governor General, whom she appoints on the advice of the Canadian Prime Minister.
The Governor’s duties are limited to symbolic, mostly ceremonial acts.
Micha�lle Jean
Governor-General of Canada

The political system
The real power belongs to the Prime Minister and his Cabinet. The Federal Parliament consists of the Senate, whose members are appointed by the Governor-General and the House of Commons, whose members are elected by the people for a period of five years.
Stephan Harper
Twenty-second Prime Minister of Canada

Ottawa
Ottawa is the federal capital of Canada. It is the seat of the federal Parliament and government.

Toronto

Vancouver
The 2010 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XXI Olympic Winter Games or the 21st Winter Olympics, will be held on February 12-28, 2010, in Vancouver.

Montreal

Calgary

Ice hockey is the national Canada’s sport.

Maple syrup festival
Canadians favourite sweet is maple syrup. Canadians like it so much that they even have special celebrations in honour of this sweet drink. They usually start at the beginning of March and last three to six weeks. During the festival you can see sap coming from the trees and help cook syrup in a “sugarhouse”. You can listen to live music and take part in funny contests. And you can eat lots of delicious maple products.