Canada

Geography

Canada is located in the north of the American double continent between the Arctic and the USA. The US state of Alaska lies to the west and only the southern part of the province of British Columbia borders the Pacific Ocean. Greenland lies off the Atlantic coast in the east, but there is no direct land connection.

With an area of 9.98 million km², Canada is the second largest country in the world after Russia. It is only 4% larger than the USA. Around 900,000 km² of this consists of bodies of water, including the "Great Lakes" - a group of five connected freshwater lakes in southern Ontario. Of the numerous mountain ranges, the Rocky Mountains in the west are the best known and largest. However, the highest mountain peak (Mount Logan), at 5,959 meters, is in the Yukon's Elias Range, which is a little further away.

The north extends far beyond the Arctic Circle and consists of a rugged island region. The Canadian Arctic Archipelago lies in the Arctic Ocean. The majority of Canada's 52,455 islands and 202,080 kilometers of coastline are located here. Overall, however, the north is very sparsely populated. With 3.9 inhabitants per km², Canada is one of the most sparsely populated countries in the world, but most of the inhabitants live in the southern parts of the country. Almost all major cities are located close to the US border. 81.8% of the population is urban.

Climate in Canada

From the cold polar climate to the temperate climate in the southern parts of the country, there are several climate zones in Canada. Overall, summers are short but warm to hot. Winters, on the other hand, are long with persistent precipitation. High in the north, near the Arctic, most areas are under a continuous snow cover in the winter and temperatures rarely rise above 10°C, even in summer. In Yukon (northwest), a record -63°C was recorded in 1947. The Pacific West Coast, on the other hand, has a maritime climate with daily highs of around 25°C. The Atlantic East Coast has a maritime climate with daily highs that are also around 25°C. On the Atlantic east coast, the climate becomes increasingly milder, even though the summers here are also quite short.

• Detailed climate data for Canada and 13 individual regions
• Tsunamis
• Hurricanes

Languages

Mother tongue	Distribution
English	58.7 %
French	22.0 %
Punjabi	1.4 %
German	1.3 %
Italian	1.3 %
Spanish	1.3 %
Chinese	1.2 %
Tagalog	1.2 %
Arabic	1.1 %
Polish	0.7 %
Portuguese	0.7 %
Ukrainian	0.6 %
Dutch	0.5 %
Russian	0.4 %
Inuit	0.1 %
other	7.5 %

Religions

Religion	Distribution
Buddhists	1.1%
Baptists	1.9%
Lutherans	1.5%
Presbyterians	1.4%
Pentecostals	1.5%
Orthodoxes	1.6%
Roman Catholics	38.8%
other Catholics	0.2%
Anglicans	5.0%
other Protestants	9.0%
other Christs	6.3%
Hinduists	1.5%
Muslims	3.2%
Jews	1.1%
nondenominational	23.9%
Sikhs	1.4%
other	0.6%

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Economy

GDP:	2,161.48 bn $
Exportations:	722.83 bn $
Importations:	719.34 bn $
› Tourism receipts:	13.09 bn $
› Debt rate:	106.59 %
› Unemployment rate:	5.42 %
› Inflation rate:	6.80 %
› Corruption index:	76 (good)
› Energy consumption:	539.7 bn kWh

With a Human Development Index (HDI) of 0.935, Canada counts as one of the high developed economies by UN definition. The IMF also shares this classification.

With an average annual income of 53,310 USD Canada is one of the high-income countries. Even considering purchasing power parity, it is among the 30 richest countries in the world.

Land use

1% Urban areas:	126,511 km²
7% Agricultural areas:	687,944 km²
39% Forest:	3,864,067 km²
9% Water areas:	891,160 km²
53% Others:	5,306,148 km²

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Transport

Roadways:	1,042,300 km
Railways:	49,422 km
Waterways:	636 km
Reg. vehicles:	30,754,600
› Airports: